A central idea in Breaking Point is that

• school is a waste of time when your family is having money problems.
• parents should keep their children from learning about their money problems.
• it is better to share your problems with someone close to you than to keep them bottled up inside.
• today’s teenagers are more interested in throwing expensive parties than in helping out their friends.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.7.2

One of the lessons we can learn from Michael Fallon’s behavior is that

• betting on sports is not a good way to earn money.
• lack of communication between husband and wife can have disastrous consequences.
• personal frustration can lead some people to lash out at their loved ones.
• all of the above.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

When Teresa accuses Vicky of being jealous of her quinceañera, Vicky responds by

• calmly explaining to Teresa that Dad is out of work and she can’t afford to buy an expensive dress for the party.
• saying she wouldn’t attend the quinceañera if Teresa paid her to and throwing a bill at her feet.
• telling Teresa that spending a lot of money on one party is a total waste.
• admitting her jealousy.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Vicky breaks up with Steve Morris after

• she sees him make fun of a smaller kid and realizes that Steve would probably make fun of her own younger brother.
• she sees him flirting with Teresa Ortiz and several other girls.
• Steve makes fun of her younger brother Danny’s acne.
• Steve gets into a fist fight with Martin Luna.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

Mr. Fallon is obsessed with watching sports on TV because

• he used to play football for Penn State.
• it’s his way of getting his mind off his problems.
• he is betting on sporting events in hopes of paying off debts.
• he is thinking of becoming a professional sports photographer.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Danny’s graffiti “tag” is a picture of a

• hammer.
• blowtorch.
• time bomb.
• smiley face.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.3

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Toward the end of the story, Teresa helps Vicky by

• lending her the money for a new dress
• telling Martin about Vicky’s family problems.
• finding an apartment for the Fallons.
• telling Mr. Mitchell why Vicky hasn’t been paying attention in class.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.K.3

CCSS.RL.K.5

When Vicky sees Danny in the pickup truck with Mario and Felix, we can conclude that she believes

• having friends like Mario and Felix will help Danny deal with the pain of being evicted.
• Felix will soon teach Danny how to drive the truck.
• Felix and Mario will make fun of Danny for being evicted.
• d. Mario and Felix will steal some of Danny’s belongings.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

By the end of the story, we can conclude that

• Teresa and Martin will continue to dislike each other.
• Vicky will buy an expensive dress and attend Teresa’s quinceañera.
• Mom will demand that Vicky stop seeing Martin.
• Teresa and Martin may start to get along better.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

By the end of the story, we can conclude that

• Dad will soon return to his family.
• Mom will manage to move her family back into their old house.
• Danny will forgive Dad for leaving the family.
• Vicky will start to pay better attention in class.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2