What is the theme, or central idea, of “Through the Tunnel”?

an individual’s struggle to assert his/her own authority

a boy’s rejection of his mother’s opinions

a mother’s failure to guide her son

a child’s vulnerability to destructive peer pressure

Jerry’s mother feels that it is important to:

monitor all of Jerry’s activities

spend a lot of time with Jerry.

What feelings motivate Jerry’s resolution to swim through the tunnel?

shame at his childishness and fear

delight in viewing the undersea world

rebellion against his mother’s strictness

ambition to be a champion swimmer

Which of the following details would be most useful in answering questions about Jerry’s motivation in “Through the Tunnel”?

“And yet, as he ran, he looked back over his shoulder at the wild bay; and all morning, as he played on the safe beach, he was thinking of it.”

“The boys were gathering up their bits of clothing and running off along the shore to another promontory. They were leaving to get away from him.”

“He knew he must find his way through that cave, or hole, or tunnel, and out the other side.”

“He took the edges of the hole in his hands and drew himself into it, wriggling his shoulders in sidewise as he remembered he must, kicking himself along with his feet.”

Jerry’s preparations to swim the tunnel are:

determined and carefully planned

Before Jerry gets up the nerve to swim the tunnel, he:

trains himself to hold his breath for two minutes underwater

swims halfway through the tunnel before turning around.

asks the local boys for advice.

asks his mother for permission.

By the end of the story, Jerry has lost interest in the cave because he:

knows he has attained his goal.

succumbs to his mother’s pressure

understands his efforts were pointless

realizes how dangerous the tunnel is.

An action that demonstrates Jerry’s internal conflict is:

obeying his mother’s request that he not swim for the day.

diving off the rocks into the bay

learning to hold his breath for two minutes.

On the first day of their vacation, the main character goes ____.

with his mother to the "safe" beach.

by himself to the "wild" side of the bay.

with the older boys and dives off of the rocks.

What does the main character's father do?

none of these answers is correct

He is wealthy and does not work.

As soon as he came through the tunnel, the main character wanted to ____.

go back to the villa and lie down.

At the end of the story, the main character bragged to his mother that he _____ .

could hold his breath for two to three minutes

made friends with some foreign boys

swam through a tunnel under the bay

Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing

Quiz

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English

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9th - 12th Grade

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Practice Problem

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Medium

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CCSS

RL.11-12.2, RL.9-10.3, RL.8.1

+37

Standards-aligned

Michele Phillips

Used 148+ times

FREE Resource

About this resource

This quiz comprehensively assesses students' understanding of Doris Lessing's short story "Through the Tunnel," making it appropriate for 9th through 12th grade English Language Arts classes. The questions systematically evaluate multiple layers of literary analysis, beginning with fundamental comprehension elements like character identification, setting, and plot sequence, then progressing to more sophisticated analytical skills including theme interpretation, character motivation analysis, and symbolic meaning. Students must demonstrate their ability to identify the central theme of individual struggle for independence, analyze Jerry's complex relationship with his mother and his desire for acceptance from older boys, and recognize how his methodical preparation and ultimate success in swimming through the tunnel represents his transition from childhood to adolescence. The quiz requires students to synthesize textual evidence with interpretive analysis, particularly when examining Jerry's internal conflict and the story's symbolic elements like the contrast between the "safe beach" representing youth and the "wild bay" symbolizing the challenges of growing up. Created by Michele Phillips, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 9-12. This comprehensive assessment serves multiple instructional purposes, functioning effectively as a summative assessment following complete study of the text, a review tool before unit examinations, or a structured discussion starter for deeper literary analysis. Teachers can assign this quiz as homework to reinforce reading comprehension, use it as a formative assessment to gauge student understanding before moving to comparative literature studies, or implement it as a differentiated learning tool where students work through questions in small groups to support peer learning. The quiz aligns with Common Core standards RL.9-10.1 and RL.11-12.1 for citing textual evidence, RL.9-10.2 and RL.11-12.2 for determining themes and analyzing their development, and RL.9-10.3 and RL.11-12.3 for analyzing how complex characters develop throughout the text. The blend of factual recall and analytical thinking questions makes this assessment particularly valuable for preparing students for standardized literature examinations while building the critical thinking skills essential for advanced literary study.