Through the Tunnel

Which adjective most accurately describes Jerry’s Mother’s feelings towards her son?

• Possessive

• Nonchalant

• Indifferent

Answer explanation

Indifferent means that you don't really care about someone or something. It's not out of meanness or on purpose, you just don't really care.

What colour is Jerry’s Mother’s umbrella?

• Yellow

• Green

• Orange

Answer explanation

"There she was, a speck of yellow under an umbrella that looked like a

slice of orange peel."

What language do the other boys speak?

• English

• French

• Spanish

Answer explanation

"Through his hot shame, feeling the pleading grin on his face like a

scar that he could never remove, he looked up at the group of big brown boys on the rock

and shouted, “Bon jour! Merci! Au revoir! Monsieur, monsieur!” while he hooked his fingers

round his ears and waggled them."

What makes Jerry feel a sense of failure when he watches the other boys dive and swim?

• He's a lot smaller than them

• He cannot speak the same language as them

• He cannot swim as well as they can

Answer explanation

"And now, in a panic of failure, he yelled up, in English, “Look at me! Look!” and he

began splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog."

Jerry’s strong desire to be with the other boys emphasizes that he is…

• Lonely

• Bored

• Clever

On Jerry’s second visit to the beach he is too scared to dive near the cave.

• True

• False

• There is no cave in the story

Answer explanation

"As soon as she had bought the goggles, he grabbed them

from her hand as if she were going to claim them for herself, and was off, running down the

steep path to the bay."

What skill does Jerry decide he must master before he tries to swim through the tunnel?

• To improve his swimming strokes

• To control his breathing

• To swim with his eyes closed

Answer explanation

"First, he thought, he must learn to control his breathing."

What helpful item allows Jerry to begin his underwater training?

• Goggles

• Wetsuit

• Flippers

For how many minutes does Jerry hold his breath before he attempts to swim through the tunnel?

• One minute

• Two minutes

• Three minutes

Answer explanation

"He was

incredulous and then proud to find he could hold his breath without strain for two minutes.

The words “two minutes,” authorized by the clock, brought close the adventure that was so

necessary to him."

What obstacles does Jerry encounter in the tunnel?

• Sharp rocks

• Octopuses

• Tangling weeds

Answer explanation

"He was being continually pressed against the sharp roof, which felt slimy as well as sharp.

Again he thought of octopuses, and wondered if the tunnel might be filled with weed that

could tangle him. (The weeds and octopuses are just in his imagination)."