Question

Read the following passage from "Through the Tunnel." That day and the next, Jerry exercised his lungs as if everything, the whole of his life, all that he would become, depended upon it. Again his nose bled at night, and his mother insisted on his coming with her the next day. It was a torment to him to waste a day of his careful self-training, but he stayed with her on the other beach, which now seemed a place for small children, a place where his mother might lie safe in the sun. It was not his beach. Which sentence accurately describes the conflict in this passage?

A. Jerry is desperate to prove that he is no longer a child.
B. Jerry's mother is happy when he stays with her on the beach.
C. Jerry is an excellent swimmer and wants to prove that to his mother.
D. none of the above

Answer 1

The conflict in "Through the Tunnel" is about Jerry's personal struggle and determination to prove himself as he grows independent from his mother, making option A the correct answer.

TheCorrect option is: A. Jerry is desperate to prove that he is no longer a child.

Step-by-step explanation:

The conflict in the passage from "Through the Tunnel" centers on Jerry's personal struggle and his desire to prove himself as he grows more independent from his mother.

He is desperately trying to improve his swimming capabilities to the point that he disregards his own health, signifying his determination to overcome his limitations and to prove his maturation—physically and mentally. The correct answer to the question, which describes the conflict in the passage, is A.

Jerry is desperate to prove that he is no longer a child. Jerry's bloody nose is a physical manifestation of his struggle and dedication to his self-imposed goal, revealing the core of his conflict: the desire for personal growth and independence.