Breathing Underwater

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How does Nick’s internal dialogue primarily impact the reading of the novel?

A) It makes it easy for the reader to understand what Caitlin is feeling.

B) It allows the reader to track Nick’s personal growth through his thoughts.

C) It provides the reader with a one-sided, but reliable, perspective.

D) It helps the reader feel intense empathy for Nick’s challenges and struggles.

2. How does Nick exhibit signs of controlling behavior in his relationship with Caitlin?

A) He incessantly checks her phone.

B) He searches through her notes at school.

C) He calls Caitlin’s mom asking for Caitlin.

D) He isolates her from friends.

3. Why is it ironic that Nick is offended when the judge characterizes him by his clothing?

A) Nick often characterizes others in the same way.

B) Nick’s family is wealthy, and his clothing is pristine.

C) Nick has never been criticized for his clothing.

D) Caitlin had often addressed Nick’s poor clothing choices.

4. What does Nick’s Mustang serve as a symbol for in the novel?

A) It illustrates Nick’s inherited propensity toward violence.

B) It reveals Nick’s anger and frustration in his relationships.

C) It symbolizes the loss of his careful control over Caitlin.

D) It represents his father’s abuse and his own identity.

5. What causes Nick to attempt to control things?

A) His aggression

B) His confusion

C) His fear

D) His hatred

6. What event does the gun Leo shows Nick foreshadow in the novel?

A) Leo’s refusal to address his violence

B) Nick’s abuse toward Caitlin

C) Leo’s eventual “murder-suicide”

D) Nick’s decision to end the friendship

7. Which of the following is the best example of Nick using verbal abuse to control Caitlin?

A) He calls Saint names to provoke him to fight Nick for Caitlin.

B) He attempts to say kind things to Caitlin to keep her near him.

C) He purchases a ring to convince Caitlin to return to him.

D) He calls her names to prevent her from talking to other boys.

8. What might the reader conclude Nick wrestles with when considering his relationship with Tom and Mario?

A) He wants to be perceived as strong and independent.

B) He takes people for granted until they are gone.

C) He questions the motivations of well-intended friends.

D) He has difficulty admitting when he is wrong.

9. What best explains how Nick feels about himself at the beginning of the novel?

A) He thinks he is genuinely a good person who makes mistakes.

B) He only sees his value in the context of a relationship.

C) He believes he is unwanted and unworthy of good things.

D) He refuses to accept Tom’s efforts to encourage him.

10. How does Nick’s character change in the novel?

A) He writes a poem to Tom and begins to admit how much he has admired him.

B) He becomes less angry and begins to develop a relationship with his father.

C) He learns to value his friends and begins to embrace his role as a mentor.

D) He begins to recognize his role in cyclical abuse and acknowledges wrongdoing.

11. What role does Nick’s perception of weakness play in the novel?

A) When Nick believes he is seen as weak, he reacts in violent outbursts.

B) Nick sees weakness in other people, causing him to dismiss them as “inferior.”

C) Nick is frustrated by his father’s weaknesses, causing him to dislike his father.

D) When Nick is confronted with the weakness of others, he bullies them.

12. What does the ring that Nick purchases for Caitlin symbolize?

A) His regrets of abuse

B) His love and devotion

C) His genuine heartbreak

D) His abusive control

13. What is the significance of the novel’s title, Breathing Underwater?

A) It describes out-of-control feelings.

B) It reflects Caitlin’s bravery and courage.

C) It relays the setting of the novel.

D) It portrays Nick’s fear of being alone.

14. How does Nick make use of fantasy in the novel?

A) It provides him with an escape from his father.

B) It helps him to cope with the reality of his behavior.

C) It justifies his actions toward his girlfriend.

D) It illustrates his unwillingness to heal.

15. Which of the following has a clear influence on Caitlin’s diet and clothing?

A) Her father’s absence from the family

B) Nick’s verbal abuse

C) Her desire to be homecoming queen

D) Elsa’s comments about her eating habits

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What factors, other than Nick, contribute to Caitlin’s vulnerability?

2. What circumstances in Nick’s background contribute to his fear that Caitlin will leave him?