Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The primary conflict at the beginning of the novel is Moses’s harsh treatment of Adam.

• What are some of the reasons Moses gives for being strict with Adam? (topic sentence)
• Explain why Moses is strict with Adam, who intervenes on Adam’s behalf, and how Moses’s attitude toward Adam changes.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe Moses’s expectations of Adam are unreasonable.

2. Adam and Levi are typical brothers in that they fight and are sometimes competitive, but they are also close to one another.

• How do the battle and Moses’s death change the relationship between Levi and Adam? (topic sentence)
• Compare Adam’s and Levi’s behavior toward one another before and after the battle.