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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Sometimes a setting can represent an idea that is larger than itself.

• What does the hill symbolize in As Brave as You? (topic sentence)
• Explain three pieces of evidence from the story that support your interpretation of the hill’s meaning.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how this symbol contributes to the reader’s understanding of the novel as a coming-of-age story.

2. Something that happens in an unexpected but strangely appropriate way can be called ironic.

• How does the fighting between his grandmother and grandfather, ironically, reassure Genie about his parents’ relationship? (topic sentence)
• Explain a piece of evidence from the story that shows how Genie, instead of becoming more worried when his grandparents argue, actually feels better about his parents’ conflicts.