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. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

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

1. In Challenger Deep, the author occasionally switches from first-person point of view to second.

• How do these points of view give us a unique understanding of Caden’s experience? (topic sentence)
• Contrast the impact that the 2 points of view have on the reader. Note any trends specific to each viewpoint and the impact of those trends on the narrative. Draw from at least 2 different textual examples to support your claims.
• In your final few sentences, explain how analyzing these 2 points of view can help us better understand the novel.

2. Consider Caden’s comment in group therapy: “I don’t think God gave us this any more than he gives little kids cancer or makes poor people lottery winners […] If anything, he gives us courage to deal.” (Chapter 121)

• What is Caden saying about mental illness through this statement? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 additional passages in the novel in which this interpretation is evident in Caden’s experience or in other characters’.