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. At the center of this story is a woman who wears a black veil over her head and face.

• What is the significance of the black veil in the story? (topic sentence)
• Discuss how the author uses the black veil as a symbol and as a means of characterizing the woman. Provide several examples from the story and explain how the black veil functions in each scene.
• In your concluding sentences, connect the symbolism of the veil to the theme of Uncovering Truth.

2. The actions of the soldiers reveal to Omovo some difficult truths about war and about people.

• What is the main role of the three soldiers in the story? (topic sentence)
• Using at least three pieces of evidence from the text, explain how the soldiers’ actions reveal what they value or do not value.