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. Although Misha never learns the truth about his family, he builds relationships with various groups of people throughout the novel.

• Discuss how friendship and family intersect in the novel. Do they mean the same things for Misha? (topic sentence)
• Find 2-3 examples where family and friends intersect in Misha’s narrative.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, consider the ways in which The Evolving and Ever-Changing Nature of Identity shapes Misha’s relationship with his family as an adult. Does Misha finally get the family he always wished for?

2. Think about the theme of sacrifice in the novel and consider which items the characters value most.

• What are these characters willing to sacrifice for the things that are precious to them? (topic sentence)
• Select one character and identify 2-3 ways in which this character makes a significant sacrifice for another.