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 throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Reyna and her sister Mago have a complicated relationship throughout the memoir.

• What conclusions can readers draw from Grande’s depiction of her older sister? (topic sentence)
• Analyze three depictions of Mago in the novel and explain how it illustrates their relationship. Be sure to include textual evidence to support your argument.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate how their relationship ultimately changes. Does it change for the better or worse?

2. Grande titles this memoir The Distance Between Us, referring to the physical and emotional distances between herself, her siblings, and her parents.

• What are the distances between the Grande children and their parents? (topic sentence)
• Choose one parent and analyze how Grande illustrates the distances between the children and that parent, connecting your evidence to the memoir’s theme of Geographical and Emotional Distance Within Immigrant Families.