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. “The Man in the Black Suit” enjoyed critical and commercial success and gained a reputation as a genuinely scary story.

• What is the main thing that makes this story so scary? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, offer close readings of the text that show how King uses various literary devices to achieve a tense atmosphere of fear.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reiterate your claim about why this story is frightening.

2. Gary’s world is very much influenced by bees, dogs, and fish. Identify how these creatures inform not just his worldview, but also his ability to fend for himself when confronted with evil.

• What is the role of animals (including insects) in this text? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, offer close readings of the text that show how specific animals function in the story and how they help develop Gary’s character.