Every day the Runners leave and return without finding an exit to the Maze. What helps those in the Glade maintain hope? Consider these points as you craft your answer:

• What are the characters trying to do each day?
• How does the daily structure relate to hope?
• What long-term goals do the Gladers have?
• Who most demonstrates hope and how?
• Do we see anyone acting hopeless? What does that look like?
• How do the changes like Teresa arriving and the wall not closing affect hope?

Teaching Suggestion: A free write before the discussion and after the discussion can provide opportunities for students to think through specific details to support their answers and to reflect on their thinking. Students might discuss in small groups before or in lieu of a large class discussion. In addition, students could support their small groups by serving in roles such as presenter, note-taker, questioner, support-investigator, etc. To further support student connections to the text, it could be interesting after the discussion to develop a class definition of hope.