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 Night Circus is not written in chronological order, as it jumps back and forth in time repeatedly.

• What are the effects of the non-linear narrative on the reader? (topic sentence)
• Identify at least three situations in which the novel jumps in time and explain how each of these transitions impacts the reader.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of using this non-linear strategy.

2. Despite being an ordinary person without magical abilities, Bailey is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the circus.

• What are Bailey’s motivations for self-sacrifice? (topic sentence)
• Identify and explain at least three reasons why Bailey would choose to take responsibility for the circus.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss why the author would make the choice to have an ordinary person be part of the solution.