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. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout the novel, Bobby and his friends are the target of bullying. How does this affect them?

• Write a topic sentence that makes a claim about how bullying affects Bobby and his friends.
• Give at least three examples of different kinds of bullying that Bobby and his friends face.
• Use evidence from the story to show how this bullying affects their feelings about themselves and their beliefs about what they can accomplish.
• Write a concluding sentence or sentences tying your observations to the idea of the social and psychological harm caused by bullying.

2. How does the novel show that we should avoid judgments based on first impressions?

• Write a topic sentence that makes a claim about a person in the novel who judges someone else based on a first impression.
• Explain what happens during this first encounter and what ideas the person gets because of it.