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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Friendship is a central theme in Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity.

• What is the mark of a good friendship in the novel, as portrayed by Wein? (topic sentence)
• How is this idea developed in at least 2 different friendships in the novel?
• In your conclusion, discuss how the themes of Friendship and Valor are connected in the novel, paying special attention to how this played out in Julie and Maddie’s relationship.

2. At the end of the novel, Maddie must make an incredibly difficult decision involving Julie.

• How does Maddie’s decision define her character (or not)? (topic sentence)
• Why does Maddie make this difficult decision? Examine and explicate what Maddie’s options were in this situation, weighing the pros and cons of each.