Use these essay questions as writing and critical-thinking exercises for all levels of writers and to build 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. Alex makes distinctions between his school in Canada and the school he attends in China.

• What differences does Alex identify between his school in Canada and his school in China? (topic sentence)
• Describe the differences Alex notices between the interactions with his teachers, the hours the students work, and how Alex feels about these changes.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Alex’s personal experiences at school play into the greater plot of the novel.

2. Alex has a complicated relationship with his father particularly because of the work his father does.

• How does Alex’s relationship with his father, Ted, evolve and change? (topic sentence)
• Explain why the relationship between Alex and Ted is strained, what Alex perceives is most important to his father, and how their relationship evolves throughout the novel.