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. One important setting in Furia is El Buen Pastor.

• What does this setting’s history communicate about The Culture of Rosario, Argentina? (topic sentence)
• Give examples from at least three different places in the novel that support your interpretation of what the setting communicates.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how the ideas communicated through this setting support the novel’s larger meaning.

2. Diego and Pablo have a lot in common, but they also have important differences.

• How do Diego and Pablo function as foils for one another? (topic sentence)
• Explain at least three ways these characters are similar to one another.
• Explain how these similarities serve to highlight the important differences between Diego and Pablo.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how the differences between the two characters support the novel’s larger meaning.