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. Konigsburg has stated that she made a special effort to make From the Mixed-Up Files funny.

• How does the novel’s humor support its character development and themes? (topic sentence)
• Identify at least three passages that you find funny. For each one, analyze what makes the passage funny and how it contributes to the novel’s main ideas or character development.
• In conclusion, discuss how the novel’s humorous tone shapes the narrative overall.

2. Claudia and Jamie frequently disagree on a variety of topics.

• What do Claudia and Jamie learn about working together as a team through their challenging experiences? (topic sentence)
• Identify and analyze at least three situations where Claudia and Jamie’s relationship is strained through conflict. You might consider what causes the conflict, what happens as a result, and how it is resolved, if at all.