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 theme in The Inheritance Games involves the risky nature of keeping secrets.

• What are the repercussions of keeping secrets in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Select one character, describe the secrets they keep, and explain the consequences of the secrets for the novel’s characters.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how sharing the secret could have created a better outcome for the characters.

2. Throughout the novel, deceased characters consistently influence the actions and reactions of those who knew them.

• How are the characters in the novel influenced by their deceased friends and relatives? (topic sentence)
• Describe the absent/deceased characters in the novel and how they drive the actions of the people who knew them—even after their deaths.