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. Throughout the story, the text is interwoven with illustrations.

• What is the purpose of the imagery in Two Old Women? (topic sentence)
• Describe the purpose of imagery in the story and why it is important in providing information to the reader.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you believe the imagery adds to the story or simply reflects it.

2. The backstories of the two women are introduced later in the story, after they have been abandoned by their tribe.

• Why does the author wait to introduce the two old women’s backstories? (topic sentence)
• Explain the relationship of the women prior to being abandoned, why the author chose to reveal their backstory later, and how the stories create a connection between the women.