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. People look to Shy for leadership during a crisis.

• How strong of a leader is Shy? (topic sentence)
• Define leadership and include at least 3 specific scenes where Shy leads. Analyze the extent to which the details in these scenes fit your definition of leadership.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain one piece of leadership advice you would offer Shy.

2. Throughout the novel, Shy and the others on the cruise face nature’s wrath.

• Who proves more powerful: nature or humanity? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate at least 3 specific examples from the novel and reasoning about how each illustrates your argument.
• In your conclusion, articulate a lesson readers could take from the interaction between humans and nature in the novel.

3. Shy faces a variety of antagonists, including LasoTech, tsunamis, hunger, and sharks.

• Who or what is the strongest antagonist? (topic sentence)
• Explain the criteria for making this choice. Incorporate at least three quotations from the novel and an analysis of how each proves your points.
• In your conclusion, summarize the tactics Shy uses facing this antagonist and the result.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the shift between early in the cruise and later when the tsunami hits. How does nature affect social class? What social classes exist on the cruise at first, and what inequities are present? Once the storm hits, how is this system affected? What shifts happen in the various social classes as the boat sinks and after? What lesson does the book teach regarding class and society? As you write, include at least three quotations from the novel that advance your ideas and reasoning for each. Cite quotations with page numbers.

2. The engagement ring appears in multiple scenes in the novel. What might it symbolize? How does it develop any of the main themes of Power, Class, and Race Dynamics; Man Versus Nature; or Coping With Trauma? Does its role shift in meaning throughout the novel from when William Henry first shows it to Shy to the end? What does it mean to Shy as he heads toward home?