Rules of the Road

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. Mrs. Gladstone selects Jenna as her driver despite being critical of her driving skills.

• What does Mrs. Gladstone see in Jenna to make her choose Jenna as a driver? (topic sentence)
• Describe Jenna’s character traits, passions, and skills that make her a suitable candidate as Mrs. Gladstone’s driver.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe whether you believe Mrs. Gladstone made the right choice in selecting Jenna as her driver.

2. Mrs. Gladstone is growing older and has health conditions.

• Why is it important for Mrs. Gladstone to remain in the company despite her age? (topic sentence)
• Describe why Mrs. Gladstone feels compelled to remain part of the Gladstone company and Elden’s role in her decision to stay with the company.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe Mrs. Gladstone is happy with her role in the company merger or if she might have preferred a different outcome.

3. Alice and Mrs. Gladstone have an unusual friendship. Jenna describes Mrs. Gladstone as having met her match in Alice.

• What is the value of the friendship between Alice and Mrs. Gladstone? (topic sentence)
• Describe Alice’s characteristics, why it is a good relationship for Mrs. Gladstone, and the benefits of their friendship.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain Alice’s role in Jenna’s life and whether Alice’s character is good for Jenna as well.

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. Several characters influence Jenna’s life and are important to her character growth. Choose one of those characters and examine at least three moments in the text where their influence has changed Jenna. Have they changed her for the better? Why or why not? Support your argument with specific text examples.

2. Jenna’s mother is a busy, single parent who works often. How has her ex-husband’s alcohol use disorder affected her, and how does she cope with his addiction? Could she have done anything differently? How might her choices have impacted others? Write an essay that analyzes the way Jenna’s mother handles Jim’s alcohol addiction and the resulting effects, using at least three examples from the text to support your analysis.

3. Write a compare and contrast essay discussing the similarities and differences between “person versus person” conflict and “person versus disease” conflict in the book. What examples in the book could be described as person versus person? What examples are person versus disease? How are the two conflicts similar and different?