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. Almost all the women in this book come to a tragic end, except for Bint Majzoub.

• How does Bint Majzoub’s attitude towards sex, marriage, and men differ from other women? (topic sentence)
• Provide examples from the text where Bint Majzoub displayed opinions that are outside the gender norms of the village.
• Consider why Bint Majzoub is treated differently than the other women in the village. How does this speak to the theme of Misogyny and Violence Against Women?

2. Both the narrator and Mustafa are educated in the UK.

• Does this education empower them, or does it prove a hindrance? (topic sentence)
• Find 2-3 examples from the novel to substantiate your argument.
• Does the narrator believe that the Value of Education in Europe is superior to local institutions? Why or why not?

3.