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. Consider how the novel deals with the concept that power comes with a price.

• How do the characters experience the price of wielding power? (topic sentence)
• Find 3 different examples where characters gain or use power and face significant consequences as a result. Discuss how these consequences reflect the cost of power.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what the characters’ Pursuit of Power suggests about the potential dangers of unchecked ambition.

2. Reflect on Eragon and Murtagh’s attitudes and actions towards shaping their own futures.

• How do Eragon and Murtagh each approach the idea of controlling their own destiny? (topic sentence)
• Choose 2-3 instances where the characters interact with or react to their destinies. For each example, analyze how the characters’ decisions or actions reflect their view of their own fate.