Full Tilt

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. Cassandra’s character has a defined purpose in the story.

• How does Cassandra’s character symbolize the strained relationship between Blake and Quinn? (topic sentence)
• Offer 3 pieces of evidence that demonstrate what kind of person Cassandra is. In your commentary on this evidence, show how it relates to Blake and Quinn’s relationship.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this aspect of Cassandra’s character relates to the novel’s theme of Finding Balance.

2. Shusterman utilizes a mood of suspense regarding the bus accident to keep readers engaged.

• How does Shusterman use the gradual revelation of details about the bus accident to create suspense? (topic sentence)
• Use evidence from the beginning, middle, and end of the novel to demonstrate how the reader becomes aware of the bus crash and its impact on Blake and how Shusterman then gradually fills in the details. In your commentary on this evidence, explain how this causes the reader to feel.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how feeling suspense about the bus crash engages the reader with the theme of Overcoming Trauma.

3. In the park’s final ride, Blake catches his childhood self as he jumps from the bus.

• What does Blake’s catching himself symbolize? (topic sentence)
• Offer evidence from the novel’s plot as well as from this scene’s imagery and diction to demonstrate that your interpretation of the symbolism is logical.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what this moment conveys about Blake’s process of Overcoming Trauma.

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. What does Full Tilt convey about forgiveness? How does forgiveness help Blake heal and move forward in his life? Write an essay in which you state and defend a position about the message that Full Tilt conveys about the importance of forgiveness and its relationship to one or more of the novel’s themes of Finding Balance, Overcoming Trauma, and Fear of Change. Support your claims with evidence drawn from throughout the text.

2. What is the purpose of including Maggie and Russ in the novel? What does their presence in the novel—their personalities, their choices, and Blake’s feelings about them—allow Shusterman to highlight about Blake? In what sense are they on a journey similar to Blake’s? How do their successes or failures compare with Blake’s and support one or more of the novel’s themes of Finding Balance, Overcoming Trauma, and Fear of Change? Write an essay in which you state and defend a position about the function of Maggie’s and Russ’s characters. Support your claims with evidence drawn from throughout the text.

3. Why does the image of The Works terrify Blake? Who operates the machines, and what is the purpose of these machines? How do the machine operators seem to feel, and what does it mean that the machines meld with their operators’ bodies? Is there any way out for these people? What must Blake do to avoid their fate? Write an essay that states and defends a position on the symbolic significance of The Works and its relationship to the novel’s theme of Fear of Change. Support your claims with evidence drawn from the novel’s diction, imagery, characterization, and plot. Be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format or the format required by your teacher.