Exit West

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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The magical doors seem at first like impossible rumors.

• What role does magic play in the refugee experience in this novel? (topic sentence)
• Explore three instances in which Saeed and Nadia or other characters use the doors, connecting this back to your main argument.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect the doors back to the magical realism of the novel.

2. Nadia and Saeed use their cell phones to stay connected at the beginning of the novel.

• How does technology connect and distance people throughout Exit West? (topic sentence)
• Cite several examples from the text to support your argument, thinking about how technology contributes to the plot, setting, and/or character development.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, connect the use of technology in the novel back to the theme of The Limits and Benefits of Technology.