Literature Response Questions
Directions: You must read one book and answer one question by the last school day of each month. After you have finished reading a novel of your choice, choose one of the following questions to answer. Please write your response on a piece of notebook paper. (Please do not choose the same question twice.)At the top of the page, write today’s date, the title and author of your book, and the number of the question you have chosen to answer.Remember to answer all parts of the questions using complete sentences. You must restate the question in your answer and provide evidence from the text to support your answer.
Fiction:
- Choose one character from your book. Think about what that character was like at the beginning of the book. Write about how that character has changed by the end of the story. What caused the changes to occur?
- What type of award would you nominate this book for? For example; most exciting, most likely to make you laugh your head off, scariest story of all time, etc. Write about the award and why you chose it. Remember to use details and examples from the story to support your answer.
- Which character in the story is most unlike you? Write about how you are different from this character. Tell whether you and this character would be friends, and why or why not.
- Write about one conflict in this story. What did the characters do to solve it? Was it a good solution, why or why not?
- Think about the setting. Write about why you would or would not like to spend a week visiting this place. Remember to use details from the story to support your answer.
- If you could trade places with any character in the story, who would you choose and why?
- What did you learn from this book? Be specific.
- Who were the main characters? What were they like? Describe the main characters in detail.
- What was your favorite part of the book? Why was it your favorite part? Describe the part in detail.
- If you liked this book, why? What was good about it? What did the author do to make it a good book? If you didn’t like the book, why not? What could the author have done differently? Use details from the book to support your response.
- Knowing what you know about the characters in your story, choose one and write about what you think his/her life will be like twenty years from now. Explain why you think his/her life would be as you described.
- Add another character to the book. Describe this character. Why would he/she be put there? What part would he/she serve?
- If you could spend the day with one of the characters which character would you choose? Why? What would you spend the day doing? Why?
- Would you like to read something else by this author? Why or why not? Be specific.
- How is this book like another you have read? Be specific.
- Compare and contrast, in detail, the setting in the story to Verona, New Jersey.
- What was the theme, or author’s message? What events helped you figure out that message?
- Pretend that you are going to join the characters in the story for a week. What things will you need to pack? Think carefully. You can’t go home to get something you forgot. Explain why you chose these items.
Non-Fiction:
- Why is your topic important? Why should others read your book?
- What is the main idea of your book? List three details that support the main idea.
- What part of the book was the most interesting? Why?
- Did the book make you want to read more about this topic? Why or why not?
- If the book you read was a biography, make some comparisons between the subject’s life and your own. What is similar? What is different? Explain in detail.
- What do you think was the most important thing the author wanted you to learn or think about after reading this book? Explain.
- Is there anything else you would like to know about this topic? How do you think you could find the information?
- What text features did the author use? Why do you think the author chose to include these features?
- How was the text structured? (description; main idea& details; compare & contrast: chronological; problem & solution) Why do you think the author chose to structure the text this way?
- What new information did you learn after reading this book? Be specific.