Clap When You Land

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. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The novel ends with Yahaira telling Camino not to be surprised if other passengers clap when they land.

• What does clapping when you land symbolize and how does it connect to the sisters’ journey in the days since their father passed away? (topic sentence)
• Describe their journey and how each of them has changed throughout the novel. Provide examples from the text to support your answer.
• In your concluding sentence, connect this journey back to the idea of clapping when you land.

2. Consider the motif of chess in this novel.

• What does chess mean for Yahaira and her relationship with her father? (topic sentence)
• What are three instances in which Yahaira discusses her relationship with her father through chess?
• Finally, in your concluding sentence, describe how chess might reveal more about Papi’s double life.

3. Water is present from the beginning of the novel to its end.

• How has water served as a place of death and rebirth in this novel? (topic sentence)
• What are three instances in which water appears and what purpose does it serve for either Yahaira or Camino (or both)?
• Finally, in your concluding sentence, connect your argument to the theme of Coming of Age.

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. Compare and contrast Yahaira and Camino’s lives. How are they similar? How are they different? Additionally, how has Acevedo positioned this novel to tell two halves of the same story? What is the effect of this on the reader and how does it help readers understand the theme of Sisterhood? As you compose your essay, incorporate at least three quoted lines or phrases from the text to support your answer.  

2. Each character mourns Papi in different ways. What are some of these ways? What does their grieving process suggest about lasting effects of a tragedy like a plane crash? How do the characters deal with this tragedy? How does it define them in some ways? As you write your essay, think about the role of Mourning and the Importance of Community, especially in the wake of a widespread disaster like Flight 1112. Use examples from the text to support your argument.

3. How do Yahaira and Camino grow throughout this novel? What relationship does this have to their shared father? How is this development also facilitated by the presence of the other? Ultimately, consider the ways in which this novel tells a Coming-of-Age story. As you write your essay, incorporate three examples that demonstrate the sisters’ development throughout the novel.