Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

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. In her book, Angela Duckworth describes the four “paragons” of grit.

• How do these four attributes of grit contribute to success? (topic sentence)
• Explain how interest, practice, hope, and purpose each contribute to a gritty project.
• In your concluding sentences, describe which element of grit is the most important.

2. The author cites several people who demonstrate grit and have accomplished great things.

• Identify one person who has demonstrated grit and what they were able to accomplish. (topic sentence)
• Describe how this person applied the principles of grit, and then explain what they were able to accomplish using those principles.
• In your concluding sentences, summarize why Duckworth may have chosen to include this person’s story in her book.