The Dark Is Rising

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 each step of Will’s quest, he learns more about the sacrifices and responsibilities he must take on as an Old One. At the same time, the new world he is entering has many beautiful things in it.

• What are the costs and benefits of becoming an Old One? (topic sentence)
• Describe 3 painful or difficult things that Will learns or does; then describe 3 things that Will loves about his new world.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate whether Will is worse or better off for becoming an Old One; explain your judgment.

2. The author weaves together myths and legends to create a fantasy world that has its own history and system of magic.