Dry

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

1. Dry contains many violent incidents. Is the book suggesting that violence is sometimes useful, or does it condemn violence?

• What message does Dry convey about violence? (topic sentence)
• Offer three different examples of violence in the novel and explain how each supports the point you made in your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the novel’s message about violence supports one or more of its themes: Dehydration and Desperation, Being Prepared for Disaster, and Selfishness Versus Selflessness.

2. The novel’s Snapshots show how the Tap-Out affects a broader segment of society. Their juxtaposition with each other and with the main narrative also creates a kind of commentary on the novel’s action and main characters. Choose one Snapshot to focus on for this essay.

• What does this Snapshot’s positioning in the text point out about another nearby Snapshot or the main narrative? (topic sentence)
• Explain the main point of the Snapshot and where it is positioned in the text.
• Explain the relationship of this Snapshot to events or characters in another nearby section of the text, offering details that support your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what motif or theme within the novel this juxtaposition supports.

3. Each of the main characters in Dry has a personality and background that makes their responses to the disaster uniquely their own.

• How are two of these main characters’ perspectives similar to and different from each other’s? (topic sentence)
• Offer evidence from the text that shows the similarities between the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of these two characters.
• Offer evidence from the text that shows the differences between the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of these two characters.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the similarities and differences between these characters support one or more of the novel’s themes: Dehydration and Desperation, Being Prepared for Disaster, and Selfishness Versus Selflessness.

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. Dry uses both third-person and first-person narrative points of view, and there are several different first-person narrators. How do these choices impact the reader? Write an essay in which you analyze the impact of the Shustermans’ narrative choices in Dry. Show how these narrative choices support one or more of the novel’s themes: Dehydration and Desperation, Being Prepared for Disaster, and Selfishness Versus Selflessness. Support your arguments with evidence from throughout the text. Cite any borrowed language in the format preferred by your teacher.

2. Is the book’s depiction of the governmental response to the Tap-Out a reasonable scenario? What do the government’s priorities seem to be, and how well do these priorities match up with the characters’ priorities? Complete some research into the US government’s response to recent disasters and find out what publicly-available plans the government has for water scarcity and a crisis like the Tap-Out. Use your research to write an essay in which you affirm, refute, or qualify the following statement: “Dry’s depiction of the governmental response to the Tap-Out is a realistic one.” Connect your discussion to the novel’s theme of Being Prepared for Disaster. Support your arguments with evidence from your research and from the text itself. Cite all borrowed language and information in the format preferred by your teacher.

3. In what sense does the fire near the novel’s end function as more than a literal, physical obstacle for the main characters? What are the important qualities of a wildfire? How do these qualities suggest a figurative meaning for the fire? What message does the outcome of their encounter with the fire send? Write an essay in which you suggest a symbolic meaning for the fire near the novel’s end. Show how this symbolic meaning supports one or more of the novel’s themes: Dehydration and Desperation, Being Prepared for Disaster, and Selfishness Versus Selflessness. Support your arguments with evidence from the relevant section of the text. Cite any borrowed language in the format preferred by your teacher.