The Mousetrap

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. Christie uses the nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice” in her script.

• What is the purpose of nursery rhymes in the play? (topic sentence)
• Describe what Georgie’s purpose in using the rhyme is in the play, then explain why you believe Christie chose a nursery rhyme to drive her plot. Consider the emotions the nursery rhyme might evoke in the audience.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe the nursery rhyme is a useful element in the mystery genre.

2. The novel is set in Monkswell Manor during a snowstorm.

• How does the weather, specifically the snow, create tension and suspense? (topic sentence)
• Provide three ways in which the snow creates tension and suspense in The Mousetrap.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the snowstorm is connected to the novel’s theme of The Conventions of Detective Fiction.

3. The Mousetrap makes use of red herrings—false clues—in order to mislead the audience.

• What are examples of red herrings in Christie’s play? (topic sentence)
• Give three examples of red herrings in Christie’s play and explain how they attempt to mislead the audience.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe Christie’s use of red herrings is effective in The Mousetrap.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. Many of the characters in the play take on fake identities that help to drive the mystery of the play. Consider how the characters construct their identities. Describe two characters and explain how they construct their identities and what it may teach the audience about identity. Use quotes from the play to support your analysis.

2. Several of the characters in the novel experience trauma and approach it in different ways. In an essay of at least three main points, analyze the impact of trauma on the characters, how it alters the behavior of the characters, and the ways in which the characters cope with their trauma. Use details from the play to support your thinking.

3. Consider Agatha Christie’s use of conventions in her play The Mousetrap. Describe one instance in which Christie employs typical conventions of the mystery genre and one way in which she subverts typical conventions. Support your answer using quotes from the text.