Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

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. An important point in Harari’s discussion of cultural change over time is that things that are initially seen as luxuries eventually become necessities.

• What is the implication of this claim for culture change and human quality of life? (topic sentence)
• Offer at least three examples of “luxuries” that became “necessities” and show how this change impacted both culture and human quality of life—positively, negatively, or both.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this phenomenon relates to the book’s concern with Happiness and Meaning or its assertion that Evolution Has No Purpose.

2. Harari devotes a considerable amount of space to a discussion of the domestication of wheat.

• What point about the Agricultural Revolution is Harari using this extended discussion to illustrate? (topic sentence)
• Explain his argument, using details from the text to support your interpretation.