Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon

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 book over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In the text, many US officials don’t trust Oppenheimer with atomic secrets.

• Why were American military and political figures suspicious of Oppenheimer? (topic sentence)
• Give 3 examples of things Oppenheimer said or did that provoked suspicion about his loyalties.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether the outcome of Oppenheimer’s work proved these suspicions warranted.

2. The sabotage of the Norwegian heavy-water plant was critical to the race to build an atomic bomb. 

• Why did the sabotage affect the German A-bomb effort so profoundly? (topic sentence)
• Give 3 reasons why the Germans relied on heavy-water production.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize the effect the sabotage had on the course of the war in Europe.

3. Scientists at the Trinity test were stunned by the power of the plutonium bomb.

• Why did this bomb impress them so much? (topic sentence)
• List 3 ways in which the explosion was unusual. For each, cite a quote in the book from a scientist describing that effect.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, briefly explain how the test results affected the scientists’ overall mood.

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. The Soviet Union fought against Hitler’s Germany, but US and British allies refused to give the Soviets information on making atomic bombs. Explain why they didn’t trust the Soviets, and list 3 ways the Russians justified their decision to spy on their partners’ bomb research. Conclude with an estimate of how much, if at all, the secrecy helped the US during the Cold War that followed World War II.

2. Plutonium turned out to be a more powerful material than uranium for use in an atomic bomb, but it was also much harder to use. Give 3 reasons why plutonium is hard to work with, and briefly explain how the scientists in the book worked around each problem. Compare the results from the plutonium and uranium bombs, and suggest how the difference between the two mattered, if at all, at the site of the explosion.

3. After WWII, Oppenheimer argued that only disarmament could prevent an atomic disaster, but others said that a large arsenal of nuclear weapons would help prevent war. Argue whether history proves Oppenheimer or his opponents to be correct. Is the risk of nuclear war greater or lesser now than it was at the end of World War II? Include at least 3 passages from Bomb that support your argument.