Big Sur | Short Essay Assignments

Short Essay Questions

The 60 short essay questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text. Students must describe what they've read, rather than just recall it.

Short Essay Question - Chapter 1 & 2

1. Where is Jack in the beginning of the novel? What were his initial plans and why did they change?

2. How does the narrator feel about himself in the end of Chapter 1?

3. What does Jack describe as he leaves for Big Sur in Chapter 2?

4. How do the protagonist's feelings of himself in Chapters 1 and 2 foreshadow that which occurs later in the novel?

Short Essay Question - Chapter 3

5. What does Jack tell himself and thus do in the beginning...
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