Dubliners | 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 - "The Sisters"

1. Why does Old Cotter think children should spend time with other children rather than befriending old men?

2. Describe what happens when Father Flynn takes snuff.

3. What did Father Flynn hope to do before he died?

4. What incident led to the decline in Father Flynn's health?

Short Essay Question - "An Encounter"

5. Why do the boys in "An Encounter" read the Wild West stories?

6. In "An Encounter", what adventurous plan do the boys hatch?

7. In...
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