Naked 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 - Chipped Beef and A Plague of Tics

1. Describe the family's participation at church as detailed in "Chipped Beef."

2. Why are the narrator's sisters kidnapped in "Chipped Beef"? How do his parents react?

3. What does David's mother insist he stop doing to the cat? Why?

4. What does David fantasize about his "real parents" in "Chipped Beef"?

5. Why does David discover his mother sobbing in the bathroom in "Chipped Beef"? What is his consolation?

6. What does Miss Chestnut scold David for in...
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