The Best American Short Stories of the Century 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 - Page 1-104

1. In "The Other Woman" do you think that the man truly loved his wife?

2. In "The Killers" why doesn't the author tell the reader why Ole Anderson is going to be murdered?

3. In "Wild Plums" why do the narrator's parents not want her to pick plums?

4. Why do you think the mistress in "The Other Woman" agreed to the affair?

5. Why do you think the author chose to have a narrator listening to a friend tell a story in "The Other Woman"?