The Pelican Brief 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 - Chapters 1-3

1. Describe Abraham Rosenberg.

2. In Chapter 1, why could all the chaos of the demonstration be blamed on Rosenberg?

3. What is Rosenberg's ideology?

4. At the beginning of Chapter 1, why are things more tense than usual during the demonstration?

5. What security precautions does the FBI recommend the Justices follow due to the increase in death threats?

6. How would Chief Justice Runyan feel if Rosenberg died?

7. Why is Justice Jensen a major security risk?