The Secret History 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 - Book I, Chapters 1-2

1. Who is dead at the opening of the book? Why does the author begin his story this way? What do we know about the dead boy in the opening paragraphs of the book?

2. Where did Richard grow up and spend his high school years? What do we know about his family? How does he feel about his family? His hometown?

3. How and why does Richard end up at Hampden College? How does he get to the college from his home?

4....
(read more)