Three Plays | 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 - Desire under the Elms, Part 1

1. How does Eben's position in the household contribute to his conflicts over the estate in Desire Under the Elms?

2. What does the argument over the estate devolve to between the brothers in Part 1 of Desire Under the Elms?

3. Where do the conflicts arise between the family in Desire Under the Elms? How do the characters' objectives lead to the essential conflict?

4. Describe the thematic elements which are shared by Desire Under the Elms and the other plays in the collection.