The War of the Worlds | 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 1: Chapter 1, The Eve of War

1. Why do scientists think that Mars cannot support life?

2. What fact do scientists overlook when considering whether Mars can support life?

3. What is the narrator's theory about why the Martians come to Earth?

4. How does the Martian invasion begin and how do people generally react?

Short Essay Question - Book 1: Chapter 2, The Falling Star

5. What is different about the flaming gas jets from usual shooting stars, and what do people think they are at first?