War and Peace | 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 - Part 1, Chapters 1-4 | Part 1, Chapters 5-8 | Part 1, Chapters 9-12

1. Prince Vasili is described in the beginning at Anna Pavlovna's soiree. What is Prince Vasili's most notable characteristic at this point in the story.

2. What are the obvious differences between Prince Andrew and Pierre that is illustrated at the start of the story?

Short Essay Question - Part 1, Chapters 13-16 | Part 1, Chapters 17-20

3. Why do the three princesses living at Count Bezukhov's treat Pierre so badly?

4. Why is Anna Mikhaylovna so eager to help...
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