Essay or short-answer questions

Updated 29 Jul 2021

Essay and short-answer questions are ones for which you enter free-form text. As you type, your answer appears as plain text. Complete essay/short answer questions on a computer, not on a smartphone.

  • You can submit an essay or short answer only once. As with all assignment answers, your work is not saved until you submit it. When you choose Submit, the following message appears: "Are you satisfied with your answer? You will not be able to modify your answer after you submit it."
  • Consider using a word processor for longer essays. Check your spelling and grammar before saving your essay answers and pasting them into Mastering. This also reduces the chance of losing any work in case of a session timeout or lost Internet connection.
  • Your instructor must grade these kinds of answers, even if they are short. All other answers in Mastering assignments are automatically scored.