Well, most active and passive basses when you don't use EQ are very similar. After all, the front end of your head is basically an active preamp! An active bass merely moves part of that EQ circuit into the bass where it more convenient to adjust while you are playing.
In the Common Application, it says that the Personal Essay should be at least 250 words, and attached on a separate sheet (presumably, if you're submitting it online, you attach a one-page file).
Best Answer: You really should ask your teacher, as different professors have different requirements. Usually a short answer should be no more than 3-4 sentences. The length of essay questions can vary pretty widely depending on how many questions there are on the test and how many are essay questions. For example, you might need to write several paragraphs on a short test with only one or two essay questions, while a single paragraph might be enough on a longer test or a test with several essay questions.