This is the 11892nd most frequent Polish word.
krótsze
"Shorter."
In this sentence, 'krótsze' is used as a comparative adjective describing the length of the pants relative to others.
Te spodnie są krótsze od tamtych.
These pants are shorter than those.
Here, 'krótsze' indicates a comparison of length concerning the word count or extent of the essays.
Napisałem krótsze wypracowanie, aby zmieścić się w limitach.
I wrote a shorter essay to stay within limits.
In this context, 'krótsze' again serves as a comparative adjective, referring to the relative duration of the hikes chosen.