* under-: This is a prefix meaning "below" or "not enough."
* develop: This is the base word, meaning "to grow or progress."
* -ed: This is a suffix indicating past tense.
Therefore, "underdeveloped" has three morphemes.
Now, let's look at "essays":
* essay: This is the base word, meaning "a short piece of writing."
* -s: This is a suffix indicating plural form.
Therefore, "essays" has two morphemes.
So, the total number of morphemes in "underdeveloped essays" is 5.