Decide how you will start your essay. Questions are more acceptable at the beginning of an essay when introducing the topic and the issue you will address. An example is: The Civil War created much upheaval from 1861 to 1865 between the Confederacy in the southern United States and the Union in the north. 620,000 men died in battle. But what about the women in the war, who kept their families safe and even assisted on the battlefields?
Put the question mark after the author's name when asking a question with a quote. For example: In our dreams, do we really "explore what our subconscious is trying to tell us" (Smith 123)?
Put the question mark within the quotation marks when quoting a question posed in an interview. For example: We asked ourselves, how do we figure this out? (King)