What is a Short Link in a Truss (Statics)?

[Meta14]

My book has some questions involving "short links" connecting trusses to a support. It doesn't seem to explain what short links do. Can anyone shed some light? I attached a picture of what they look like. I really just can't find any information on what they do. Is it supposed to be very obvious?

 

[haruspex]

It's just a link. The length doesn't really matter (at least, in the example). The problem setter probably thought it made the problem clearer than showing the mass attached at the joint.