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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Mr. Arable going to kill one of the pigs?

2. How does Fern describe Charlotte to her parents?

3. What does Wilbur witness Charlotte catch in her web in Chapter 5?

4. Except for the goose, who is the first to know the goslings have hatched?

5. What recent barnyard event does Fern tell her parents about at the beginning of Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of a father is Mr. Arable described as being?

2. What is Charlotte's impression of people?

3. How do people react to Charlotte's first web?

4. How does Charlotte explain that spider webs are a good thing?

5. How would you describe Wilbur's feelings about his early life with Fern in Chapter 2?

6. What effect does Charlotte's web have on the farm?

7. Why might Wilbur feel particularly betrayed that John Arable is in on the "conspiracy" to kill him?

8. Why does Uncle Homer agree to buy Wilbur?

9. How does Mrs. Arable feel about all the time Fern is spending in the barn?

10. Why does Wilbur have so much trouble sleeping at the beginning of Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is the protagonist of the story: Wilbur, Charlotte, or both? Think about what it means to be the protagonist of a story and support your thesis with specific examples and details from the story.

Essay Topic 2

What is the relationship between the webs Charlotte weaves and the effect the words have on Wilbur? Consider issues such as why Charlotte chooses each word or phrase, how fitting she feels each is, how fitting Wilbur feels each is, and how Wilbur behaves after each web is woven and presented to an audience.

Essay Topic 3

Is there a moral to this story, and if so, what is it? Can it be summed up in a sentence? Does a character state it outright, or must the reader piece it together from the experience of reading the book? Use specific examples from the text to support your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,010 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample