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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who first sends White a copy of Strunk's textbook about English usage and style?
(a) A relative.
(b) A friend from Cornell.
(c) Strunk.
(d) The editors of the book.

2. When does Katharine pass away?
(a) November, 1977.
(b) November, 1978.
(c) July, 1978.
(d) July, 1977.

3. When does White write to his agent about his reservations of a Czech producer's plans for a movie about "Charlotte's Web"?
(a) 1973.
(b) 1974.
(c) 1971.
(d) 1972.

4. Which newspaper does White write to in protest about their profile of New Yorker editor, William Shawn?
(a) New York Daily News.
(b) New York Times.
(c) New York Herald Tribune.
(d) New York Sun Times.

5. What is the annual limitation income that White agrees to for tax purposes?
(a) Twenty thousand dollars.
(b) Seventy five hundred dollars.
(c) Eighty five hundred dollars.
(d) Ten thousand dollars.

6. Where in Florida do the Whites travel to in 1963?
(a) Sarasota.
(b) West Palm Beach.
(c) Tampa.
(d) Miami.

7. In White's opinion, how different is the New Yorker in the 1950s?
(a) Completely different than it was in the 1920s.
(b) Moderately different than it was in the 1920s.
(c) Slightly different than it was in the 1920s.
(d) No different than it was in the 1920s.

8. Which one of the following is a concern that White has about the illustrations in "Charlotte's Web"?
(a) The color of the pig.
(b) The lettering of the title.
(c) The shade of the sky.
(d) The style of the spider.

9. How many copies of "The Elements of Style" have been sold?
(a) Eight million copies.
(b) Four million copies.
(c) More than ten million copies.
(d) Ten million copies.

10. In a letter to his brother, Stanley, what does White fear the surgeons will find in his abdomen during an operation?
(a) Ahi Carpaccio.
(b) Fiddlehead ferns.
(c) Shrimp newburg.
(d) Shad roe.

11. How many corrections does White send to Scott Elledge for the first part of his biography?
(a) Eighty four.
(b) Twenty four.
(c) Fifty three.
(d) Seventy three.

12. What town's fifth grade students receive a letter from White, answering their questions about "Charlotte's Web"?
(a) Brooklyn, NY.
(b) Pelham, NY.
(c) Larchmont, NY.
(d) New York, NY.

13. What is the name of White's dog, mentioned in the letter to his stepson?
(a) Barney.
(b) Sam.
(c) Wilbur.
(d) Fred.

14. Which one of the following is not included in the advice White gives to fourth-graders in Columbus, Ohio about how to write a book?
(a) The writer has to keep going until the end.
(b) Set aside several days for the writing process.
(c) Think of a subject and begin.
(d) One has to want to write a book.

15. Why is Katharine hospitalized in 1952?
(a) An appendix infection.
(b) A liver infection.
(c) A fever.
(d) Pneumonia.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does White explain his fascination with spiders in a letter?

2. How many letters of condolence does White receive after Katharine's passing?

3. In a response to a student's letter, what does White say is the best way to learn about a writer?

4. In his letter to fifth grade students, how many sheep does White say that he has?

5. When does White learn about the death of James Thurber?

(see the answer keys)

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