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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In a letter to Howard Cushman, what request does White have about trumpeter swans?
(a) Neither photos nor information.
(b) Photos and information.
(c) Only information.
(d) Only photos.

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

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

4. When does a former secretary of the New Yorker contact White about "The Elements of Style"?
(a) December, 1982.
(b) August, 1982.
(c) April, 1982.
(d) September, 1982.

5. Who does the drawings for "Charlotte's Web"?
(a) Sharon Kane.
(b) Mel Crawford.
(c) Garth Williams.
(d) Corinne Malvern.

6. According to his humorous memo to Ross, at which symposium did White decline to speak?
(a) The Museum of Automotive Design.
(b) The Museum of Art and Design.
(c) The Antique Automobiles Show.
(d) The Museum of Modern Art.

7. When does White write to President Nixon?
(a) September, 1969.
(b) July, 1969.
(c) September, 1970.
(d) July, 1970.

8. Which Mozart piece does White recommend for the "Charlotte's Web" movie?
(a) Quartet in F Major.
(b) Symphony in B-flat Major.
(c) String Quartet No. 10 in C Major.
(d) Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major.

9. Why does White initially think his biography should be shorter?
(a) He thinks the book will be more exciting.
(b) He thinks the stories will have more impact.
(c) He thinks it will be easier to understand.
(d) He thinks his life is not that interesting.

10. What type of sound do the suggested songs for "Charlotte's Web" have in White's opinion?
(a) Russian.
(b) English.
(c) Irish.
(d) Scottish.

11. What version of White's remembrance of Strunk is used in the final copy of "The Elements of Style"?
(a) An edited and shortened version.
(b) An expanded and revised version.
(c) The same version with notes included at the end of the text.
(d) The same version.

12. What is the subject of Sam Beaver's poem included in the children's concert of "The Trumpet of the Swan"?
(a) Trumpets.
(b) Swans.
(c) The lake.
(d) The zoo.

13. When does White write a letter to his stepson, Roger, and his wife, Carol?
(a) 1969.
(b) 1966.
(c) 1968.
(d) 1967.

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

15. In a May, 1952 letter, how does White describe the goose on the cover of "Charlotte's Web"?
(a) Suspiciously sad.
(b) Suspiciously serpentine.
(c) Uncharacteristically excited.
(d) Uncharacteristically bird-like.

Short Answer Questions

1. When is the children's concert of "The Trumpet of the Swan" performed?

2. What town's fifth grade students receive a letter from White, answering their questions about "Charlotte's Web"?

3. How long were Katharine and E.B. White married?

4. What does White encourage a college student to get in order to inspire her to write?

5. What does White state in the official "letter from the author" that a child receives when writing to him?

(see the answer keys)

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