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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the Dirksen amendment involve?
(a) A longer school day for students.
(b) A new grading system for schools.
(c) A shortened school day for students.
(d) Voluntary prayer in school.

2. In his letter to fifth grade students, how many sheep does White say that he has?
(a) Twenty.
(b) Five.
(c) Ten.
(d) Fifteen.

3. In a letter to James Thurber, what injury does White sustain while falling onto an awning?
(a) A sprained ankle.
(b) A large skull gash.
(c) A broken leg.
(d) A broken arm.

4. Which colleges are included in the list that White mentions as receiving portions of Katharine's books?
(a) Cornell, Yale, and Harvard.
(b) Cornell and Yale.
(c) Yale and Harvard.
(d) Cornell and Harvard.

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

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

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

8. Who writes the score for the children's concert of "The Trumpet of the Swan".
(a) Benjamin Lee.
(b) Lindley Evans.
(c) John Antill.
(d) Anne Boyd.

9. How many major surgeries does Katharine have between 1966 and 1970?
(a) Eleven.
(b) Seven.
(c) Nine.
(d) Five.

10. What does White encourage a college student to get in order to inspire her to write?
(a) An electric typewriter.
(b) A solid supply of paper.
(c) A dictionary.
(d) A wide assortment of pens.

11. Which station does White politely decline an interview with in 1978?
(a) ABC.
(b) NBC.
(c) CBS.
(d) PBS.

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

13. Based on White's input to a book on the New Yorker, from which magazines was Ross trying to make the New Yorker different?
(a) Neither Life nor Harper's.
(b) Harper's.
(c) Life.
(d) Life and Harper's.

14. Who is Ursula Nordstrom?
(a) A former Harper's coworker of White.
(b) A former New Yorker coworker of White.
(c) The editor at Harper & Brothers.
(d) The owner of Harper & Brothers.

15. What does White state in the official "letter from the author" that a child receives when writing to him?
(a) That children have always been fans of literature.
(b) That he never dreamed of writing to an author.
(c) That children should read more books.
(d) That he always dreamed of writing to an author.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of sound do the suggested songs for "Charlotte's Web" have in White's opinion?

2. When does White respond to a letter by Cathy Durham?

3. According to his letter, what stays in White's pond for several days?

4. When does a new printing for "Charlotte's Web" begin?

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

(see the answer keys)

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