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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Will Strunk's Little Book, 1955-1959.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does White categorize his debate with the New York Herald Tribune?
(a) Pointless.
(b) Ridiculous.
(c) Astonishing.
(d) Confusing.

2. What possible excuse does White provide for the New Yorker's ignorance in his humorous letter of outrage in 1945?
(a) Lack of editing.
(b) Typos.
(c) Inexperienced writers.
(d) Haste.

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

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

5. In his January, 1942 letter to Katharine, how does White describe his meeting with the assembled team in Washington?
(a) Bureaucratic, but not oppressive.
(b) Neither oppressive nor bureaucratic.
(c) Oppressive, but not bureaucratic.
(d) Oppressive and bureaucratic.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of people did Ross hire when starting the New Yorker, according to White?

2. In a letter to his brother, Stanley, what does White fear the surgeons will find in his abdomen during an operation?

3. Where does White first notice the New Yorker magazine?

4. How does White describe publicity to Alice while working at the American Legion News Service?

5. Based on White's input to a book on the New Yorker, from which magazines was Ross trying to make the New Yorker different?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 258 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample