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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long does White carefully study the screenplay for "Charlotte's Web" before returning it to his agent with his annotations?
(a) Two months.
(b) Two weeks.
(c) One week.
(d) One month.

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

3. When do White and Katharine retire from the New Yorker?
(a) 1959.
(b) 1958.
(c) 1957.
(d) 1956.

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

5. How does White explain his fascination with spiders in a letter?
(a) He saw a unique looking spider on his farm.
(b) He had a conversation with one.
(c) He studied them by reading a book about spiders.
(d) He watched one spin a web.

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

7. What is the subject of the article that White's granddaughter, Martha, writes?
(a) Jogging.
(b) Writing.
(c) Fishing.
(d) Exercising.

8. 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) Think of a subject and begin.
(b) The writer has to keep going until the end.
(c) One has to want to write a book.
(d) Set aside several days for the writing process.

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

10. What examples does White include in a memo as entrances that would infuriate people if they were the same height as a taxi cab door?
(a) Bars, subways, and garages.
(b) Bars, closets, and garages.
(c) Subways, closets, and garages.
(d) Bars, subways, and closets.

11. What type of people did Ross hire when starting the New Yorker, according to White?
(a) Talented if inexperienced.
(b) Motivated if inexperienced.
(c) Talented and experienced.
(d) Unmotivated and inexperienced.

12. When does a new printing for "Charlotte's Web" begin?
(a) After 50,000 copies are sold.
(b) After 100,000 copies are sold.
(c) After 75,000 copies are sold.
(d) After 25,000 copies are sold.

13. How much consideration does the animation studio give to White's suggestions?
(a) None.
(b) A fair amount.
(c) A lot.
(d) Little.

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

15. In a letter to Stanley, how often does White say he puts his head in traction?
(a) Five minutes, once a day.
(b) Ten minutes, several times a day.
(c) Ten minutes, once a week.
(d) Five minutes, several times a week.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does White write to his granddaughter about journalism?

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

3. Why is Katharine hospitalized in 1952?

4. Which newspaper does White write to in protest about their profile of New Yorker editor, William Shawn?

5. In a May, 1952 letter, how does White describe the goose on the cover of "Charlotte's Web"?

(see the answer keys)

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