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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What does White caution Thurber about his story in the memo?
(a) Explaining what the book is and is not.
(b) Excluding an explanation of how the story compares to others.
(c) Excluding an explanation of the key points of the story.
(d) Explaining why the book should be read.

3. How many minor surgeries does Katharine undergo between 1966 and 1970?
(a) Twelve.
(b) Eight.
(c) Four.
(d) Ten.

4. After a series of illnesses, how many months of the year does Katharine arrange to work for the New Yorker?
(a) Nine months.
(b) Three months.
(c) Six months.
(d) Twelve months.

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

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

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

8. Which nuclear physicist does White exchange letters with about nuclear disarmament?
(a) Edward Teller.
(b) William Bradford Shockley.
(c) Charles Hard Townes.
(d) Donald Arthur Glaser.

9. Where does White first publish his remembrance of Strunk?
(a) The New Yorker.
(b) The New York Post.
(c) The New York Herald Times.
(d) Harper's magazine.

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

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

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

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

14. 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 he always dreamed of writing to an author.
(d) That children should read more books.

15. What does White write to his granddaughter about journalism?
(a) It is the basis for all of his books.
(b) It is the foundation for most of his books.
(c) It is where he feels the most comfortable.
(d) It is where he feels the least comfortable.

Short Answer Questions

1. In another office memo, for which James Thurber story does White offer his comments?

2. Who writes the score for the children's concert of "The Trumpet of the Swan".

3. In 1956, why is Katharine still at the New Yorker?

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

5. According to his humorous memo to Ross, at which symposium did White decline to speak?

(see the answer keys)

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