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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What response does White offer to a confused student at Newton High School?
(a) He never set out to achieve an identifiable style in his writing.
(b) A style of writing is like a coat that a writer puts on.
(c) He set out to deliberately achieve an identifiable style in his writing.
(d) A style of writing is like an alter-ego for a writer.

6. In a memo to Harold Ross, how many inches does White say that the height of taxi cab doors are?
(a) Forty eight inches.
(b) Thirty eight inches.
(c) Twenty eight inches.
(d) Fifty eight inches.

7. How many years does White do newsbreaks for the New Yorker before retiring?
(a) Thirty six years.
(b) Forty six years.
(c) Fifty six years.
(d) Twenty six years.

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

9. 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.

10. How many copies of "The Elements of Style" have been sold?
(a) Ten million copies.
(b) Four million copies.
(c) More than ten million copies.
(d) Eight million copies.

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

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

13. What production company eventually acquires the project of making the "Charlotte's Web" movie?
(a) Warner Bros.
(b) Hanna Barbera.
(c) Walt Disney.
(d) Ruby Spears.

14. Which city's orchestra does White adapt "The Trumpet of the Swan" for?
(a) Lancaster.
(b) Pittsburgh.
(c) Allentown.
(d) Philadelphia.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In a response to a student's letter, what does White say is the best way to learn about a writer?

2. Which publishing company contacts White about using his text for Strunk's book?

3. What is the annual limitation income that White agrees to for tax purposes?

4. Why does White initially think his biography should be shorter?

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

(see the answer keys)

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