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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When does White write to his agent about his reservations of a Czech producer's plans for a movie about "Charlotte's Web"?
(a) 1974.
(b) 1972.
(c) 1971.
(d) 1973.

2. When does White inform his publisher that he thinks "Charlotte's Web" appeals more to adults than children?
(a) In October, 1952.
(b) In June, 1953.
(c) In October, 1953.
(d) In June, 1952.

3. In a response to a student's letter, what does White say is the best way to learn about a writer?
(a) To talk to people he knows.
(b) To talk to him.
(c) To study his life.
(d) To read his words.

4. How long were Katharine and E.B. White married?
(a) Forty six years.
(b) Forty eight years.
(c) Forty four years.
(d) Forty five years.

5. 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) One has to want to write a book.
(c) The writer has to keep going until the end.
(d) Set aside several days for the writing process.

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

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

8. What version of White's remembrance of Strunk is used in the final copy of "The Elements of Style"?
(a) An expanded and revised version.
(b) The same version with notes included at the end of the text.
(c) The same version.
(d) An edited and shortened version.

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

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

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

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

13. In a letter to Robert Coates, what does White say he used to facilitate his recovery of swollen throat muscles?
(a) Gingerale.
(b) Club soda.
(c) Whiskey.
(d) Gin.

14. Which John Steinbeck book was the result of an assignment for Holiday magazine that White could not complete?
(a) "East of Eden".
(b) "Travels with Charley".
(c) "The Grapes of Wrath".
(d) "Of Mice and Men".

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What response does White offer to a confused student at Newton High School?

2. How many years does White do newsbreaks for the New Yorker before retiring?

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

4. What town's fifth grade students receive a letter from White, answering their questions about "Charlotte's Web"?

5. In White's opinion, how different is the New Yorker in the 1950s?

(see the answer keys)

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