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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the annual limitation income that White agrees to for tax purposes?
(a) Ten thousand dollars.
(b) Eighty five hundred dollars.
(c) Seventy five hundred dollars.
(d) Twenty thousand dollars.

2. In his letter to fifth grade students, how many sheep does White say that he has?
(a) Ten.
(b) Twenty.
(c) Five.
(d) Fifteen.

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

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

5. In a May, 1952 letter, how does White describe the goose on the cover of "Charlotte's Web"?
(a) Uncharacteristically bird-like.
(b) Uncharacteristically excited.
(c) Suspiciously serpentine.
(d) Suspiciously sad.

6. How many corrections does White send to Scott Elledge for the first part of his biography?
(a) Eighty four.
(b) Twenty four.
(c) Seventy three.
(d) Fifty three.

7. In another office memo, for which James Thurber story does White offer his comments?
(a) The Thirteen Doors.
(b) The Thirteen Clocks.
(c) The Sixteen Doors.
(d) The Sixteen Clocks.

8. What is the name of White's dog, mentioned in the letter to his stepson?
(a) Barney.
(b) Fred.
(c) Sam.
(d) Wilbur.

9. Which newspaper does White write to in protest about their profile of New Yorker editor, William Shawn?
(a) New York Daily News.
(b) New York Times.
(c) New York Sun Times.
(d) New York Herald Tribune.

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

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

12. Of which upcoming fiction writer are the Whites fans?
(a) John Updike.
(b) Harper Lee.
(c) Ian Fleming.
(d) William Faulkner.

13. 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 closets.
(b) Bars, subways, and garages.
(c) Subways, closets, and garages.
(d) Bars, closets, and garages.

14. Which Maine Senator does White write to in opposition of the Dirksen amendment?
(a) Margaret Chase Smith.
(b) Frederick G. Payne.
(c) Edmund S. Muskie.
(d) William D. Hathaway.

15. In a letter to James Thurber, what injury does White sustain while falling onto an awning?
(a) A large skull gash.
(b) A broken arm.
(c) A sprained ankle.
(d) A broken leg.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which John Steinbeck book was the result of an assignment for Holiday magazine that White could not complete?

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

3. Which station does White politely decline an interview with in 1978?

4. What is the main reason why White is still at the New Yorker in 1956?

5. When does White write to President Nixon?

(see the answer keys)

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