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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What reason does White give his agent for putting the book, Charlotte's Web, aside for a while?
(a) To allow it to breathe.
(b) To allow it to seem familiar.
(c) To allow it to ripen.
(d) To allow it to seem new.

2. Why does White initially think his biography should be shorter?
(a) He thinks his life is not that interesting.
(b) He thinks the stories will have more impact.
(c) He thinks the book will be more exciting.
(d) He thinks it will be easier to understand.

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

4. How does Cathy Durham's librarian respond to White's letter to Cathy?
(a) She is amused.
(b) She is offended.
(c) She is confused.
(d) She is appreciative.

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

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

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

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) An edited and shortened version.
(c) The same version.
(d) The same version with notes included at the end of the text.

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

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

11. What does White encourage a college student to get in order to inspire her to write?
(a) A dictionary.
(b) An electric typewriter.
(c) A solid supply of paper.
(d) A wide assortment of pens.

12. According to his letter, what stays in White's pond for several days?
(a) A frog.
(b) A swan.
(c) A squirrel.
(d) A muskrat.

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

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

15. What newspaper does White write to in order to correct an editorial that attributes Thurber's fame to him?
(a) The Chicago Tribune.
(b) The Seattle Times.
(c) The Washington Post.
(d) The New York Times.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What does White caution Thurber about his story in the memo?

3. What type of people did Ross hire when starting the New Yorker, according to White?

4. Who is Ursula Nordstrom?

5. How many copies of "The Elements of Style" have been sold?

(see the answer keys)

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