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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of background did White's mother have?

2. Where does White travel to after disappearing from the New Yorker?

3. How many years do White and Katharine spend in Greenwich Village?

4. With which faculty member(s) does White eventually write "The Elements of Style"?

5. What comparison does White use to illustrate his opinion of the draft in a 1942 letter to Harold Ross?

Short Essay Questions

1. What impulsive decision does White write to Katharine about in May, 1937?

2. How does White discuss his interest in movies with Stanley in a March, 1937 letter?

3. What is the topic of the humorous letter of outrage that White sends to Harold Ross in July, 1945?

4. What unscheduled vacation does White take from the New Yorker and how does he inform them of his absence?

5. What complications does Katharine have while giving birth to their son in 1931?

6. What happens during White's early New York Times interview?

7. Why does White decline a job offer from the Saturday Review?

8. What happens in 1941 that leads to White's work in Washington?

9. Who is Alice Burchfield?

10. What is Katharine Angell's background?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In 1937, White displays his whimsical nature in a letter to Katharine.

1) Explain White's motivation for his letter, leaving the New Yorker, and why he thinks it is an ancient privilege to live in a whimsical way rather than a reasonable way.

2) Compare his decision in the letter with other impulsive decisions that he has made, such as unannounced vacations, trips, etc.

3) Analyze White's tone in his letter to Katharine, what he hopes to accomplish, and the aspects of his decision that he has considered as well as the ones that he has not considered.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze White's response to a letter by Cathy Durham about why he has not written another children's book. Include why he might have replied that way, the response of Cathy's librarian, and the solution that White's publisher develops for preventing any future issues.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze White's early childhood and how it inspired him to begin writing. Also, include why he began writing at such an early age, his opinion of school, the subjects of his earliest letters, and how they show the initial development of his writing style.

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