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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 case does White reference in a letter to the New York Herald Tribune?

2. What year(s) does White write letters about Katharine's miscarriage and his mother's passing?

3. Where does Katharine travel to in order to get her divorce before marrying White?

4. What event prompts White to write the director of the Bronx Zoo?

5. Who was White's favorite sibling?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does White discover the New Yorker?

2. How does White describe kindergarten and high school?

3. What does White write about his brother, Stanley, and his sister, Lillian?

4. What description does White provide of his wedding?

5. Why does White write to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and the director of the Bronx Zoo respectively?

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

7. How does White describe his meeting in Washington in January, 1942?

8. How does White begin writing for the New Yorker, and what does he do once his position becomes permanent?

9. What suggestions does White have for the New Yorker between 1932 and 1935?

10. What is the purpose of White's letter to John Wentworth in 1947?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

White answers a number of letters and questions from students about writing and education in general.

1) Describe White's explanation of the process for writing a book to a fourth-grade class in Columbus, Ohio.

2) Explain White's advice to a depressed college student as well as his advice to a confused senior, and his comments about his own writing identity.

3) Compare and contrast the advice that he gives to his granddaughter, Martha, with the responses that he sends to other college students.

Essay Topic 2

"Charlotte's Web" is considered to be White's most popular book and one of the most recognized children's stories for several reasons.

1) Describe White's farm and the inspiration behind the ideas that formed "Charlotte's Web".

2) Explain White's concerns with the illustrations for the book, "Charlotte's Web", and how he resolves them with his publisher.

3) Describe the issues that White has with the cover art for the book, "Charlotte's Web", the suggestions and advice that he gives to his publisher, and why the advice is particularly appropriate.

4) Analyze White's reaction to the success of "Charlotte's Web", and whether or not he is surprised that it connects with children in such a huge way.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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