View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of White's dog, mentioned in the letter to his stepson?

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

3. When does White inform his publisher that he thinks "Charlotte's Web" appeals more to adults than children?

4. Which one of the following is a concern that White has about the illustrations in "Charlotte's Web"?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What joke does White make to his brother, Stanley, before having a hernia operation?

2. What complications does White have with his vision in 1982, and how many years does he provide newsbreaks for the New Yorker before retiring?

3. In another letter to Stanley, what does White say about his use of traction?

4. What are the elements included in the Philadelphia Orchestra's children's concert of "The Trumpet of the Swan" in 1972?

5. What ailments does White have in 1963, and how does he write about his recovery?

6. How does White categorize "Charlotte's Web" in his October, 1952 letter to Ursula Nordstrom of Harper & Brothers, and what are the sales like for the book's first edition?

7. How long does White study the screenplay for "Charlotte's Web" and what suggestions does he make?

8. What is White's concern with the cover art for "Charlotte's Web" and what appropriate advice does he share?

9. Which ailment and animal's escapades does White write to his stepson and his wife about in 1968?

10. How does White respond to a confused senior at Newton High School?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain three examples of the office memos that White would write to other writers and editors at the New Yorker. For each example, describe what White's intentions are and the writing techniques he uses to achieve them.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Compare and contrast the New Yorker magazine in the 1950s with the way it was in the 1920s. Use White's letter to his brother, Stanley, as a reference for his concern about the changes taking place at the magazine. Also, include White's description of the original goal of the New Yorker and his experiences while working there as he writes to an author that is researching a book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 931 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample