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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. Which nuclear physicist does White exchange letters with about nuclear disarmament?

2. Who first sends White a copy of Strunk's textbook about English usage and style?

3. When does White respond to a letter by Cathy Durham?

4. Which one of the following is not included in the advice White gives to fourth-graders in Columbus, Ohio about how to write a book?

5. In 1956, why is Katharine still at the New Yorker?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does White revise his work to be included in the new edition of "The Elements of Style"?

2. What question does Cathy Durham ask White, and how does he respond?

3. In a December, 1951 letter, how does White respond to a depressed undergraduate student about her plans to become a writer?

4. Why does White write to Maine Sen. Margaret Chase Smith?

5. What is White's problem with taxi cab doors in his 1950 memo to Harold Ross?

6. What does White reveal about his farm in his answer to the questions of Mrs. Bard's fifth-grade class in Larchmont, New York?

7. What illnesses does Katharine battle between 1960 and 1965, and how does she adjust her work schedule?

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

9. How does White's response to Cathy Durham generate controversy, and what solution does his publisher implement?

10. What feedback and advice does White offer to James Thurber for the story,"The Thirteen Clocks"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

White's published criticism of Alexander Wollcott is documented by their letters in the New Yorker.

1) Describe who Alexander Wollcott is, the letter that he writes, and why White finds it offensive.

2) Explain White's response to Wollcott's letter and why it is featured in the New Yorker.

3) Analyze why White decides to write a second letter, the point of the letter, and whether or not he is serious in his criticism or using humor to deliver the point.

Essay Topic 2

Katharine passes away and her legacy is secured as White contributes to his own biography towards the end of his life.

1) Describe the change in White's writing after Katharine passes away, how her literary effects help establish her legacy, and the way her book, "Onward and Upward in the Garden" is published.

2) Explain the contributions that White makes to his biography as it is being written and his opinion of the finished book.

3) Analyze the ways that E.B. White will be remembered along with the impact of his work in writing and entertainment.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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