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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. How many corrections does White send to Scott Elledge for the first part of his biography?

2. According to his letter, what stays in White's pond for several days?

3. Why is Katharine hospitalized in 1952?

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

5. How many minor surgeries does Katharine undergo between 1966 and 1970?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

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

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

6. How does White describe the beginning days of the New Yorker to an author that is researching a book?

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

8. How does White explain the process of writing a book to fourth-graders of Columbus, Ohio?

9. Who does the illustrations for "Charlotte's Web", and what does White send to his publisher to help with the drawing of Charlotte?

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

"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 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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