Charlotte's Web

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. What type of tree is Wilbur’s home underneath?

2. Who leads Wilbur out of the enclosure?

3. Who is Wilbur’s first animal friend on the farm?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Fern initially demonstrate her strong commitment to her beliefs and ideals?

2. What happens to Wilbur during his first taste of freedom? Summarize the plot points and describe his reaction.

Paired Resource

“Production Cycle of Swine”

• This USDA article outlines the living conditions and slaughtering methods of pigs on farms, including information on the age they are typically slaughtered (usually around six months). (Teacher-appropriate; not student facing)
• This is a teacher-facing resource offering language and facts that might be selectively chosen and used to help clarify for students Wilbur’s main problem in the story and its connection to The Inevitable and Fleeting Nature of Life.

“Family Pigs Prefer Their Owner's Company As Dogs Do, but They Might Not Like Strangers”

• This brief scientific article looks at the bonds that pet pigs form with their human owners and how they are similar to the bonds between dogs and humans.
• This article connects to the Strong Bonds of Friendship and relates to Fern’s friendship with Wilbur.
• Why do you think Fern chooses to save Wilbur?

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. What terrible news does the goose deliver to Wilbur?

2. Who is able to hear the barn animals talking to one another?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Wilbur unsure about Charlotte at first?

2. What promise does Charlotte make to Wilbur? Why does she do this?

Paired Resource

“Learning from Animal Friendships”

• This New York Times article examines the fascinating nature of the inter-species bonds that animals form, especially in captivity or as pets of multi-animal homes. (Subscription may be needed to view.)
• This article connects to The Strong Bonds of Friendship and the ways in which the animals on the farm, especially Wilbur and Charlotte, work together and bond with one another despite their differences.
• Why do you think animals form friendships with other animals? Why might living at a farm, zoo, or human home make this even more common?

Chapters 9-14

Reading Check

1. What does Wilbur try to do but fails at?

2. Who helps Charlotte come up with ideas for words to spin?

3. Why does Mrs. Arable worry about Fern?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Charlotte glad to be a spider?

2. What is “The Miracle”? Explain the connection to the plot.

Paired Resource

“Spider-Web Build Time Lapse”

• This video provides a detailed visual and the step-by-step process of how spiders spin their webs.
• Spiders’ lives are short, and their determination despite this—as illustrated by the personified spider character of Charlotte—helps reveal The Inevitable and Fleeting Nature of Life.
• Can you think of any animal abilities that you find amazing or unbelievable? What do you think allows animals to do these things despite often not being taught, as Dr. Dorian points out in the novel?

Chapters 15-19

Reading Check

1. Where are Wilbur and the family going at the end of the summer?

2. What does Fern do at the fair?

3. What type of bath does Wilbur get at the fair?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Wilbur show that he is humble?

2. What is the “the finest thing Charlotte has ever made” (Chapter 19), and why does she think so?

Paired Resource

“Hog Show, Champion Poland China, Oscar Anderson With Pig, Leland, IL, 1946”

• This archival photograph depicts a prize-winning hog at a hog show in Illinois, 1946.
• The hog show scene in Charlotte’s Web is Charlotte’s final demonstration of her love for Wilbur and The Strong Bonds of Friendship.
• What evidence can you find supporting the assertion that the hog show scene is the novel’s climax?

Chapters 20-22

Reading Check

1. Who takes Charlotte’s egg sac back to the farm?

2. Who become Wilbur’s new friends?

3. Why does Fern spend less time at the farm?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Charlotte begin conserving her energy?

2. How does Charlotte demonstrate that she is humble?

Recommended Next Reads 

Stuart Little by E. B. White

• Stuart Little is another children’s novel by E. B. White, one that centers around an anthropomorphic mouse who befriends a family in New York City.
• This novel connects to the theme The Strong Bonds of Friendship between humans and animals.
• Shared topics include anthropomorphic animals, friendship, and the ethics of keeping and raising animals.
• Stuart Little on SuperSummary

The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

• The Trumpet of the Swan features an anthropomorphized swan who finds his voice through music and the inspiration of love.
• This novel connects to the themes of The Strong Bonds of Friendship and The Influence of Words by examining what it is like to have no voice.
• Shared topics include anthropomorphized animals, finding one’s purpose and voice, and overcoming great challenges.
• The Trumpet of the Swan on SuperSummary