BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSWhen Fern Arable's father raises his ax to kill the smallest pig in a new litter, Fern begs him to stop and ends up raising the runt herself, naming him Wilbur. Wilbur grows quickly on warm milk and Fern's care, and once he gets too big for their farm he is sold to Fern's uncle, Homer Zuckerman, where he lives in a barn cellar crowded with animals. Lonely at first, Wilbur finds an unexpected friend in Charlotte, a large grey spider who spins her web above his pen and quietly promises to help him with a problem far bigger than he realizes. As summer turns toward fall and the county fair draws near, Wilbur waits to find out just what a spider can really do for a pig.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Charlotte's Web
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Charlotte's Web. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a boy come to breakfast holding an air rifle and a wooden dagger?
✓ Answer
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Avery, Fern's ten year old brother, wanders into the kitchen heavily armed and demands to see what his sister is holding. He teases her that the runt is no bigger than a white rat.
- First half
In what book does a spider tell a terrified pig, "You shall not die"?
✓ Answer
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Wilbur is screaming and racing up and down his pen after learning about the plot to kill him, and Charlotte cuts him off briskly with this promise. She has no plan yet, but the promise is the hinge the entire story turns on.
- First half
In what book does a farmer put on his best suit and drive to the minister's house?
✓ Answer
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Mr. Zuckerman is so convinced a miracle has happened on his farm that he changes clothes and goes to explain it to the minister. The minister promises to preach about it, and after that the secret spreads through the entire county.
- Second half
In what book does a pig blink his long eyelashes and breathe deeply to look radiant?
✓ Answer
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Wilbur works hard to live up to every word the spider writes about him, and more than a hundred people come in a single day to admire him. When the crowd gets bored he springs into the air and does a back flip with a half twist.
- Second half
In what book does a huge pig in the next pen say to just call him Uncle?
✓ Answer
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Charlotte drops down on a dragline to size up Wilbur's competition at the Fair. She decides the neighbor is loud, too familiar, and cracks weak jokes, but hard to beat because of his size.
- Near the end
In what book does a rat bite a pig's tail to revive him after he faints?
✓ Answer
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Templeton is hidden in the crate and notices the tail within easy reach, so he bites as hard as he can. Nobody sees him do it, and he later lists it among the favors he never gets thanked for.
