Dr. Seuss – Rhyme & Reason Test
List the following information about Dr. Seuss and/o answer the questions that follow. You do not
have to write in complete sentences.
1. When and where was he born? Springfield, Massachusetts 1904
2. Real name Theodore Seuss Geisel
Why do we know him as Dr. Seuss? He chose to write under a pen name and used
his middle name, which was also his mom’s maiden name – Seuss. (especially after he
got in trouble at college.)
3. parents/siblings parents : Theodor Robert and Henrietta (Seuss) Geisel;
sister – Marnie
What happened to his sister? She ultimately died because she was an alcoholic
What did his dad do first as a career? ran a brewery
What did his dad become after that career? a zoo keeper
Why did his dad switch careers? brewery was shut down due to prohibition
What role did his mother play in shaping his career? she read him or told him
stories that rhymed
4. Education:
Where did he go to college? Dartmouth
What did he do there as a job? editor-in-chief of the school humor magazine,
Jack-O-Lantern
Why did he get in trouble at this college? He hosted a party with alcohol
What other college did he attend? Oxford
5. Europe:
1st wife Helen Palmer Where did they meet? Oxford – in an English class
When did they marry? August, 1927
kids: none
6. Early career:
What is FLIT? pesticide – bug killing spray
What does Flit have to do with Dr. Seuss? He created the advertisement that
made Flit hugely popular – everyone knew the saying, “Quick Henry, the Flit!”
7. Dr. Seuss & Politics
Career in the late 40’s: worked as a cartoonist, created animated instructional
films for the US military
His cartoons promoted 3 things: _Pro American_, __Anti Axis_
____________, and _American Isolationalism______________
Dr. Seuss – Rhyme & Reason Test
Who is Sargent Snafu? an animated character that Dr. Seuss used in his animated
cartoons which showed what NOT to do as a soldier_____________
Explain the purpose of the animated films he created for the military. to teach
new recruits what to do or what not to do/fundamentals
8. Moving on to books…
What is McElligot’s Pool? a children’s book
What did it mean when Seuss said he “wasn’t interested in expanding the
envelope?” he was only interested in writing books…not expanding into other ways
of making money
What did he “vow to never make another?” feature film_
Why did he say that? The 5000 fingers of Dr. T….. his first feature film and
biggest failure of his career
What does illiteracy mean? inability to read or write
What does illiteracy have to do with Dr. Seuss? his books increased the literacy
rate
What did Dr. Seuss do to help “Johnny read?” he wrote books that could be read
by early readers about topics/characters they were interested in
9. Cat in the Hat
date published 1957 How many words? 225
Why did he write it? it was a dare/challenge…his publisher told him it wasn’t
possible
What is a Cat Note? notes in response to fan mail that he sent to children
10. More Books
Which book had only 50 words? Green Eggs and Ham
What life lesson did this book teach? Try new things
How did he lay out his books? left to right and top to bottom
Why? to instill the correct way to read
What were some of the “rules” he set for writing his books? it had to be
illustratable, must adhere to appropriate vocabulary
Why did he set these rules? so children would want to read them
Which book was dedicated to Dartmouth’s Graduating Class of 1925? Your’e Only
Old Once
11. Horton Hears a Who
Year published 1954
Dr. Seuss – Rhyme & Reason Test
What was it an allegory of? post war occupation of Japan, his reaction to visiting
Japan, before WWII he had strong views of anti-Japanese sentiment and this was
an attempt to apologize for his former views
What did he file a lawsuit over this book? the pro life/anti abortion group tried to
use his line “A person’s a person no matter how small” as their slogan. He was very
adamant about people not using his words for their causes.
12. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
Year published 1958
What was Seuss’s opinion about the use of the word “maybe” instead of “surely” at
the end? people should decide for themselves
Why was Mack’s burp significant? the burp caused people to worry over the
appropriateness for the time__
13. Audrey
Who is Audrey Stone Dimond? second wife
How did they meet? Dr. Seuss and Helen were friends and neighbors with her
What was different about what you learned in this documentary than what you’ve
seen in the earlier ones? he had an affair
What does Audrey do now? She runs the Dr. Seuss industry
14. The Lorax
Year published 1971
How did this documentary explain what The Lorax was about? pollution and greed
What does propagandistic mean? persuasive…spreading ideas about his opinion
Seuss believed “you could tell kids anything if you weren’t patronizing.”
15. The Butter Battle Book
Year published 1984
Why did it end the way it did? he wasn’t taking a stand
How was it accepted from the literary community? it remarkable – it won the
Pulitzer Prize
This book marked Seuss’s first piece of ___hate mail____________________.
16. The Sneetches
Year published 1961
What did this documentary say this was an allegory of? satire about discrimination
between races and cultures
It specifically inspired his opposition to anti-Semitism
Dr. Seuss – Rhyme & Reason Test
What is that? discrimination against Jewish people
17. Best selling book of all time Oh the Places You’ll Go
year published 1990 Why is it such a good seller? People give it to graduates – high
school and college