War, sex, homosexuality, anatomically correct terms for male and female genitalia, and profanity: Each of these topics or terms was cited in one or more challenges to books for teens in schools and libraries across the United States this past year. The challenged books included classics as well as newer literary works. Are you aware of what's been challenged and why? Take this multiple-choice, 9-question pop quiz to learn how up to date you are on the year's censorship incidents.

1. What does the term "booknapping" mean?
a. Falling asleep with your face in an open book.
b. Stealing books from bookstores.
c. Creating a diaper using the pages of a book
d. Refusing to return a book taken out of a library with the intent of preventing anyone from reading it.

2. What punishment was initially handed down to three 16-year-old junior girls at John Jay High School in Cross River, New York after they said the word "vagina" during a public reading of playwright Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monolgues"?
a. The girls had to write one hundred times, “I will not say “vagina.”
b. A stern lecture from the vice principal about refraining from discussing “private parts” in public.
c. A one-day suspension.
d. All of the above.

3. What Newbery Honor book was challenged because it portrays talking animals and insects, and because one of those characters has babies but "doesn't have a husband"?
a. Watership Down
b. Charlotte’s Web
c. Frog and Toad
d. The Golden Compass

4. In which state were high schools whose teachers assigned acclaimed novels, including Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Erin Gruwell’s The Freedom Writers Diary and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, reported to the FBI for potentially violating pornography laws?
a. Michigan
b. Utah
c. New York
d. Arizona

5. Working collaboratively, a group of politically diverse high school students taking Advanced Theatre Class wrote a play called “Voices in Conflict.” The play presents a range of perspectives about the current war in Iraq. Although their high school forbade them to perform the play, the students were the recipients of Music Theatre International’s Courage in Theatre Award. Where is this high school located?
a. Alabama
b. Kentucky
c. New York
d. Illinois

6. Which picture book with illustrations by Maurice Sendak was called “obscene” and “absolutely offensive in every way” by the Tennessee parent of a 9-year-old who checked the book out of her elementary library?
a. I Saw Esau
b. Where the Wild Things Are
c. In the Night Kitchen
d. Little Bear

7. Who said, “It’s wrong to restrict what students can read based on the complaints of a few individuals?”
a. Jon Stewart
b. President Bush
c. Chris Finan
d. Mr. Rogers

8. Wizardology: The Book of Secrets of Merlin was challenged by a group of West Haven, Connecticut parents because they considered it:
a. too violent
b. a potentially dangerous alternate religion
c. too sexual
d. all of the above

9. Which animal’s scrotum was bitten by a rattlesnake in this year’s challenged Newbery-winning novel?
a. A dog’s.
b. A raccoon’s.
c. A bear’s.
d. A donkey’s.


The answers:

1. Correct answer: d. Refusing to return a book taken out of a library with the intent of preventing anyone from reading it. This odious practice has unfortunately been on the increase.
2. Correct answer: c. A one-day suspension. After a surge of protests by students and parents, the school administration re-examined its policies and rescinded the punishment.

3. Correct answer: b. Charlotte’s Web. Several astute readers, however, have claimed that Charlotte, the supposedly unwed mother, does indeed mention her late husband at some point in the story.

4. Correct answer: a. Michigan. The good news is that no one in the schools was found guilty of violating pornography laws. “After reading the books in question it is clear that the explicit passages illustrated a larger literary, artistic or political message and were not included solely to appeal to the prurient interests of minors," [County Prosecutor David Morse] wrote. "Whether these materials are appropriate for minors is a decision to be made by the school board, but I find they are not in violation of the criminal laws." Subsequent to the County Prosecutor’s decision, the Howell school board voted 5-2 to allow high school juniors to continue to read the books. I have to wonder: Unlike Mr. Morse, did those who challenged these books ever read them?

5. Correct answer: c. New York. The students got to perform the play “Voices in Conflict” in June, 2007 off-Broadway at the Public Theatre. Search see http://www.voicesinconflict.com for more information.

6. Correct answer: a. I Saw Esau, a book of poetry by Iona Opie, illustrations by Maurice Sendak.

7. Correct answer: b. President Bush. Surprised? Just kidding. The real and true correct answer is Chris Finan, President of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

8. Correct answer: b. a potentially dangerous alternate religion. Who knew?

9. Correct answer: a. A dog’s. Ouch.

For additional information on these and other book challenges, see http://www.ncac.org/action_issues/Books.cfm, http://asifnews.blogspot.com/, or http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm.