View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does Tolkien say are the only people interested in reading his literary works in Letter #115?
(a) C.S. Lewis and his wife.
(b) Only C.S. Lewis.
(c) C.S. Lewis and his son.
(d) Only his wife and son.

2. How does Tolkien describe the domestic problems he is having in a letter before he moves to a small house?
(a) Unexpected.
(b) Intolerable.
(c) Unpredictable.
(d) Inexcusable.

3. How does Tolkien describe the alteration he is contemplating making to his manuscript in Letter #128?
(a) General.
(b) Specific.
(c) Decorative.
(d) Unnecessary.

4. Who does Tolkien express gratitude to in Letter #6?
(a) Mrs. E.M. Wright.
(b) Mrs. C.S. Wright.
(c) Mrs. C.S. White.
(d) Mrs. E.M. White.

5. What request is made of Tolkien after he finishes Farmer Giles of Ham?
(a) That he adds to the ending to make it more complete.
(b) That he remove two of the characters.
(c) That he write more stories to make a large volume.
(d) That he edit some of the book to make it shorter.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Tolkien suggest is the greatest resource for the information the schoolboy is seeking in Letter #114?

2. As mentioned in Letter #69, which specific part of his manuscript does Tolkien plan on revising?

3. Which school is Tolkien attending when the first letter begins?

4. How much time has passed between Tolkien's initial idea for drawing maps and when it becomes an issue with a publisher?

5. After the Hobbits originate, where does the Dark Power that Tolkien describes in Letter #131 exist?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are galleys in literature and how does Tolkien respond to the editing process of The Lord of the Rings?

2. Who is Tolkien traveling with in the story he recounts for Christopher in a letter from April 3, 1944, and what is the point of the story?

3. How does Tolkien design Farmer Giles of Ham and what does he think about it being considered a children's story?

4. How is Tolkien's proficiency in writing displayed in the story he tells to Christopher in his April 3, 1944, letter?

5. What inspires a schoolboy to write to Tolkien about The Hobbit in Letter #114 and what advice does Tolkien give in return?

6. In what way does Tolkien realistically depict his job as a professor in 1952?

7. What message does Tolkien hear when he is becoming impatient about the publishing of The Lord of the Rings?

8. What change does Tolkien consider and eventually make to The Hobbit in Letters #128 and #129, and why is it significant?

9. How does Tolkien characterize Sauron in Letter #131?

10. In Letters #66 and #69, how is Tolkien's relationship with Christopher defined?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 882 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample