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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Eventually, Tolkien told his publisher that he was "forgetting about children." Why?

2. What did this infection do to Tolkien?

3. All of Tolkien's attention was split between the new book along and the Oxford professorship until what happened?

4. In many ways, Bilbo Baggins is who?

5. When did Tolkien finish the manuscript?

Short Essay Questions

1. Of what did Lewis warn Tolkien?

2. About what did Tolkien write to his son, Christopher?

3. What did Tolkien think about writing a sequel to THE HOBBIT? Why? What was his plan for the sequel?

4. What do Stanley Unwin and Ronald Tolkien think of one another?

5. What does Unwin do with all of Tolkien's completed manuscripts? Why?

6. Is this deal a good idea for Tolkien? Why or why not?

7. How did Tolkien feel when C.S. Lewis died? Why did he feel this way?

8. What new deal did Unwin propose to Tolkien?

9. How did Tolkien feel as the time drew nearer for the book to be published?

10. What happened when Oxford took notice of the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

After another tour of duty, Tolkien returns to Oxford and moves his family to Leeds.

Part 1) How does this affect the Tolkien's lives? Is this a good change in the Tolkien's lives? Why or why not?

Part 2) What role does the Viking Club play in Ronald's life? How might this have affected his family life? Why?

Part 3) How did this time at Oxford aid Tolkien in creating his language and preparing to write the books that would make him wealthy and famous?

Essay Topic 2

By and large, Edith was unhappy when Ronald was immersed in his work at Oxford.

Part 1) Why does this unhappiness occur? How does Edith deal with this unhappiness? What does this reveal about her?

Part 2) How does her early life with Ronald compare to her life throughout their marriage? What role does Ronald play in her unhappiness? Is he entirely to blame? Why or why not?

Part 3) Should they have married? Why or why not? Would they have still married if they had known their marriage would be as it was? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Tolkien had a love for languages.

Part 1) Describe this love for languages. When did it begin?

Part 2) What caused this love for languages? How did this love affect his work? How did this love affect his social life and family life?

Part 3) How important is language in his literature? How might it add to Tolkien's popularity? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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