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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. What grave mistake did Stanley Unwin make?

2. People began to call when?

3. Why did Tolkien's relationship with Lewis deteriorate further?

4. After Edith died, what did Tolkien do to keep busy?

5. Tolkien said Unwin looked a lot like who?

Short Essay Questions

1. Of what did Lewis warn Tolkien?

2. How is Ronald like Bilbo Baggins?

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

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

5. What happened when the money began pouring in?

6. How did the money Tolkien made from this book affect him?

7. What new deal did Unwin propose to Tolkien?

8. What events took place regarding Tolkien's fame?

9. What did Tolkien do when he became eager to cut ties with his publishers? How did they react?

10. Why was the publication of THE HOBBIT quite a learning experience?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tolkien was a perfectionist in many ways.

Part 1) Describe Tolkien's creative process. How does this reinforce his perfectionist tendencies? Is he a perfectionist outside of his work? Why or why not?

Part 2) How did he perfectionist behavior affect others, such as his family, friends, and publishers?

Part 3) How did his desire for perfection add challenges to the process of creating and publishing his work? How did it also benefit him in the long run? Should he have been such a perfectionist? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Ronald graduates from Oxford University.

Part 1) How does he prepare for attending Oxford? Who aids him in this preparation? How is his success at Oxford foreshadowed?

Part 2) How does his time at Oxford improve and nurture his writing and love for language and learning? How does he, in turn, benefit Oxford?

Part 3) How important does his life at Oxford become at various points throughout his life?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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