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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 was the place Tolkien had always considered to be his true home?

2. In 1952, Rayner Unwin proposed a new deal to Tolkien for THE LORD OF THE RINGS. What was this deal?

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

4. What other plan of Tolkien's also had to be put aside?

5. Why did Tolkien leave Bournemouth?

Short Essay Questions

1. Of what did Lewis warn Tolkien?

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

3. Why was the story of THE HOBBIT written?

4. How is Ronald like Bilbo Baggins?

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

6. How did Edith die?

7. What ended Tolkien's focus on the new book and his Oxford professorship?

8. Describe one of the great mysteries about The Hobbit.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tolkien has a few close friends.

Part 1) Who does he consider to be his close friends? What does he have in common with these individuals?

Part 2) How do these friends influence his life and work? When these friends are lost, for example, due to death, how is Tolkien affected? What does this reveal about him?

Part 3) Who are your close friends? How do they influence you? How do you support one another in various aspects of your life? How might your life change if those friends were no longer in your life?

Essay Topic 2

Tolkien was desperate to have THE SILMARRILION published.

Part 1) What is THE SILMARRILION? Why was he so desperate to have it published? Why does this desperation reinforce in Tolkien's character? What does it also reveal?

Part 2) What did others think about this work? Why did they feel this way?

Part 3) What in your own life is important? Why is it important? What does this reveal about you?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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