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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who provides the main order of the letters included in the book?
(a) Christopher Tolkien.
(b) J.R.R. Tolkien.
(c) Edith Bratt.
(d) Humphrey Carpenter.

2. When does the history of the Elves begin?
(a) Just before humanity.
(b) Long before humanity.
(c) Long after humanity.
(d) Just after humanity.

3. What book inspired a schoolboy to write to Tolkien, prompting his response in Letter #114?
(a) The Silmarillion.
(b) The Lord of the Rings.
(c) The Hobbit.
(d) Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.

4. What two factors contribute to the main part of Letter #66 to Christopher?
(a) Real life and the idea of living in an imaginary world.
(b) Fiction and the writing of an imaginary world.
(c) Real life and the writing of an imaginary world.
(d) Fiction and the idea of living in an imaginary world.

5. In Letter #130, what distinction does Tolkien make about the artificial languages he creates for his books?
(a) They are a combination of two real-life languages.
(b) They are never used in real life.
(c) They are the opposite of an actual real life language.
(d) They are seldom used in real life.

6. Who is the person that Tolkien thanks, and is the recipient of Letter #130?
(a) Milton Waldman.
(b) Humphrey Carpenter.
(c) Rayner Unwin.
(d) George Allen.

7. How does Tolkien consider the term "Elves"?
(a) He thinks it is amusing.
(b) He thinks it is undefined.
(c) He thinks it is senseless.
(d) He thinks it is misleading.

8. In general, why do Tolkien and C.S. Lewis meet several times?
(a) To give each other literary criticism.
(b) To play games.
(c) To edit each other's manuscripts.
(d) To discuss sports and politics.

9. How does Tolkien design the book, Farmer Giles of Ham?
(a) Not to be read aloud.
(b) To be read in one sitting.
(c) To be read aloud.
(d) To be read as several separate stories.

10. Which poem does Rayner Unwin initially write to Tolkien about?
(a) "Mythopoeia."
(b) "Once Upon a Time."
(c) "The Princess Ni."
(d) "Errantry."

11. Who leads The Enemy in Tolkien's stories?
(a) Gollum.
(b) Saruman.
(c) Sauron.
(d) The Nazgul.

12. What has Tolkien found in his manuscript when he writes Letter #69?
(a) Inaccuracies.
(b) Too many metaphors.
(c) Too many analogies.
(d) Inconsistencies.

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

14. What point does Tolkien make about his book, The Silmarillion, in Letter #131?
(a) It is not about humans.
(b) The themes of the book are intentionally simple.
(c) It is about humans.
(d) The themes of the book are intentionally complex.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is the main focal point of The Silmarillion?

2. What chapter of the book that Tolkien is working on is he considering altering in Letter #128?

3. What is left out of the letters included in "To Unwin about The Hobbit"?

4. Under what conditions is Tolkien asked to chair an English department in "The Professor"?

5. How often does Tolkien write to Edith during the time they are separated?

(see the answer keys)

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