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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What is the term "galleys" used to refer to in "The Professor"?
(a) Chapter summaries for a book.
(b) Advance posters advertising a book.
(c) Advance copies of a printed book.
(d) Reviews for a book.

3. What words does Tolkien use to replace "Elves"?
(a) Elf and Elfen.
(b) Elfen and Elven.
(c) Elf, Elfen, and Elven.
(d) Elf and Elven.

4. Whom does Tolkien originally ask to draw maps for the imaginary world of The Lord of the Rings?
(a) Christopher.
(b) A professional illustrator.
(c) Edith.
(d) A friend.

5. How does Tolkien describe the writing of The Hobbit to Christopher?
(a) Difficult.
(b) Easy.
(c) Both easy and difficult.
(d) Neither easy nor difficult.

6. What is the result of a friendship between the Elves and the Dwarves, as Tolkien explains in Letter #131?
(a) A decline of education.
(b) A decline of the arts.
(c) An improvement in the arts.
(d) An improvement in education.

7. What happens when Tolkien first decides to approach the publishers about the delay of the books?
(a) The publishers do not respond.
(b) The publishers take even more time.
(c) The publishers provide a list of excuses.
(d) The publishers decline to publish them.

8. How long does Tolkien indicate he has been working with the imaginary realms in Letter #130?
(a) Months.
(b) Weeks.
(c) Years.
(d) Decades.

9. What is the skill or ability of the Elves'?
(a) Science.
(b) Math.
(c) Communication.
(d) Art.

10. How does Tolkien feel when he looks at his work in the revision stages?
(a) Grateful.
(b) Defiant.
(c) Confused.
(d) Humbled.

11. How long is the summary that Tolkien's new publisher asks him to write at the end of "Publisher Drama"?
(a) One-hundred words.
(b) One-hundred-and-fifty words.
(c) Fifty words.
(d) Two-hundred words.

12. In Letter #27, which of the following does Tolkien say that he will leave the drawing of to someone who can draw ?
(a) Volcanoes.
(b) Elves.
(c) Mountains.
(d) Hobbits.

13. By what year does Tolkien insist that his books be published with his new publisher?
(a) 1951.
(b) 1953.
(c) 1950.
(d) 1952.

14. What German word meaning "essential" does Tolkien refer to in Letter #6, stating that it is actually viewed as an English word?
(a) Entscheidend.
(b) Grundlegend.
(c) Unentbehrlich.
(d) Wesenhaft.

15. As stated in "The Professor," when are The Lord of the Rings books officially published?
(a) 1954.
(b) 1951.
(c) 1952.
(d) 1953.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Tolkien explain he uses in developing his fascination with imaginary worlds?

2. What point does Tolkien make about his book, The Silmarillion, in Letter #131?

3. How does Tolkien originally respond to Unwin's request about the poem?

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

5. How does Tolkien consider the term "Elves"?

(see the answer keys)

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