View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How is the Machine described in Letter #131?
(a) Neither disciplined nor industrialized.
(b) Industrialized, but undisciplined.
(c) Industrialized and disciplined.
(d) Disciplined, but not industrialized.

2. With whom does Tolkien work in order to avoid the responsibilities of chairing the English department?
(a) Colleagues.
(b) Students.
(c) The dean.
(d) The department supervisor.

3. 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) Hobbits.
(d) Mountains.

4. In what year does Tolkien become disturbed by the length of time to publish The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Silmarillion?
(a) 1948.
(b) 1950.
(c) 1951.
(d) 1949.

5. How often does Tolkien write to Edith during the time they are separated?
(a) Once a week.
(b) Once a month.
(c) Never.
(d) Once a day.

6. What does Tolkien focus on when his books make less than anticipated progress with publishers?
(a) Writing other books.
(b) Writing to the publishers.
(c) His family.
(d) His teaching job.

7. What invention does Tolkien make when writing the poem being discussed with Unwin?
(a) A new genre.
(b) A new meter.
(c) A new world.
(d) A new word.

8. What assertion does Tolkien make about Farmer Giles of Ham?
(a) It is not a children's book.
(b) It is his longest work to date.
(c) It is a children's book.
(d) It is an unfinished work.

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

10. What subject is a student's thesis about that Tolkien expects to find boring?
(a) War.
(b) Fairy Tales.
(c) Civilization.
(d) Industrialism.

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

12. Who provides input , feedback, and advice for the letters in the book?
(a) Christopher Tolkien.
(b) J.R.R. Tolkien.
(c) Edith Bratt.
(d) Humphrey Carpenter.

13. Who is the initial publisher for Tolkien's books when "Publisher Drama" begins?
(a) Collins.
(b) Humphrey.
(c) Allen.
(d) Unwin.

14. How much of The Silmarillion takes place before the arrival of human beings?
(a) None of it.
(b) The majority of it.
(c) Very little of it.
(d) All of it.

15. Why does Tolkien's new publisher need a summary of the books?
(a) To include on the inside cover.
(b) To use for publicity.
(c) To include on the back cover.
(d) To use for copyrighting the work.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is the man whose accent Tolkien refers to as "English after being wiped over with a dirty sponge" from?

2. What two factors contribute to the main part of Letter #66 to Christopher?

3. In Letter, #6, to what college subject does Tolkien refer?

4. In what month does Tolkien write to Christopher about the writing process for The Hobbit?

5. What will the alteration mean for the book Tolkien is writing in Letter #128?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 512 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample