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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does Tolkien say are the only people interested in reading his literary works in Letter #115?
(a) Only C.S. Lewis.
(b) C.S. Lewis and his son.
(c) Only his wife and son.
(d) C.S. Lewis and his wife.

2. What is the only thing capable of destroying the Ring in Tolkien's story?
(a) A special type of fire.
(b) A certain magical spell.
(c) The water from a specific river.
(d) The power generated from another ring.

3. How does Tolkien describe the change that he has made to his manuscript in Letter #129?
(a) Negotiable.
(b) Perfect.
(c) Final.
(d) Reversible.

4. What is left out of the letters included in "To Unwin about The Hobbit"?
(a) Personal information.
(b) The full names of the people that the letters are addressed to.
(c) The endings of the letters.
(d) Months and dates.

5. What issue does a woman's presence raise for Tolkien in "Publisher Drama"?
(a) Published works vs. unpublished works.
(b) The spoken word vs. the written word.
(c) Novels vs. poems.
(d) Poems vs. short stories.

6. Where is the man whose accent Tolkien refers to as "English after being wiped over with a dirty sponge" from?
(a) New Hampshire.
(b) Pennsylvania.
(c) New England.
(d) Connecticut.

7. In what year are the earliest letters in the book written?
(a) 1916.
(b) 1914.
(c) 1918.
(d) 1912.

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

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

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

11. As mentioned in Letter #66, why does Tolkien think that he will have to move some of the sections of his book?
(a) They do not fit in with the storyline.
(b) They are too long.
(c) They do not have the same writing style as the other sections.
(d) They are too short.

12. How many other men are traveling with Tolkien during his conversation about accents?
(a) Three.
(b) Four.
(c) Five.
(d) Two.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Tolkien feel when he looks at his work in the revision stages?

2. How long is Tolkien separated from Edith, making his affection for her grow stronger?

3. How do the Hobbits respond to magic in Tolkien's stories?

4. What does Tolkien offer to the schoolboy in Letter #114?

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

(see the answer keys)

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