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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Based on Tolkien's assessment in Letter #246, what drives Frodo to embark on the incredible journey?
(a) The need to do what is right and the love of a friend.
(b) The love of a friend and loyalty.
(c) The need to do what is right, the love of a friend, and loyalty.
(d) Loyalty and the need to do what is right.

2. How does Tolkien categorize the attempts made to change his spellings in Letter #236?
(a) Somewhat misguided.
(b) Unintentionally offensive.
(c) Largely misguided.
(d) Intentionally offensive.

3. Based on Tolkien's letter to W.H. Auden, who is responsible for shaping an individual's behavior?
(a) The individual and people around them.
(b) The individual.
(c) People around the individual.
(d) Neither the individual nor people around them.

4. Which two characters have a dynamic that Tolkien thinks has a great effect on the events in The Lord of Rings?
(a) Frodo and Gollum.
(b) Gandalf and Gollum.
(c) Gandalf and Sauron.
(d) Frodo and Gandalf.

5. What feeling does Tolkien have about knowing the entire story of The Lord of the Rings?
(a) A different and possibly familiar feeling.
(b) An unexpected and strange feeling.
(c) A different and possibly strange feeling.
(d) An expected and familiar feeling.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the only date found on Letter #182?

2. How does Tolkien think his writing about the joys of fatherhood will be interpreted by people who are not yet parents?

3. Why does Tolkien think his new position at the university will be better received in Letter #182?

4. To whom does Tolkien write about the impact of C.S. Lewis' passing?

5. Overall, what is the length of the longest letters included in the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Tolkien provide in his remembrance of C.S. Lewis in Letters #257 and #261?

2. Who does Tolkien thank in his letter to D. Auden on 1955?

3. What observation is made about Tolkien's work that prompts him to evaluate Frodo's heroic status?

4. Who is Tolkien writing to when he predicts what would happen if Gandalf had worn the Ring, and what is his prediction?

5. What previously unmentioned career achievement does Tolkien reveal to Christopher Bretherton in Letter #253?

6. What does Tolkien think about Frodo's breakdown at the Cracks of Doom being considered a moral failure?

7. What important announcement does Tolkien make to Christopher Bretherton in Letter #253 about his connection to childhood?

8. What suspicions are confirmed by Tolkien about a woman's used book in 1965?

9. What issues is Tolkien having with the cover images for The Lord of the Rings books and how does he handle the situation?

10. Which literary device does Tolkien not appreciate and how does he view the intended audience of fairy tales?

(see the answer keys)

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