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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. What choice does Tolkien think each person has?
(a) To perfect a skill or to remain a novice.
(b) To become educated or remain uneducated.
(c) To cultivate or leave undeveloped.
(d) To search for answers or leave unanswered questions.

2. What is Tolkien's age when he writes Letter #253?
(a) He is in his eighties.
(b) He is in his seventies.
(c) He is in his nineties.
(d) He is in his sixties.

3. According to the information in Letter #182, what position does Tolkien now have?
(a) Department Chair.
(b) Department Coordinator.
(c) Associate Professor.
(d) Senior Professor.

4. In what year does Tolkien write about a piece of fan mail that boosts his spirits in "The Final Letters"?
(a) 1965.
(b) 1970.
(c) 1968.
(d) 1967.

5. How does Tolkien sign Letter #165?
(a) John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
(b) John Ronald Tolkien.
(c) J.R.R. Tolkien.
(d) John Tolkien.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which two characters have a dynamic that Tolkien thinks has a great effect on the events in The Lord of Rings?

2. According to Letter #257, why did Tolkien find it difficult to become close friends with Charles Williams, a mutual friend of C.S. Lewis?

3. What does Tolkien wish for "well-meaning folk who think they know" in Letter #236?

4. How does Tolkien categorize the attempts made to change his spellings in Letter #236?

5. Why does C.S. Lewis use the name Numenor in one of his stories?

Short Essay Questions

1. As Tolkien explains in his letter to Unwin, why is the work of C.S. Lewis opposed by some?

2. How does Tolkien disprove the misconception that his success was made overnight in Letter #159?

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

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

5. What is the general range in lengths of the letters featured in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien?

6. What is Tolkien's initial reaction when he is warned about his friendship with C.S. Lewis and what happens to change his mind?

7. What changes have occurred in Tolkien's career as a professor by Letter #182 in 1956?

8. How did being a father help Tolkien in writing one of his most well known stories, The Hobbit?

9. Which familiar people does Tolkien continue to write to in the "Later Years," and which recipients are new?

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

(see the answer keys)

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