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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. According to Tolkien in Letter #257, what prevents people from having children?
(a) Fear, but not reluctance.
(b) Fear and reluctance.
(c) Neither fear nor reluctance.
(d) Reluctance, but not fear.

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

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

4. What does the publisher do after reading Tolkien's opinions of the cover designs?
(a) They change the covers based on his opinions.
(b) They request more detailed notes from him.
(c) They threaten to stop publishing the books.
(d) They leave the covers as is despite his opinions.

5. Why does a woman think that a used book she purchased had been previously owned by Tolkien?
(a) Handwritten scripts in the book.
(b) A letter of his folded in between two pages of the book.
(c) His signature on the last page of the book.
(d) The owner of the used book store informs her that Tolkien had owned it.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What aspect of fiction is detailed in Letter #199?

3. How does Tolkien describe Gandalf in Letter #246?

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

5. Which new names are among the recipients of the 1960s letters included in "Later Years"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the mystery of creative writing that Tolkien reveals in Letter #199 to Christopher?

3. How does Tolkien address the name Numenor in Letter #227?

4. According to Tolkien's letter to W.H. Auden, what drives humans towards certain behaviors?

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

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

7. What problem of Sauron does Tolkien describe in his letter to Auden as an example of human behavior?

8. Why is Tolkien honored with a degree from the Belgians and how do they refer to him?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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