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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) Reluctance, but not fear.
(c) Fear and reluctance.
(d) Neither fear nor reluctance.

2. How does Tolkien think his writing about the joys of fatherhood will be interpreted by people who are parents?
(a) It will not be very helpful.
(b) They will not be surprised.
(c) They will be surprised.
(d) It will be very helpful.

3. As Tolkien explains in Letter #246, what is the main difference between Gandalf and Sauron?
(a) Gandalf succumbs to the Enemy.
(b) Sauron has much more wisdom.
(c) Sauron has much less wisdom.
(d) Gandalf never succumbs to the Enemy.

4. Which book began as a story that Tolkien created to read to his children?
(a) The Hobbit.
(b) The Lord of the Rings.
(c) Farmer Giles of Ham.
(d) The Silmarillion.

5. Why does C.S. Lewis use the name Numenor in one of his stories?
(a) As an attempt to rewrite The Lord of the Rings.
(b) As a way to generate interest in the story.
(c) As a reference to Tolkien.
(d) As an attempt to write a sequel to The Lord of the Rings.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which novel was being made into a paperback, prompting the debate over spelling in Letter #236?

2. What does Tolkien think drives humans towards certain behaviors?

3. In what year does Tolkien write about a piece of fan mail that boosts his spirits in "The Final Letters"?

4. What type of good news does Tolkien preview in Letter #185?

5. To whom is Letter #159 addressed?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How does Allen & Unwin respond to Tolkien's opinion of the cover images?

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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