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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What request is made of Tolkien after he finishes Farmer Giles of Ham?

3. What has Tolkien found in his manuscript when he writes Letter #69?

4. What is left out of the letters included in "To Unwin about The Hobbit"?

5. Who provides input , feedback, and advice for the letters in the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. What stipulation does Tolkien have in working with Allen & Unwin on publishing The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and what request do they have for him?

2. How are the letters for "To Unwin about The Hobbit" chosen and what information is left out of them?

3. How was the collection of J.R.R. Tolkien's letters compiled and who helped with the process?

4. How can the One Ring of Power be destroyed?

5. What are galleys in literature and how does Tolkien respond to the editing process of The Lord of the Rings?

6. What happened when the Elves and the Dwarves became friends in the past of Tolkien's fictional realm?

7. Who is Tolkien traveling with in the story he recounts for Christopher in a letter from April 3, 1944, and what is the point of the story?

8. What message does Tolkien hear when he is becoming impatient about the publishing of The Lord of the Rings?

9. How does Tolkien explain the role of humans and mankind in his stories in Letter #131?

10. How does Tolkien characterize Sauron in Letter #131?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Tolkien's friendship with C.S. Lewis using his own accounts in the letters he writes about Lewis. Also, explain the controversy surrounding Lewis' work, the way Tolkien deals with his death, and the facts that Tolkien includes in remembering Lewis.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the differences between literature that is designed to be read out loud and stories that are written to be read silently. Use Tolkien's work as a reference, including his intent with Farmer Giles of Ham and a look at the role of writing that is intended to be presented verbally in contemporary literature.

Essay Topic 3

Mortality and humanity are two themes that are present in Tolkien's novels.

1) Describe why Tolkien chooses to place humans in the background of his stories instead of featuring them as main characters.

2) Compare the psychological issues that Elves have in dealing with their immortality.

3) Analyze the parallels between the struggles that human beings have with their mortality and the problems the Elves face with their existence.

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