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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What year does Tolkien write to his publisher with his thoughts on the original cover designs?
(a) 1953.
(b) 1951.
(c) 1952.
(d) 1954.

2. As explained in Letter #256, how long does Tolkien's current book take place after Mordor has collapsed?
(a) Fifty years.
(b) Two hundred years.
(c) One hundred years.
(d) One hundred and fifty years.

3. In Letter #227, how does Tolkien explain the name, Numenor?
(a) Illogical, but subjectively translated between languages.
(b) Illogical and not easily translated between languages.
(c) Logical, but subjectively translated between languages.
(d) Logical and not easily translated between languages.

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

5. 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) People around the individual.
(c) Neither the individual nor people around them.
(d) The individual.

6. How does Tolkien consider Frodo's breakdown in Letter #246?
(a) He thinks that it is not a moral failure.
(b) He thinks that it was unavoidable.
(c) He thinks that it should have been avoided.
(d) He thinks that it is a moral failure.

7. Which new names are among the recipients of the 1960s letters included in "Later Years"?
(a) Professor Forster, Mrs. Drijver, and Hugo Dyson.
(b) Professor Forster and Mrs. Drijver.
(c) Professor Forster and Hugo Dyson.
(d) Mrs. Drijver and Hugo Dyson.

8. Besides his complaint in "Later Years", how many other times in the book so far has Tolkien complained about the spelling changes made by the editorial staff of a publishing company?
(a) Once.
(b) Three times.
(c) Twice.
(d) None.

9. When does Tolkien begin using a typewriter for his letters?
(a) July 1963.
(b) July 1964.
(c) April 1966.
(d) April 1965.

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

11. According to Tolkien in Letter #246, what would have happened if Gandalf wore the ring?
(a) He would have been worse than Sauron.
(b) He would have been better than Sauron.
(c) Tolkien is not sure.
(d) He would have been the same as Sauron.

12. What type of good news does Tolkien preview in Letter #185?
(a) Financial.
(b) Personal.
(c) Neither financial nor personal.
(d) Financial and personal.

13. According to Letter #257, why did Tolkien find it difficult to become close friends with Charles Williams, a mutual friend of C.S. Lewis?
(a) Williams was not a fan of Fairy Tales.
(b) A polar difference in literary appreciation.
(c) Williams was not a writer.
(d) A polar difference in mentalities.

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

15. How does Tolkien respond to C.S. Lewis' use of the name Numenor in one of his stories?
(a) He is confused.
(b) He is delighted.
(c) He is offended.
(d) He is curious.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long before Tolkien's death is the last letter of the book written?

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

3. What two months are Letters #146, 147, and 148 written in?

4. How does Tolkien respond to the publisher's actions with the cover designs in "Now the Books Themselves"?

5. What is the title of Tolkien's lecture that is included in an academic journal?

(see the answer keys)

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