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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. To whom does Tolkien write about the impact of C.S. Lewis' passing?
(a) Christopher.
(b) Edith.
(c) Humphrey Carpenter.
(d) Rayner Unwin.

2. When is Letter #159 dated?
(a) March 3, 1955.
(b) October 30, 1956.
(c) July 30, 1953.
(d) April 3, 1954.

3. What is the title of Tolkien's lecture that is included in an academic journal?
(a) English Fairy Tales.
(b) English and Welsh languages.
(c) English and Welsh.
(d) English Fiction.

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

5. As mentioned in a letter to Unwin, how had Tolkien previously responded to the warning about his friendship with C.S. Lewis?
(a) He did not take the warning seriously.
(b) He began talking with C.S. Lewis' other friends.
(c) He misinterpreted the warning.
(d) He stopped talking with C.S. Lewis.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Tolkien think children can become for their parents?

2. In what year is Letter #253 written?

3. What is Tolkien finishing while writing the letters included in "The Lord of the Rings Are Published"?

4. How does Tolkien expect the publisher to respond to his opinions of the cover designs?

5. As Tolkien explains in Letter #246, what is the main difference between Gandalf and Sauron?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Who does Tolkien thank in his letter to D. Auden on 1955?

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

10. What observation is made about Tolkien's work that prompts him to evaluate Frodo's heroic status?

(see the answer keys)

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