JRR Tolkien trivia quiz

To mark the 60th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, your quest is to find the answers to these questions – for a fantastic prize. (That's fantastic as in imaginary)
  
  


  1. Tolkien’s translation of which poem was published earlier this year?

    1. Beowulf

    2. Gawain and the Green Knight

    3. Pearl

    4. The Divine Comedy

  2. What was the title of Michael Moorcock’s 1978 essay critiquing Lord of the Rings?

    1. Epic Fantasy

    2. Epic Worlds

    3. Epic Pooh

    4. Epic, Man

  3. What was the name of the Oxford literary society that included Tolkien, CS Lewis and Roger Lancelyn Green among its members?

    1. The Inkhorns

    2. The Inklings

    3. The Inky Fingers

    4. The Ink-Drinkers

  4. Which one of these is a well-known parody of Tolkien’s masterpiece?

    1. I Know Why the Hobbit Rings

    2. Lord of Dull Things

    3. Tired of the Rings

    4. Bored of the Rings

  5. “Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for 100 years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: What was Aragorn’s tax policy? Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? And what about all these orcs?” Who is taking issue with Tolkien here?

    1. George Harrison

    2. George Orwell

    3. George RR Martin

    4. George Osborne

  6. Which one of these is the title of one of Tolkien’s slightly less read books?

    1. A Middle English Vocabulary

    2. A Gawain Dictionary

    3. Anglo-Saxon Attitudes

    4. Medieval Facts and Fancies

  7. Who called The Fellowship of the Ring “at least as good as The Thirty Nine Steps”?

    1. FR Leavis

    2. WH Auden

    3. Terry Eagleton

    4. John Buchan

  8. How many copies has Lord of the Rings sold?

    1. More than 150m

    2. More than 200m

    3. More than 250m

    4. More than a billion

  9. What do the initials JRR stand for?

    1. James Richard Robert

    2. Jonquil Rupert Roland

    3. John Ronald Reuel

    4. Jackson Ray Roger

  10. Which of these is NOT the title of a Tolkien short story?

    1. Leaf by Niggle

    2. Roverandom

    3. Sellic Spell

    4. Avatar

Solutions

1:A, 2:C, 3:B, 4:D, 5:C, 6:A, 7:B, 8:A, 9:C, 10:D

Scores

  1. 3 and above.

    An appalling performance. Gandalf certainly didn't provide you with any help

  2. 6 and above.

    Middle Earth. Not terrible, but distinctly disappointing

  3. 9 and above.

    Your powers are strong, but you have yet to find the key to all mythologies. Go back and begin your search for the truth once more

  4. 10 and above.

    Congratulations, seeker. You are hereby made the Laird of Gondor

 

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