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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 adjective does Cecily use to describe the name Algernon?

2. Why was Miss Prism's novel never published?

3. When Algernon arrives, under what name is he traveling?

4. What does Algernon claim to be when he meets Cecily?

5. What does Chasuble claim was the reference in his unintentionally romantic comment to Miss Prism?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cecily get rid of Miss Prism at the the beginning of Act II?

2. Why does Gwendolen state that she wishes Cecily were older?

3. How does Algernon get rid of Miss Prism when he wants say goodbye to Cecily?

4. How does Algernon end up paying for Jack's debt in Act II?

5. When Algernon arrives under the guise Ernest, what does Cecily tell him about Jack's plans?

6. Why is Cecily always distracted from her lessons?

7. Describe Chasuble.

8. What order does Jack give to Algernon after the women go in to lunch?

9. What news does Jack bring with him when he returns home from London.

10. What changes in Ernest's behavior does Algernon announce when he arrives at Jack's country house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay with the thesis that Jack Worthing's decision to hire Miss Prism before the play begins is the reason why the play ends happily. Use the three marriage's as a framing device for your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Do you believe that Lady Bracknell's constant fretting about Gwendolen's inauspicious betrothal, the state of over-education, and comment on train platforms (to name a few examples) indicates an implicit fear of devaluation of high society in England? Write an essay with your position, using statements about the role of the upper class to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Miss Prism is one of the more complex characters in The Importance of Being Earnest. Write an essay covering the following topics surrounding her character:

Part 1) When we first meet Miss Prism in Act II, what do we think is her passion in life? Does she have one? What are her attitudes - stated or implied - or art and marriage?

Part 2) At what point do we realize that Miss Prism has feelings for Chasuble? What hope does she have of taking him as a husband?

Part 3) How do the revelations about Miss Prism's past affect our understanding of her character? Is she, in the end, a more or less sympathetic character?

(see the answer keys)

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