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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. What is the plot of "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?
(a) An artist sells his soul to the devil in order to be great in his own times.
(b) A man lies about his background to marry a wealthy hieress.
(c) A man's painting ages, revealing his conscience to him.
(d) An actor dies on stage, but wins eternal fame.

2. Where did Oscar Wilde go for homosexual sex?
(a) The parks in London.
(b) Hotels.
(c) The quays.
(d) His home.

3. How was "A Woman of No Importance" received?
(a) It was a critical success, and it established Wilde's name as a playwright.
(b) It was panned by the critics, but audiences loved it.
(c) It was not a hit, but it made him 100 pounds a week.
(d) It was banned after two performances.

4. What caused Oscar Wilde to stop writing?
(a) His health declined.
(b) He became ill and did not have the strength to write.
(c) He had headaches that blinded him.
(d) He began to lose his memory.

5. Who is Lord Alfred Douglas?
(a) Oscar Wilde's primary lover.
(b) Oscar Wilde's publisher.
(c) The father of Wilde's lover.
(d) Oscar Wilde's lawyer.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was Lord Alfred Douglas' father?

2. What did Oscar Wilde discover that his lover was trying to do to him?

3. What did Oscar Wilde say about disciples?

4. What privilege does Oscar Wilde eventually obtain in prison?

5. How did Oscar Wilde set the stage for his own prosecution?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the conditions under which Oscar Wilde was writing "The Importance of Being Earnest."

2. What happens to Oscar Wilde when he goes to prison?

3. How is "Lady Windermere's Fan" received when it premieres in London?

4. How do Oscar Wilde's aesthetics develop during his time in Paris in 1891?

5. What is the plot of Oscar Wilde's novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?

6. What happens to Oscar Wilde's allowance from his mother after he leaves prison?

7. Why was Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" censored?

8. Why does Oscar Wilde refuse to flee from England to Paris?

9. What was the outcome of Oscar Wilde's lawsuit against his lover's father, Lord Queensberry?

10. How do the people of Paris receive Oscar Wilde in 1891?

(see the answer keys)

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