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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 does Lady Chiltern say gives one an instinct to things?

2. What is the name of the tapestry that remains illuminated after the lights are put out at the end of Act 1?

3. Why can't Goring stay longer at the Chiltern's in Act 1, Part 3?

4. Fill in the blank. Goring says, "Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, ________."

5. Who does Mrs. Cheveley tell Sir Robert advised her to invest in the Argentine Canal Company?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mrs. Cheveley plan to use the letter Sir Robert wrote to Baron Arnheim regarding the Argentine Canal?

2. What does Goring tell Lady Chiltern will happen if she allows Sir Robert to sacrifice his career?

3. What reason does Mrs. Marchmont give for hating being educated?

4. Why does Sir Robert think it so unfair that the scandal revealed in his letter to Baron Arnheim should surface now?

5. In Act 2, Part 2, what error does Sir Robert say all women make?

6. Why is Lady Chiltern taken aback by what Mrs. Cheveley says to her as she leaves the party at the Chiltern home?

7. When Goring comments that Mrs. Cheveley is just as willful as she used to be, why does Mrs. Cheveley say she has actually improved?

8. Why does Goring tell Lady Chiltern that no one is incapable of foolish actions in Act 2, Part 2?

9. What characteristic does Goring say Sir Robert's denunciation of the Argentine Canal scheme show?

10. What does Lady Chiltern say Sir Robert contributes to the political world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of subplot in An Ideal Husband. What is the subplot and what purpose does it serve? How does it contrast and/or imitate the main plot? Provide evidence from the play to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Wilde is a master of using little details that initially seem insignificant to make important points. Name three instances in which he uses small details to make a point. Identify each detail and discuss what Wilde uses the detail to say.

Essay Topic 3

How does Wilde use foreshadowing in An Ideal Husband? Name some instances of foreshadowing and what events or elements of the play they foreshadow. What purpose does Wilde's use of foreshadowing serve?

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