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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 service does Lady Bracknell require of Algernon on Saturday?

2. What has Gwendolyn asked Lady Bracknell to refrain from?

3. What is the only thing that allows Algernon to put up with his relatives?

4. On what day is Jack leaving town?

5. How does Algernon describe Lane at the end of the First Act?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is it that Jack does not know who his parents are?

2. Who is Bunbury?

3. What orders does Algernon give Lane at the end of the First Act?

4. What is Jack Worthing's business in London?

5. Why doe Jack go by the name of Ernest in London?

6. What is Algernon's stated opinion of love and marriage in Act I?

7. How does Jack Worthing's cigarette case betray his identity to Algernon?

8. What does Gwendolen love so much about the name Ernest?

9. Why are there no cucumber sandwiches at the Algernon's when Lady Bracknell arrives?

10. Why does Algernon discreetly write down Jack's country address on his cuff?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

The characters of The Importance of Being Earnest live in a society largely unchanged in a dynamic century. As such, they often make disparaging remarks about revolutions going on around them. Write an essay about their attitude toward change, using the text as a guide and dedicating a paragraph to each of the following:

1.) Socialism

2.) The French Revolution

3.) Women's Rights

Essay Topic 3

In the Importance of Being Earnest, certain objects play more central roles in driving action than characters. Write an essay dealing with the following three objects - a paragraph each - and how they affect the outcome of the play:

Part 1.) Algernon's bills

Part 2.) Cecily's diary

Part 3.) The handbag

(see the answer keys)

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