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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. In what county is Jack's country house?

2. What is Lady Bracknell's first question for Jack?

3. Why does Jack neglect to tell Gwendolen about the existence of Cecily?

4. What does Cecily pay no attention to, according to Jack?

5. To whom does Jack let his town house much of the year?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Jack intend to "kill" Ernest?

3. What is Lady Bracknell's opinion of Bunbury?

4. What, according to Jack and Algernon, is the difference between mothers and fathers in modern society?

5. Why do Algernon and Jack have such difficulty choosing a place to have dinner?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following options to write about:

1.) What type of freedom does Ernest allow Jack? Can he do certain things because of Ernest that he could not without him? What unexpected challenges arise because of the freedom Ernest allows?

2.) Write about debt as a driving force in the play? Which characters - both real and fictional - have accumulated debt and how doe they justify it. Cite specific examples in the text.

3.) To what extent are Lane, Miss Prism, and Chasuble all constrained by unseen forces to act in a certain way? Do any of them overcome these forces?

Essay Topic 2

Several of the characters in The Importance of Being Ernest rely upon fiction to live their lives as they would like:

Part 1.) Describe Algernon's relationship with Bunbury. How does he use his "friend" to avoid unpleasant situations?

Part 2.) Compare Jack's relationship with Ernest to Algernon's with Bunbury? How are his motivations for having a fake associate different? Are his methods more complex?

Part 3.) Compare both Jack and Algernon's fictional associates with Cecily's fantasy life from her diary. How are her motivations and methods different from the men's?

Essay Topic 3

The play begins in London and take place largely in a manor house in Woolton. The conflict between town and country is a central component of Oscar WIlde's play:

Part 1.) Where do Jack and Algernon, separately, prefer to relax? How does their preference result int he creation of elaborate deceptions?

Part 2.) How do Cecily and Gwendolen's view of the city and country differ from Jack's and Algernon's? Are their opinions more or less ambiguous?

Part 3.) Write an overview of the relative merits and drawbacks of town and country according to the characters of the play. Be sure to cite which character said these things.

(see the answer keys)

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