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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. With what does Grigsby present Algernon?

2. How does Jack describe Algernon's eating in times of distress?

3. Which of the following is not an aspect of Algernon's character that Jack assails when he tells him to leave the manner

4. What workman's item does Gwendolen claim never to have seen?

5. What does Gwendolen beg Cecily to call her after they realize they are deceived?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Cecily's response to Algernon's proposal to her?

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

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

5. Why is Cecily always distracted from her lessons?

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

7. What reason does Miss Prism give for not wanting Ernest to be saved from his vices?

8. What argument does Jack make to Algernon about eating in times of despair, and why at the end of Act II?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Jack Worthing begins the play admitting to a series of untruths, among them his name and his relationship with Cecily. Do you think that Jack's habit of deceiving those close to him is forgivable since no one is harmed? Do you think that Gwendolen is genuinely hurt by the revelation Jack has lied to her? What about his assertion that Ernest has died?

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of the following options to write about:

1.) What does Algernon's habit of always eating say about him as a character? Write about three examples in the play where Algernon is forced to explain his appetite and how he does so.

2.) Cecily and Miss Prism's argument about her diary and the three-volume novel say much about both? What secrets does this conversation allude to, and how does it frame each's attitude toward literature and love?

3.) Chasuble is constantly quoting - and misquoting - religious sources and tenets. How does his level of comfort with his chosen profession help or hinder his decision regarding Miss Prism at the end of the play?

(see the answer keys)

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