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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does Oscar Wilde go after his first trial?
(a) He traveled to America to lecture.
(b) He returned to Ireland.
(c) He fled from London to Paris.
(d) He was arrested and taken to prison.

2. What did Oscar Wilde do in Naples?
(a) Die.
(b) Write his memoirs.
(c) Write his last play.
(d) Live with his lover.

3. How common was homosexuality in late-Victorian London?
(a) Not common at all, and Oscar Wilde was a pariah for being homosexual.
(b) Common enough that Oscar Wilde had no trouble finding partners.
(c) It was so common that no one seemed to care that he was homosexual.
(d) Not common enough that Oscar Wilde had an easy time finding partners.

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

5. What was Oscar Wilde's daily routine in prison?
(a) Long days writing.
(b) Hard work with meager rations.
(c) Long talks with fellow prisoners.
(d) Solitary confinement and starvation rations.

6. How secretive was Oscar Wilde about his homosexuality after his children were born?
(a) Highly secretive.
(b) Secretive in public, but open with friends.
(c) Not secretive at all.
(d) He was a hypocrite, denouncing homosexuality in public, but practicing it in private.

7. What disturbing scene does Oscar Wilde witness before leaving Reading jail?
(a) A soldier went insane after a flogging.
(b) One prisoner beat another prisoner to death.
(c) A mob of prisoners were beaten by guards.
(d) Prisoners were executed for rioting.

8. Who brings Oscar Wilde out of his artistic doldrums after he is released from Reading jail?
(a) His mother.
(b) Major Nelson.
(c) The Marquis of Queensberry.
(d) Douglas.

9. What is the name of the play Oscar Wilde wrote upon leaving Reading Gaol?
(a) "A Woman of No Importance."
(b) "Constance."
(c) "The Ballad of Reading Gaol."
(d) "Vera."

10. Oscar Wilde said that men resemble which celestial body?
(a) Stars.
(b) Meteors.
(c) Suns.
(d) Moons.

11. How did Robert Ross help Oscar Wilde?
(a) He gave Wilde money for food.
(b) He introduced Wilde to willing supporters.
(c) He published Wilde's last work.
(d) He persuaded Wilde's mother to reinstate Wilde's allowance.

12. What did Oscar Wilde discover that his lover was trying to do to him?
(a) Get revenge for the lawsuit against his father.
(b) Increase his fame by publishing his plays.
(c) Blackmail him by threatening to publish their letters.
(d) Expose him out of love.

13. Why was Oscar Wilde arrested?
(a) He had committed adultery.
(b) He had admitted to homosexuality, which was a crime.
(c) He had published obscene books.
(d) He had slandered the Marquis of Queensberry.

14. How did Oscar Wilde set the stage for his own prosecution?
(a) He taunted society with openly homosexual writings.
(b) He alienated his supporters with cruel wit.
(c) He was seen having sex in public.
(d) He enraged his lover's father.

15. How did Lord Alfred Douglas remain part of Oscar Wilde's life?
(a) He blackmailed Wilde.
(b) He threatened and cajoled Wilde into staying in touch.
(c) He used extreme behavior to manipulate Wilde.
(d) He promised to change and take care of Wilde better.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Oscar Wilde's clothing like in prison?

2. Why was "Salome" not performed?

3. What brought about Oscar Wilde's first trial?

4. When was Oscar Wilde first released from prison?

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

(see the answer keys)

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