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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the possible maximum sentence for the crime Oscar Wilde was arrested for?
(a) Life imprisonment.
(b) Ten years.
(c) Two years.
(d) Five years.

2. What is the name of the town where Oscar Wilde stayed after leaving Reading jail?
(a) Bernaval.
(b) Nancy.
(c) Dieppe.
(d) Chamonix.

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

4. Who was Lord Alfred Douglas' father?
(a) Bishop Manning.
(b) The Marquis of Queensberry.
(c) The Earl of Kent.
(d) The Duke of Gloucester.

5. When did Oscar Wilde return to Paris?
(a) 1891.
(b) 1890.
(c) 1889.
(d) 1888.

6. What did Oscar Wilde write about his personal experience in prison?
(a) Nothing.
(b) "The Ballad of Reading Gaol."
(c) Long, detailed letters to his lover.
(d) He describes his longing for his wife.

7. How much did Oscar Wilde earn from the production of "Lady Windermere's Fan"?
(a) 5,000 pounds.
(b) 7,000 pounds.
(c) 3,000 poounds.
(d) 1,200 pounds.

8. How was "A Woman of No Importance" received?
(a) It was a critical success, and it established Wilde's name as a playwright.
(b) It was not a hit, but it made him 100 pounds a week.
(c) It was panned by the critics, but audiences loved it.
(d) It was banned after two performances.

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

10. How did Oscar Wilde protect himself from the cruelty of those around him?
(a) He took solace in his faith.
(b) Violent public attacks.
(c) He satirized them in his work.
(d) Wit and irony.

11. How did prison affect Oscar Wilde's view of human nature?
(a) He learned to appreciate acts of cruelty.
(b) He learned that violence is more powerful than wit.
(c) He lost his compassion for human suffering.
(d) He saw people's limitations as prison-like.

12. What happened as a consequence of Oscar Wilde's move to Naples?
(a) He wrote his last great work.
(b) He was imprisoned for homosexuality.
(c) He was restored to health and fame.
(d) He was disinherited by his mother.

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

14. In which prison was Oscar Wilde first imprisoned?
(a) Holloway.
(b) Wandsworth.
(c) Pentonville.
(d) Reading.

15. When was Oscar Wilde first released from prison?
(a) 1895.
(b) 1893.
(c) 1889.
(d) 1891.

Short Answer Questions

1. How secretive was Oscar Wilde about his homosexuality after his children were born?

2. To whom did the Marquis of Queensberry leave a large inheritance?

3. Why was Oscar Wilde arrested?

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

5. What did Oscar Wilde's lover do to change Wilde's mind before the first trial?

(see the answer keys)

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