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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What were prison conditions like at Reading jail?
(a) Destitute.
(b) Harsh.
(c) Comfortable.
(d) Unbearable.

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

4. What privilege does Oscar Wilde eventually obtain in prison?
(a) Freedom to spend his days writing.
(b) Eating meals with the prison officers.
(c) Exemption from work detail.
(d) Ordering books for the prison library.

5. What did Oscar Wilde consider doing before his first trial?
(a) Renouncing homosexuality.
(b) Fleeing to Paris.
(c) Filing additional charges.
(d) Withdrawing the charges.

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

7. How was Oscar Wilde's novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," received?
(a) It was not noticed until late in Wilde's life.
(b) It was noticed by some literary critics, but it did not sell in large numbers.
(c) It was celebrated for its open homosexuality.
(d) It was almost banned for homosexuality.

8. What is Oscar Wilde's relationship with Major Nelson?
(a) Nelson was a warden who came to like Wilde.
(b) Nelson was the first publisher to print Wilde's plays.
(c) Nelson was Wilde's lover.
(d) Nelson was the judge who sentenced Wilde to prison.

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

10. Which of Oscar Wilde's friends tried to discount Wilde's importance?
(a) Rennell Rodd.
(b) Marie Prescott.
(c) James McNeill Whistler.
(d) Robert Harborough Sherard.

11. 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.

12. How did Oscar Wilde escape from being prosecuted for homosexuality?
(a) He bought his way out of the investigation by paying off influential barristers.
(b) Oscar Wilde broke up with his lover before the authorities could gather any evidence against them.
(c) He struck a deal with the lead prosecutor to abstain from homosexual acts.
(d) His lover's parents refused to press charges when they realized that their son would have to be imprisoned as well.

13. How did Oscar Wilde alienate people?
(a) By his vulgar language.
(b) By insulting his friends.
(c) By congratulating himself in public.
(d) By asking for financial support.

14. What was Oscar Wilde's state of mind in the months after his release from Reading jail?
(a) He was suicidal because of people's poisonous gossip.
(b) He was bored in his uninteresting surroundings.
(c) He was humbled and grateful to be free.
(d) He was gleeful in his ability to exact revenge.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How much did Oscar Wilde earn from the production of "Lady Windermere's Fan"?

2. What was the subject of much of Oscar Wilde's correspondence in the period when he was writing the Ballad of Reading Gaol?

3. How was Oscar Wilde released from prison for the first time?

4. When did Oscar Wilde return to Paris?

5. How did Oscar Wilde's first trial turn out?

(see the answer keys)

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