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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 celebrated for its open homosexuality.
(c) It was almost banned for homosexuality.
(d) It was noticed by some literary critics, but it did not sell in large numbers.

2. Who is Lord Alfred Douglas?
(a) Oscar Wilde's primary lover.
(b) Oscar Wilde's publisher.
(c) Oscar Wilde's lawyer.
(d) The father of Wilde's lover.

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

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

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

6. What did Oscar Wilde say about disciples?
(a) Life is an eternal discipleship.
(b) Every man is a disciple of Christ.
(c) There are no disciples.
(d) Every disciple is enslaved by his master.

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

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

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

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

11. What magazine published "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?
(a) Lippincott's.
(b) Women's World.
(c) Pall Mall Gazette.
(d) Harper's Bazaar.

12. Who is Colonel Isaacson?
(a) A strict disciplinarian at Reading jail.
(b) Oscar Wilde's barrister.
(c) A friend of Oscar Wilde's in London.
(d) Oscar Wilde's lover.

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

14. What was Oscar Wilde's clothing like in prison?
(a) Dapper.
(b) Coarse.
(c) Drab.
(d) Flamboyant.

15. What did the public think of "Lady Windermere's Fan"?
(a) They stopped seeing it after a few weeks.
(b) They did not understand it.
(c) They hated it.
(d) They loved it.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why was Oscar Wilde arrested?

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

3. What landmark essay did Oscar Wilde publish in 1890?

4. When did Oscar Wilde publish "Salome"?

5. What was the possible maximum sentence for the crime Oscar Wilde was arrested for?

(see the answer keys)

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