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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did Oscar Wilde describe Christ's life?
(a) As a tragic drama.
(b) As an iconic sculpture.
(c) As a moving song.
(d) As the greatest of poems.

2. To whom did the Marquis of Queensberry leave a large inheritance?
(a) Lord Alfred Douglas.
(b) Oscar Wilde.
(c) Oscar Wilde's mother.
(d) Robert Ross.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14. How was Oscar Wilde released from prison for the first time?
(a) He raised money for bail among his friends.
(b) He arranged for the charges to be dismissed.
(c) He proved his innocence at trial.
(d) He escaped with two other prisoners.

15. 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.

Short Answer Questions

1. What actions led to prosecution of homosexuals in England?

2. How did Lord Alfred Douglas remain part of Oscar Wilde's life?

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

4. When did Oscar Wilde publish "Salome"?

5. How did Oscar Wilde alienate people?

(see the answer keys)

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