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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. How did Oscar Wilde describe homosexuality in court?
(a) As the ideal art.
(b) As the perfection of love.
(c) As the love that dare not speak its name.
(d) As a crime against nature.

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

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

13. What was the punishment for homosexuality in England in the late 1800s?
(a) Imprisonment.
(b) Fines.
(c) Flogging.
(d) Hanging.

14. What was the cause of Oscar Wilde's death?
(a) Old age.
(b) Heart troubles from hard labor in prison.
(c) A fight over his honor.
(d) Infections from syphilis.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Oscar Wilde consider doing before his first trial?

2. What did the public think of "Lady Windermere's Fan"?

3. Who is Lord Alfred Douglas?

4. What was Oscar Wilde's state of mind in the months after his release from Reading jail?

5. Who is the central character in Oscar Wilde's play "Salome"?

(see the answer keys)

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