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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Where did Oscar Wilde go for homosexual sex?
(a) Hotels.
(b) The parks in London.
(c) The quays.
(d) His home.

3. How did Oscar Wilde come across at his first trial?
(a) As a corrupter of youth.
(b) As an elitist.
(c) As a hero.
(d) As a victim.

4. What did Oscar Wilde's lover do to change Wilde's mind before the first trial?
(a) He blackmailed Wilde.
(b) He offered to give Wilde the help he needed.
(c) He threatened Wilde with scandal.
(d) He shed tears.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Oscar Wilde write about his personal experience in prison?

2. When did Oscar Wilde return to Paris?

3. What was the cause of Oscar Wilde's death?

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

5. How did Oscar Wilde describe Christ's life?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Oscar Wilde refuse to flee from England to Paris?

2. What happened when Oscar Wilde sued his lover's father, Lord Queensberry, for libel?

3. How did the English see the crime of sodomy?

4. Describe the conditions under which Oscar Wilde was writing "The Importance of Being Earnest."

5. How do conditions change for Oscar Wilde when Major Nelson takes over at Reading jail?

6. How do Oscar Wilde's aesthetics develop during his time in Paris in 1891?

7. How is "The Picture of Dorian Gray" seen as a work about homosexuality?

8. How did Lord Alfred Douglas' father feel about his son's relationship with Oscar Wilde?

9. What happens to Oscar Wilde's allowance from his mother after he leaves prison?

10. Were Oscar Wilde and his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, faithful to each other?

(see the answer keys)

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