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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who replaced Oscar Wilde as James McNeill Whistler's favorite in Wilde's absence?

2. What is the setting of Oscar Wilde's first play?

3. Which intellectual does Oscar Wilde work with on road-building and beautification projects?

4. How does Oscar Wilde spend money?

5. Which intellectual does Oscar Wilde turn to for spiritual guidance?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the history and premier of Oscar Wilde's play "Vera."

2. Describe Oscar Wilde's relationship with Oxford University.

3. Did Oscar Wilde's feelings about outdoor sports change any when he went to Oxford?

4. What is Wilde's experience in Paris?

5. Where does Oscar Wilde move after graduating from Oxford?

6. What does Oscar Wilde's mother change her name to when she marries Oscar Wilde's father?

7. What were Oscar Wilde's greatest challenges in his first year at Oxford?

8. What was Oscar Wilde's primary challenge in his fourth year at Oxford, and how did he meet it?

9. What is memorable about Oscar Wilde's stop in Leadville, Colorado?

10. Describe Oscar Wilde's financial situation while he was courting Constance Lloyd.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Oscar Wilde as a lecturer. What were his themes? What was his style? Where did he derive his authority from? What drew crowds to hear him speak? How did Wilde generate the 'buzz' that brought audiences? How was he received? Were audiences coming to see a public personality or to hear Wilde's thoughts on aesthetics and art?

Essay Topic 2

Oscar Wilde wrote only one novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray." How is this novel different from his plays and poems? What part of his personality does he express that is not expressed elsewhere? How does his novel resemble his plays and poems? How is it different?

Essay Topic 3

At Oxford, Oscar Wilde encountered two philosophers, Ruskin and Pater. How did Ruskin's ideas influence Wilde? How did Pater's? How did Wilde reconcile the tension between the two men's philosophies with his career?

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