View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Oscar Wilde take a rest cure?

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

3. What is the name of the play Oscar Wilde wrote upon leaving Reading Gaol?

4. How did Oscar Wilde protect himself from the cruelty of those around him?

5. Who is Colonel Isaacson?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does it become impossible for Oscar Wilde to write after he writes "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"?

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

4. Where does Oscar Wilde go after he is released from prison?

5. What was the outcome of Oscar Wilde's lawsuit against his lover's father, Lord Queensberry?

6. What happens to Oscar Wilde when he goes to prison?

7. What is the plot of Oscar Wilde's novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?

8. Why was Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" censored?

9. What relationships does Oscar Wilde resume after leaving prison?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oscar Wilde's mother urged him to marry a woman with money. Who else made suggestions as to whom Wilde should marry? Was there ever a time when he considered not marrying? Was Wilde's homosexuality an impediment to his marriage? How did he reconcile his homosexuality and his marriage? How did his wife? What trials or difficulties did Wilde's homosexuality present to Wilde and Constance as their marriage changed over time?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 759 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample