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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. When does Chapter Fourteen begin in relation to Chapter Thirteen?

2. What does Dorian insist about the soul in his discussion with Lord Henry in Chapter Nineteen?

3. How does Dorian react to Basil’s request?

4. What do the colored bindings on Dorian’s book match, according to Chapter Eleven?

5. How long after the incident in Chapter Seventeen does Dorian go hunting?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Dorian have multiple copies of the yellow book made?

2. Why does Basil stop Dorian on the street at the beginning of Chapter Twelve?

3. Why does Basil call Dorian’s painting “an awful lesson?”

4. What is Dorian’s obsession in Chapter Eighteen?

5. Why does Dorian get angry with Basil in Chapter Thirteen?

6. Explain the hypocrisy in Dorian’s attempt to reform himself.

7. Why does Dorian decide to go to the opium den in Chapter Sixteen?

8. In Chapter Nineteen what evidence does Dorian give Lord Henry of his desire to reform himself?

9. What is the significance of Lord Henry changing the subject when Dorian mentions his desire to reform?

10. What does Lord Henry’s credo mean?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the effect Dorian’s sins have on his psyche. How does he feel about his sins? How does he deal with his feelings? Why do Dorian’s sins affect him if the portrait is meant to take on the burden of his sins?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the character of Dorian Gray with the author Oscar Wilde. How are they similar? How are they different? Does this make Dorian a more effective character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Define theme. Give at least one example of a theme in The Picture of Dorian Gray. How is this theme identified in the story?

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