Due Thursday, April 26th - Oscar Wilde "Test"

Overview: 45 Question Multiple Choice and a short essay. Study the background on Wilde and Aestheticism, as well as The Picture of Dorian Gray and his play An Ideal Husband. Below are examples taken from the test.


Part I: Oscar Wilde – His Life and Other Writings


1) What was Oscar Wilde’s nationality by birth?
a. Russian
b. German
c. English
d. Irish



Part II: The Picture of Dorian Gray


17) Why won't Basil exhibit his portrait of Dorian?
a. It is not his best work
b. It is meant as a gift for Dorian
c. In it he sees his secret soul
d. Both b and c



Part III: An Ideal Husband

Find full text here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/885/885-h/885-h.htm

27) Why does Lady Chiltern say she'll always love Sir Robert in Act 1?
a. He's her husband.
b. He comes from a proper family.
c. He is successful.
d. He will always be worthy of love.
e. He is an ideal



Part IV: Open Response


Compose a brief essay using An Ideal Husband or The Picture of Dorian Gray. Use the prompt below. You may bring an outline to class:


In many plays and novels, a character has a misconception of himself or his world. Destroying or perpetuating this illusion contributes to a central theme of the play. Using An Ideal Husband or The Picture of Dorian Gray, choose a major character to whom this statement applies and write an essay in which you consider the following points: what the character’s illusion is and how it differs from reality as presented in the play and how the destruction or perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the play.