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WorksheetsThe Importance of Being Earnest
Total questions: 77
Worksheet time: 1hrs 8mins
Why does Lane think it isn’t polite to listen to Algernon’s piano-playing?
Because Lane is only a servant
Because Algernon plays so badly
Because Lane is tone deaf
Because he knows Algernon is shy about his playing
What does Algernon tell Jack he has always suspected him of being?
A Communist
A Liberal Unionist
A Bunburyist
A Tory
What leads Algernon to think Jack is leading a double life?
A letter
A diary
An inscription
A handkerchief embroidered with strawberries
What does Jack say it is a very ungentlemanly thing to read?
Gwendolen’s diary
French drama
More than half of modern literature
A private cigarette case
At first, Jack tells Algernon that Cecily is his what?
Sister
Aunt
Hair colorist
Former governess
Why does Lane claim that there were “no cucumbers at the market”?
A) Because he thinks Algernon should go on a high-protein diet That she is humming “The Ride of the Valkyrie”
B) Because Algernon has eaten all the cucumber sandwiches himself That she is dressed up like one of the Valkyrie
C) Because he wants to get Algernon off the hook
B and C
What does Gwendolen say they live in?
A pigsty
An age of ideals
A house in Shropshire
An age of surfaces
What does Gwendolen say the name Ernest produces?
A) Vibrations
B) Suspicions
C) Absolute confidence
A and C
What is Lady Bracknell’s reaction when Jack admits to her that he smokes?
Shock
Disgust
Approval
A coughing fit
Where did old Mr. Thomas Cardew find Jack as a baby?
In a cloakroom at a railway station
Shropshire
A foundling hospital
The British Museum
What is Lady Bracknell’s objection to Jack as a prospective suitor to Gwendolen?
His smoking
His lack of an occupation
His origins
His politics
What is Gwendolen’s response to the story of Jack’s origins?
She is disgusted
She thinks it’s romantic
She thinks it’s a hoot
She is shocked
Who does Algernon think ought to set an example for the upper classes?
The prime minister
The lower classes
The queen
The clergy
Why hasn’t Jack told Gwendolen that he has an excessively pretty young ward?
Because Gwendolen might be jealous
Because Gwendolen might want to borrow some of her clothes
Because Gwendolen’s brother Gerald might want to meet her
Because Gwendolen herself is extremely unattractive
What is the name of Algernon’s imaginary friend?
Harbury
Bunbury
Markby
Bunberry
Where is Jack’s house in the country?
Shropshire
Hertfordshire
Worthing
Sussex
Why is Cecily nervous about meeting Jack’s brother Ernest?
There may be more than one correct response.
Because he’s wicked
Because he’ll find out about their engagement
Because she’s afraid he’ll look different from other people
Because she’s afraid he’ll look just like everyone else
Where has Cecily recorded her engagement to Jack’s brother Ernest?
In the Times
In the family bible
In a letter to her mother
In her diary
Why has Cecily broken off her engagement to Algernon?
She discovered that Jack’s brother is more wicked than she thought
She discovered that Jack’s brother is less wicked than she thought
She felt it couldn’t be a really serious engagement otherwise
She had met someone else
Why does Gwendolen never travel without her diary?
She is trying to come to terms with herself
She has a poor memory
She hopes to turn it into a three-volume novel
One should always have something sensational to read on the train
Why does Gwendolen tell Cecily that cake and sugar are no longer fashionable?
She wants to give her friendly advice
She thinks Cecily herself could stand to lose a few pounds
She is on a high-protein diet
She wants to insult Cecily
Why does Cecily put sugar in Gwendolen’s tea?
She doesn’t hear what Gwendolen said
She doesn’t understand what Gwendolen said
She disagrees with what Gwendolen said
She wants to insult Gwendolen
What was the name of the movement that embraced the principle of art for the sake of beauty and beauty alone?
Neo-romanticism
Emotionalism
Aestheticism
Surrealism
What was the term for the new type of character that Wilde introduced to the Victorian melodrama?
The lusty widow
The dandy
The crafty servant
The rake
In which two locales does the protagonist lead his dual lives as Jack and Ernest Worthing?
Coventry and London
West Orange and New York
Hertfordshire and London
St. Andrews and Edinburgh
What do Jack's best friend, Algernon Montcrieff, and love interest, Gwendolen Fairfax, not know about him?
His aristocratic parentage
His real name
His gambling habit
His secret wife
What inspires Gwendolen's confidence in Jack, leading her to accept his marriage proposal?
His assumed name
His large inheritance
His large biceps
His easy manner
Which two characters' unexpected visits to Jack prompt the end of his fictional brother/alter ego?
a) Cecily and Gwendolen
b) Algernon and Gwendolen
c) Algernon and Dr. Chasuble
d) Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell
Aside from his relation to Lady Bracknell and Algernon, what does Jack learn in the play's final act?
Gwendolen is his sister
Prism is his mother
His name is Ernest
He is Cecily's father
Which two attributes best match Gwendolen Fairfax?
Sophisticated and pretentious
Simple and genuine
Caring and anxious
Callous and carefree
What, specifically, does Cecily Cardew find intriguing and attractive about Jack's imaginary brother Ernest?
His impulsiveness
His "joie de vivre"
His dark good looks
His wickedness
What social group does Oscar Wilde satirize through the figure of Lady Bracknell?
The working class
The middle class
The clergy
The aristocracy
Jack is the guardian to whom?
Cecily
Gwendolyn
Thomas
Algernon
How soon does Jack say it will take Gwendolyn to turn into her mother?
"A lifetime"
"150 years"
"A fortnight"
"Any day now"
What plant does Algernon compare Cecily to in Act II?
A fern
An oak tree
A daffodil
A pink rose
Who is Algernon discussing marriage with for the first time in the play?
Merriman
Lane
Miss Prism
Reverend Chasuble
What does Algernon remark is "made in heaven?
Divorces
Women
Teacakes
Marriages
Who does Lady Bracknell say is "shilly-shallying" over "whether to live or die?"
Ernest
Algernon
Jack
Bunbury
Whose arrival does Algernon's butler, Lane, announce in the play's opening scene? This is the very first character to arrive.
Gwendolen Fairfax
Lady Bracknell
Jack Worthing
Ernest Worthing
What does Ernest/Jack tell Algernon he intends to do during his visit to London?
Propose to Gwendolen
Visit Buckingham Pallace
Visit Big Ben
Buy a new suit
What does Algernon say that Jack will need to clear up before getting his consent to marry Gwendolen?
The "name question"
The "question of Jack"
The "problem of inheritance"
The "question of Cecily"
What does Algernon call the practice of keeping an imaginary friend/relation?
Willoughbyism
Bunburyism
Hydeism
Bunyanism
Who does Gwendolen tell Jack she would not consider marrying?
Someone with no morals
Someone with no inheritance
Someone named Rumplestiltskin
Someone not named Ernest
What does Jack tell Algernon he plans to do with Ernest by the end of the week?
Kill him off
Become him
Legally adopt him
Phase him out
What privileged piece of information does Algernon take from a conversation between Jack and Gwendolen?
Cecily's favourite pastry
Cecily's favourite flower
Jack's country address
Jack's mother's name
Miss Prism goes on a walk with ___, leaving Cecily alone.
Dr. Chasuble
Algernon
Jack
Gwendolen
What prevents Jack from revealing Algernon's assumed identity to Cecily?
His respect for Algernon
His sympathy for Cecily
His own lies
He needs Algernon's help
What response does Cecily give Algernon when he proposes marriage?
She needs time
Absolutely not
Yes, with Jack's approval
She already considered them engaged
What about the name "Ernest" attracts Cecily to Algernon, just as it attracts Gwendolen to Jack?
It "suggests sincerity"
It "inspires absolute confidence"
It "portends seriousness"
It "sounds like 'furnace'"
What do Cecily and Gwendolen do upon learning from Jack that "Ernest" is a fiction?
Shout
Disavow their respective engagements
Leave arm-in-arm
Storm off separately
What are Cecily and Gwendolen eager to do after leaving Algernon and Jack in the garden?
Discuss the deceptions
Exact revenge
Call off their engagements
Forgive the men
What arrangement have Algernon and Jack both made, winning them the complete forgiveness of Cecily and Gwendolen?
To rechristen themselves as Ernest
A joint wedding
A joint honeymoon
To end the engagements
Whose sudden arrival at the Manor House casts the engagement of Cecily and Algernon into doubt?
Dr. Chasuble
Miss Prism
Lady Bracknell
Bunbury
The mention of ___'s name stops Lady Bracknell from leaving the Manor House with Gwendolen.
Bunbury
Miss Prism
Dr. Chasuble
Ernest Worthing
What does Lady Bracknell accuse Miss Prism of having stolen twenty-eight years ago?
A manuscript
A baby
A baby carriage
A handbag
What did Miss Prism confuse the baby with, causing her to place the baby in a handbag?
A small dog
A potted plant
A novel manuscript
A short log
Who does the baby turn out to have been?
Gwendolen
Algernon
Cecily
Jack
What does Jack wrongly conclude upon realizing that he was the misplaced baby?
Bracknell is his mother
Prism is his mother
He is Gwendolen's cousin
He is Algernon's brother
What information emerges from the revelation that Jack is Lady Bracknell's nephew?
Jack is Algernon's brother
Jack's name is Ernest
Jack is Gwendolen's cousin
All of the above
Which of the following is NOT one of the essential elements of satire:
a.Making fun of an idea, person, or institution
b.Use of irony
c.Making a broader point about society, culture, politics, etc.
d.All of the above are essential elements of satire
Select the elements that may be used to create satire.
Irony
Humor
Exaggeration
Tragedy
The following is an example of:
"Political cartoons, ranging from the 19th century work of Thomas Nast and Punch to modern work in The New Yorker and XKCD, use humor to attack a range of political and social issues."
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
The following is an example of:
"Stand-up comedians, from Will Rogers in the 1930s and Lenny Bruce in the ‘60s to John Mulaney and Hasan Minhaj today, all took - or take - on the political situations of their respective eras, addressing serious concerns with sometimes ruthless humor."
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
The story, "A Modest Proposal," is an example of:
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
The following is an example of:
"Girl in a horror film hides in a closet where the killer just went (the audience knows the killer is there, but she does not)."
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
The following is an example of:
"In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is only asleep-not dead-but Romeo does not, and he kills himself."
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
The following is an example of:
"A post on Facebook complaining how useless Facebook is."
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
The following is an example of:
"In "the Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge, the men are surrounded by an ocean of water, but they are dying of thirst."
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
The following is an example of:
"A character steps out into a hurricane and says, “What nice weather we're having!"
Satire
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
Select the definition that matches the following term:
The Well Made Play
constructed according to a predetermined pattern and aiming at neatness of plot and theatrical effectiveness but often being mechanical and stereotyped
satirizes behavior in a particular social group, especially the upper classes
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues
dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character
Select the definition that matches the following term:
Comedy of Manners
constructed according to a predetermined pattern and aiming at neatness of plot and theatrical effectiveness but often being mechanical and stereotyped
satirizes behavior in a particular social group, especially the upper classes
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues
dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character
Select the definition that matches the following term:
Satire
constructed according to a predetermined pattern and aiming at neatness of plot and theatrical effectiveness but often being mechanical and stereotyped
satirizes behavior in a particular social group, especially the upper classes
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues
dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character
What is aestheticism?
A dandy, fop or rake
Art judged on moral grounds.
A rejection of morality for the sake of artistic expression.
A conservative notion of gender.
A comedy of manners is most likely to criticize.... of the middle or upper classes?
behaviors
manners
flaws
morals
Using examples from the text, explain how Wilde utilizes the characters to critique the upper classes.
It is okay if you go over the time limit.
Wilde originally subtitled The Importance of Being Earnest “A Serious Comedy for Trivial People” but changed that to “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.” What is the difference between the two subtitles? How does it reflect the use of satire?
Disregard the time limit.
What did you think of the play?
It was my favorite text of the year!
It was enjoyable to read.
I didn't hate it.
This is awful.
