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Name _____________________________________________DateThe Importance ofBeing Earnest by Oscar WildeA. Thinking About the PlayCircle the letter of the best answer.Test1. The characters in Wilde's play generally believea. that trivial things should be treated seriously and that serious things should be treatedas trivial.b. that all matters are of equal importance.c. that honesty and sincerity are important personality traits.d. that little attention should be paid to trivial matters.2. Lady Bracknell is best described asa. loud. abrasive, and insecure.b. vindictive, insensitive, and absent-minded.c. arrogant, manipulative. and domineering.d. arrogant. materialistic. and unruly.3. Which of the following is not one of the literary devices Wilde uses to create humor in TheImportance ofBeing Earnest?a.punsb. epigramsc. comic reliefd. parody4. Why does Jack finally confess to Gwendolen and Cecily that he never had a brother?a. They are both mad at him, and he feels he has no other way of earning their forgiveness.b. He has come to recognize the importance of being earnest.c. He hopes to forge a successful relationship with Gwendolen. and he realizes that hecannot do so without being honest.d. He has always felt somewhat ashamed about the secret life he has led and has decidedit is time to change his ways.5. Wilde's play suggests thata. the people of Victorian England were more concerned with the appearance of moralityand virtue than with true ethical conduct.b. most of the people who lived in Victorian England were extremely wealthy and livedlives of leisure.c. the people ofVictorian England tended to be self-absorbed and lacked ambition.d. the people of Victorian England were deeply concerned with morality and virtue.6. What does the play suggest about Wilde's attitude toward marriages that are arranged forsocial or economic reasons?a. The play suggests that Wilde supported such marriages.b. The play suggests that Wilde believed that such marriages were acceptable in certaininstances.© Prentice-Hall, Inc. 105