Importance of Being Earnest

Test your knowledge of "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Points available: 10

1:

Which of these words is Oscar Wilde credited with inventing?

  • A) Dude
  • B) Moron
  • C) Quiz
  • D) Squawk
2:

"The Importance of Being Earnest" was first performed for the public on:

  • A) Christmas Day
  • B) Boxing Day
  • C) New Year's Eve
  • D) Valentine's Day
3:

Wilde's first love, Florence Balcome, ended up becoming engaged to:

  • A) Bram Stoker
  • B) H.G. Wells
  • C) Robert Louis Stevenson
  • D) Thomas Hardy
4:

The play's main character, John Worthing, gets his last name from:

  • A) Wilde's wife's maiden name
  • B) A close friend's last name
  • C) The town where Wilde lived at the time
  • D) The name inside a tag on one of Wilde's jackets
5:

Wilde's original draft of the play contained:

  • A) An extra character
  • B) An extra act
  • C) A subplot concerning offstage characters
  • D) A song in the third act
6:

What character in the play has been called "The wittiest character in the English Canon"?

  • A) John Worthing
  • B) Lady Bracknell
  • C) Algernon Moncrieff
  • D) Cecily Cardew
7:

The play introduced the term "Bunburying," which refers to:

  • A) Lying about one's social standing
  • B) Creating a false identity to maintain a romantic relationship
  • C) A woman "engaging" herself to a man she loves from afar
  • D) Making up a sick friend to get out of previous commitments
8:

Who was the nonexistent Ernest Worthing said to be?

  • A) John Worthing's wicked brother
  • B) Algernon Moncrieff's dying cousin
  • C) John Worthing's father
  • D) Cecily Cardew's guardian
9:

After Wilde's trial and imprisonment, his sons changed their last name to:

  • A) Fairfax
  • B) Lloyd
  • C) Speranza
  • D) Holland
10:

Where is Oscar Wilde buried?

  • A) London
  • B) Paris
  • C) Florence
  • D) Berlin