The Importance of Being Earnest

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Act 1

Reading Check

1. Where and when is the first act of the play set?

2. Who is Jack’s love interest?

3. How is Algernon related to Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen?

4. Is Algernon married?

5. What is “Bunburying?”

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Lady Bracknell object to the union of Jack and Gwendolen? What does her objection reveal about her character and/or values?

2. Why does Jack use his own name in the country and the name Ernest in town?

3. Does Algernon think Jack should marry Gwendolen? Why or why not?

4. Why does Gwendolen claim she loves Jack?

5. What is unusual about Jack’s background and origins?

Paired Resource

“The Rise and Fall of Class in Britain”

• This book by David Cannadine discusses the history of the class system in the United Kingdom; the introduction can be read online.
• The content of this resource connects to the theme of The British Aristocracy and Class Anxiety.
• How has class and class consciousness in the United Kingdom changed over time?

Oscar Wilde Biography

• This article about Oscar Wilde from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography provides a brief but detailed chronicle of Wilde’s life and legacy.
• The information here connects to the theme of Wilde’s Personal Life.
• How does The Importance of Being Earnest reflect the life and personality of Oscar Wilde?

Act 2

Reading Check

1. Where is Act 2 of the play set?

2. Who is Miss Prism?

3. Who does Algernon claim to be when he comes to the Manor House?

4. Why does Jack plan to change his name to Ernest?

5. To whom does Algernon propose?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Algernon’s discovery of Jack’s double life as Ernest Worthing in London affect their relationship?

2. What is the reason for the conflict between Gwendolen and Cecily, and how is this conflict resolved?

3. Why is Cecily attracted to Algernon when he impersonates Ernest?

4. What is the role of Miss Prism in Act 2?

5. Why does Jack claim that Ernest is dead? Why does this ploy fail?

Paired Resource

“Victorianism”

• This introduction to “Victorianism” on the Victorian Web is dedicated to the Victorian Era with articles on various topics, including familial obligations, social norms, and gender roles.
• The content connects to the theme of Social and Familial Obligations.
• How do Jack’s interactions with his fictional brother Ernest satirize social and familial norms in Victorian Britain?

“How to Do Afternoon Tea”

• This article discusses the history of afternoon tea in Victorian Britain, featuring a four-minute video sponsored by the English Heritage website.
• What is the significance of the tea scene in Act 2? How does this scene satirize the superficiality and artificiality of upper-class society in Victorian Britain?

Act 3

Reading Check

1. What does Algernon say happened to Bunbury?

2. Does Lady Bracknell approve of Algernon’s engagement to Cecily?

3. Why is Cecily unable to marry Algernon without Jack’s approval?

4. Who left Jack at Victoria Station?

5. What is Jack’s real name that is revealed at the end of the play?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How are the conflicts and misunderstandings of the play resolved in the final act?

2. Why is Miss Prism afraid when she sees Lady Bracknell?

3. On what condition does Jack tell Lady Bracknell he will allow Cecily to marry Algernon?

4. Why does Lady Bracknell finally allow Jack to marry Gwendolen?

5. How was Jack lost as a baby?

Recommended Next Reads 

Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde

• This title represents another satirical play by the author.
• Produced in 1892, it was Wilde’s first theatrical success.
• Shared themes include The British Aristocracy and Class Anxiety, Wilde’s Personal Life, and Alternate Identities.
• Lady Windermere’s Fan on SuperSummary

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

• Shaw’s most famous work, this satirical play was first produced in 1914.
• Shared themes include Social and Familial Obligations and The British Aristocracy and Class Anxiety.
• Pygmalion on SuperSummary