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The Picture of Dorian Gray

Quiz

Context

Plot Overview

Character List

Analysis of Major Characters

Themes, Motifs & Symbols

The Preface–Chapter Two

Chapters Eleven–Twelve

Chapters Thirteen–Fourteen

Chapters Fifteen–Sixteen

Chapters Seventeen–Eighteen

Chapters Nineteen–Twenty

Important Quotations Explained

Key Facts

Study Questions & Essay Topics

Quiz

Suggestions for Further Reading

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The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

Quiz

1. What famous phrase appears in the Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray?

(A) “All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”

(B) “All art is quite useless”

(D) “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

2. What is Basil Hallward's occupation?

(A) Writer

(B) Chef

(D) Sculptor

3. Why does Basil not wish to exhibit his portrait of Dorian?

(A) He thinks it is a poor work of art

(B) He feels he has put too much of himself into it

(D) He plans to put it over his own mantelpiece

4. How does Basil first meet Dorian?

(A) Through a newspaper advertisement

(B) In an opium den

(D) At a party hosted by Lady Brandon

5. What is the name of Sibyl's brother?

(A) James

(B) Christopher

(D) Alan

6. When Dorian arrives at his studio, what request does Basil make of Lord Henry?

(A) He asks Lord Henry not to mention the painting to Dorian

(B) He begs Lord Henry not to influence Dorian

(D) He suggests that Lord Henry leave without meeting Dorian

7. What best describes the philosophy that Lord Henry espouses?

(A) Hedonistic

(B) Devoutly religious

(D) Existential

8. Upon seeing his completed portrait, what does Dorian wish?

(A) That he could take the painting home with him

(B) That the painting would grow old while he remained eternally young

(D) That he looked as beautiful as the man in the painting

9. To whom does Basil give the painting?

(A) Dorian

(B) Lord Henry

(D) The British Museum

10. What is Sibyl Vane's occupation?

(A) Prostitute

(B) Noblewoman

(D) Actress

11. What is Sibyl's nickname for Dorian?

(A) Lord Gray

(B) Prince Charming

(D) Young Apollo

12. On the night that Lord Henry and Basil come to see her act, what does Sibyl resolve to do?

(A) Forget her lines

(B) Convince them that she truly loves Dorian

(D) Give up acting

13. How does Dorian escape James Vane when James accosts him?

(A) He draws a knife and threatens him

(B) He points out that he is much too young to have been in love with Sibyl eighteen years before

(D) He apologizes to him for his actions, claiming that he has realized the errors of his youth

14. After Sibyl's death, who convinces Dorian to have no involvement in the case?

(A) Basil

(B) Lord Henry

(D) Alan Campbell

15. What gift from Lord Henry profoundly influences Dorian?

(A) A statue

(B) A piece of jewelry

(D) A painting

16. As the years pass, what happens to Dorian's body?

(A) It becomes horribly ugly

(B) It slowly disintegrates

(D) It grows perpetually younger and stronger

17. Over which issue does Basil confront Dorian the night of Basil's death?

(A) Sibyl Vane's death

(B) The whereabouts of the portrait

(D) Lord Henry's divorce

18. How does Dorian respond to Basil's confrontation?

(A) He shows Basil the horribly changed portrait

(B) He orders Basil to leave the house

(D) He sends for the police

19. How does Dorian kill Basil?

(A) He stabs him to death

(B) He shoots him

(D) He chokes him

20. To whom does Dorian turn for help with disposing of Basil's body?

(A) Lord Henry

(B) Alan Campbell

(D) His servant

21. What is finally done with Basil's corpse?

(A) It is locked away in the attic of Dorian's home

(B) It is buried in Dorian's garden

(D) It is dissolved in acid

22. Where does Dorian first encounter James Vane?

(A) In a brothel

(B) At Dorian's country estate

(D) In an art gallery

23. What does Dorian resolve to do when he notices a change in his portrait after breaking up with Sibyl?

(A) Make amends with her

(B) Live sinfully without regret

(D) Rip up the portrait

24. What fate befalls James Vane?

(A) He is drowned in the Thames

(B) He is accidentally killed by hunters at Dorian's country home

(D) His ship is lost at sea

25. What happens when Dorian attempts to drive a knife into his portrait?

(A) The weapon sinks into the canvas but cannot be pulled out again

(B) The portrait is torn to bits, and the pieces show a beautiful young man once more

(D) He becomes the disfigured image in the painting and, in effect, stabs himself

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The Picture of Dorian Gray

Victorian Literature

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