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The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide Full Text

Study Guide
Full Text

Summary
- Plot Overview
Characters
Main Ideas
- Themes
- Motifs
- Symbols
- Key Facts
Quotes
- Important Quotes Explained
Further Study
- Context
- Full Book Quiz
- Study Questions
- Suggestions for Further Reading
Writing Help

Further Study

Full Book Quiz

Further Study Full Book Quiz

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

“All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”
“All art is quite useless”
“The best way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it”
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

2. What is Basil Hallward’s occupation?

Writer
Chef
Painter
Sculptor

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

He thinks it is a poor work of art
He feels he has put too much of himself into it
Dorian Gray has asked him not to
He plans to put it over his own mantelpiece

4. How does Basil first meet Dorian?

Through a newspaper advertisement
In an opium den
When Lord Henry introduced them
At a party hosted by Lady Brandon

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

James
Christopher
Wilfred
Alan

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

He asks Lord Henry not to mention the painting to Dorian
He begs Lord Henry not to influence Dorian
He asks Lord Henry not to tell Dorian his real name
He suggests that Lord Henry leave without meeting Dorian

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

Hedonistic
Devoutly religious
Altruistic
Existential

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

That he could take the painting home with him
That the painting would grow old while he remained eternally young
That the painting would bear the marks of his sins
That he looked as beautiful as the man in the painting

9. To whom does Basil give the painting?

Dorian
Lord Henry
Lady Agatha
The British Museum

10. What is Sibyl Vane’s occupation?

Prostitute
Noblewoman
Poet
Actress

11. What is Sibyl’s nickname for Dorian?

Lord Gray
Prince Charming
The Radiant Youth
Young Apollo

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

Forget her lines
Convince them that she truly loves Dorian
Impress them with her best rendition of Juliet
Give up acting

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

He draws a knife and threatens him
He points out that he is much too young to have been in love with Sibyl eighteen years before
He tells him that another man was responsible for Sibyl’s suicide and gives him Basil’s address
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?

Basil
Lord Henry
Mrs. Vane
Alan Campbell

15. What gift from Lord Henry profoundly influences Dorian?

A statue
A piece of jewelry
A book
A painting

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

It becomes horribly ugly
It slowly disintegrates
It remains youthful and beautiful
It grows perpetually younger and stronger

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

Sibyl Vane’s death
The whereabouts of the portrait
The rumors of Dorian’s wicked behavior that are being spread in polite society
Lord Henry’s divorce

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

He shows Basil the horribly changed portrait
He orders Basil to leave the house
He laughs it all off
He sends for the police

19. How does Dorian kill Basil?

He stabs him to death
He shoots him
He pushes him out a window
He chokes him

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

Lord Henry
Alan Campbell
James Vane
His servant

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

It is locked away in the attic of Dorian’s home
It is buried in Dorian’s garden
It is thrown into the Thames
It is dissolved in acid

22. Where does Dorian first encounter James Vane?

In a brothel
At Dorian’s country estate
In an opium den
In an art gallery

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

Make amends with her
Live sinfully without regret
Bequeath his estate to the Vane family
Rip up the portrait

24. What fate befalls James Vane?

He is drowned in the Thames
He is accidentally killed by hunters at Dorian’s country home
He is killed in a duel with Lord Henry
His ship is lost at sea

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

The weapon sinks into the canvas but cannot be pulled out again
The portrait is torn to bits, and the pieces show a beautiful young man once more
He is unable to bring himself to destroy the painting, and he throws the knife out the window
He becomes the disfigured image in the painting and, in effect, stabs himself

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