Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish-born playwright who wrote some of the most popular plays performed in London in the 1890s. He was a devout believer in Aestheticism, which is the principle that fine arts such as music and literature should be made for beauty rather than have an underlying allegorical purpose. Even so, many of his most famous works include moral precepts: _____

The Importance of Being Earnest is an 1895 play by Oscar Wilde. The play frequently lampoons the strict sensibilities of Victorian society through the character of a London socialite named Lady Bracknell, as when she comically asserts, -------Which choice most effectively uses a quotation from The Importance of Being Earnest to illustrate the claim?“To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”eliminate“To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution.”eliminate“I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time.”eliminate“I do not know whether there is anything peculiarly exciting in the air of this particular part of Hertfordshire.”

The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Lord Henry looked at Dorian Gray. Yes, he was certainly wonderfully handsome, with his finely curved scarlet lips, his frank blue eyes, his crisp gold hair. There was something in his face that made one trust him at once. All the candour of youth was there, as well as all youth’s passionate purity. One felt that he had kept himself unspotted from the world.“You are too charming to go in for philanthropy, Mr. Gray—far too charming.” And Lord Henry flung himself down on the divan and opened his cigarette-case.Dorian Gray, a painter, had been busy mixing his colours and getting his brushes ready. He was looking worried, and when he heard Lord Henry’s last remark, he glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Harry, I want to finish this picture to-day. Would you think it awfully rude of me if I asked you to go away?”Which choice best states the main idea of the text?Dorian Gray’s main passion in life is his philanthropy.eliminateDorian Gray is an unlikeable figure who is too absorbed in his artwork.eliminateDorian Gray is considered rude and overly blunt by all of his peers.eliminateDorian Gray is handsome, talented, and well-liked by those around him.e

Who wrote the masterpiece  “The Importance of Being Earnest”.*

In 1891, Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) observed, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has readhistory, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience andthrough rebellion.”Wilde claims that disobedience is a valuable human trait and that it promotes social progress. Write an essay thatargues your position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. Use appropriate examples from your reading,experience, or observations to support your argument.

The following text is from Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian is seeing his portrait, painted by Basil Hallward, for the first time.Dorian made no answer, but passed listlessly in front of his picture and turned towards it. When he saw it he drew back, and his cheeks flushed for a moment with pleasure. A look of joy came into his eyes, as if he had recognized himself for the first time. He stood there motionless and in wonder, dimly conscious that Hallward was speaking to him, but not catching the meaning of his words. The sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation. He had never felt it before.According to the text, what is true about Dorian?*A. Dorian is distracted by the beauty of the painting.B. Dorian believes that what Hallward is saying is unimportant.C. Dorian does not recognize his own image.D. Dorian is prone to embarrassment.