The Picture of Dorian Gray - Quiz
The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • 1. Which Shakespeare character does Wilde mention in the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
A) Laertes
B) Prospero
C) Hamlet
D) Caliban
  • 2. When Dorian describes his portrait in the 1891 version, which play does he quote?
A) Sybil
B) Vivian Grey
C) Hamlet
D) The Tempest
  • 3. In Hamlet, who is the brother of Ophelia who swears mortal revenge?
A) Lord Henry
B) Caliban
C) Laertes
D) Dorian
  • 4. What is the title of the 1884 novel by Joris-Karl Huysmans that influenced The Picture of Dorian Gray?
A) À rebours
B) Sybil
C) The Tempest
D) Vivian Grey
  • 5. What did Oscar Wilde call his adaptation of Huysmans's novel in a letter to a correspondent?
A) A fantastic variation
B) A critical review
C) A direct copy
D) A stolen manuscript
  • 6. What does the text claim about the references to specific chapters of the French novel within Dorian Gray?
A) They refer to a different book
B) They are deliberately inaccurate
C) They are entirely missing
D) They are perfectly precise
  • 7. Which British Prime Minister wrote the novel Vivian Grey?
A) Benjamin Disraeli
B) Oscar Wilde
C) Joris-Karl Huysmans
D) Richard Ellmann
  • 8. Which novel's title was possibly fused with the name Violet Fane to create 'Sibyl Vane'?
A) The Tempest
B) Hamlet
C) À rebours
D) Sybil
  • 9. What happens to the portrait in the tale recounted within the novel Vivian Grey?
A) The portrait remains unchanged forever
B) The portrait burns to ashes
C) The eyes move when the subject dies
D) The portrait changes into a monster
  • 10. Who is the literary critic that identified À rebours as the 'poisonous French novel'?
A) Oscar Wilde
B) Benjamin Disraeli
C) Joris-Karl Huysmans
D) Richard Ellmann
  • 11. How does Disraeli describe the mind of a youth who has known the world in Vivian Grey?
A) Youth is a time of endless joy
B) To deem all things vain is the bitter portion
C) Happiness is found in ignorance
D) Knowledge is the greatest power
  • 12. Whose perspective on art and life does Dorian initially adopt?
A) Basil Hallward
B) Sibyl Vane
C) Lord Henry
D) Dominic Manganiello
  • 13. What is Basil's primary role in relation to Dorian according to the text?
A) He warns Dorian about Lord Henry
B) He is the cause of Sibyl's death
C) He teaches Dorian about criminal impulses
D) He encourages Dorian to be superficial
  • 14. What does Dominic Manganiello suggest that creating art can enact?
A) A rejection of vanity
B) Innate criminal impulses
C) A sense of absolute morality
D) Traditional Victorian values
  • 15. What kind of culture is Dorian exposed to in Victorian London?
A) Equality and social progression
B) Strict religious devotion
C) Superficiality and moral hypocrisy
D) Authenticity and deep emotional bonds
  • 16. What did Lord Henry believe was the origin of human irrationality before Sibyl's death?
A) Vanity
B) Art
C) Social status
D) Gender roles
  • 17. What is the irony regarding Sibyl Vane's death?
A) Lord Henry tried to save her life
B) Dorian causes her death using Henry's own motives
C) Basil actually caused her death
D) Sibyl dies because she ignored Dorian
  • 18. According to the text, what can Basil evoke in Dorian?
A) A desire for eternal youth
B) A change of heart
C) A fear of his own portrait
D) A hatred for art
  • 19. What does Basil claim has no soul, though art does?
A) Dorian
B) Man
C) The portrait
D) Lord Henry
  • 20. How is homoeroticism manifested in the novel?
A) Through explicit romantic declarations
B) Through interactions between male characters
C) Through the public scandal of the protagonists
D) Through the rejection of all female characters
  • 21. What does the interaction between Basil and Lord Henry at the beginning of the novel foreshadow?
A) A rebellion against Victorian social norms
B) The relationship between the artist and his muse
C) The inevitable death of Dorian
D) The destruction of the painting
  • 22. To whom does the name 'Dorian' possibly allude?
A) A prominent Victorian statesman
B) Wilde's personal mentor
C) The Dorians of ancient Greece
D) A mythical figure from folklore
  • 23. What did the Dorians of ancient Greece introduce, according to the text?
A) Strict moral codes for youth
B) Male same-sex initiation rituals
C) The concept of eternal beauty
D) New forms of landscape painting
  • 24. What does the decay of Dorian's portrait reflect?
A) His genuine growth as a human being
B) His physical aging process
C) The deception of societal expectations
D) The healing power of art
  • 25. How are female characters like Sibyl portrayed in the novel?
A) As proponents of Victorian moral values
B) As victims of limited roles and harsh judgments
C) As powerful leaders of society
D) As figures who influence Dorian positively
  • 26. Who painted the portrait of Dorian Gray?
A) James Vane
B) Basil Hallward
C) Lord Henry Wotton
D) Alan Campbell
  • 27. What is Lord Henry Wotton's primary philosophy?
A) Altruism
B) Hedonism
C) Asceticism
D) Stoicism
  • 28. To which Shakespearean character does Lord Henry liken Sibyl Vane?
A) Cordelia
B) Ophelia
C) Desdemona
D) Juliet
  • 29. What is the profession of James Vane?
A) Soldier
B) Painter
C) Chemist
D) Sailor
  • 30. What does Dorian Gray introduce Adrian Singleton to?
A) Gambling
B) The theater
C) Forgery
D) Opium addiction
  • 31. Why does Sibyl Vane lose her ability to act?
A) She experiences real love
B) She loses her voice
C) She loses interest in drama
D) She becomes ill
  • 32. Who is Hetty in the story?
A) Dorian's sister
B) Sibyl Vane's mother
C) Lord Henry's daughter
D) A farm girl
  • 33. What is the primary critique represented by Lord Henry?
A) Victorian culture
B) The scientific method
C) The industrial revolution
D) The British monarchy
  • 34. Why does the friendship between Alan Campbell and Dorian end?
A) Dorian moved away
B) Dorian's reputation
C) Alan grew jealous of Dorian
D) They fought over money
  • 35. What is the setting of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
A) Paris, France
B) New York, USA
C) Dublin, Ireland
D) London, England
  • 36. What does Lord Henry believe is the only aspect of life worth pursuing?
A) Beauty
B) Wealth
C) Knowledge
D) Virtue
  • 37. What is the name of the actress Dorian courts?
A) Hetty Merton
B) Mary Shelley
C) Sibyl Vane
D) Jane Doe
  • 38. What nickname does Sibyl Vane give to Dorian?
A) Lord Gray
B) Prince Charming
C) The Golden Boy
D) The Artist
  • 39. Who does Dorian blackmail to help dispose of Basil's body?
A) Lord Henry
B) James Vane
C) A local constable
D) Alan Campbell
  • 40. What is the name of the girl Dorian considers running away with?
A) Alice Vane
B) Sibyl Vane
C) Mary Hallward
D) Hetty Merton
  • 41. How many chapters were in the 1891 edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
A) Twenty
B) Eighteen
C) Thirteen
D) Fifteen
  • 42. Who was the critic that Wilde respected and who influenced one specific textual modification?
A) Walter Pater
B) Charles Carrington
C) James Vane
D) Stoddart
  • 43. What was a primary reason for some of the edits made between the magazine and novel editions?
A) Increasing the page count
B) Correcting grammatical errors
C) Obscuring homoerotic references
D) Removing Sibyl Vane
  • 44. What sub-plot is introduced through the character of James Vane?
A) Political rebellion
B) Religious conflict
C) Class struggle
D) Scientific discovery
  • 45. In what year was the revised version of The Picture of Dorian Gray published by Ward, Lock & Company?
A) 1891
B) 1895
C) 1890
D) 1900
  • 46. Who published the authorised edition of the novel in the decade after Wilde's death?
A) Walter Pater
B) Ward, Lock & Company
C) Stoddart
D) Charles Carrington
  • 47. Who was the publisher that Stoddart spoke to about the novella?
A) Oscar Wilde
B) George Lippincott
C) Ward Lock
D) Catulle Sarrazin
  • 48. Approximately how many words did Stoddart delete from the original text?
A) Five hundred
B) One hundred
C) One thousand
D) Fifty
  • 49. What was the name of the fictional book title removed from the text?
A) Le Secret de Raoul
B) The Portrait of the Artist
C) The Picture of Dorian Gray
D) Lippincott's Monthly
  • 50. Who was the author of the fictional book Le Secret de Raoul?
A) Stoddart
B) Catulle Sarrazin
C) Oscar Wilde
D) George Lippincott
  • 51. In which month and year was the 1890 novella first published?
A) June 1890
B) July 1891
C) December 1890
D) July 1890
  • 52. Who deleted parts of the story without Oscar Wilde's knowledge?
A) The printer
B) Ward Lock
C) George Lippincott
D) Stoddart
  • 53. What subject matter was among the passages removed due to fears of indecency?
A) Religious heresy
B) Financial fraud
C) Political revolution
D) Homosexuality
  • 54. Which company published a collection of complete novels later in 1890?
A) Penguin Books
B) Lippincott's Magazine
C) Oxford University Press
D) Ward, Lock & Company
  • 55. Who is the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
A) J. M. Stoddart
B) Arthur Conan Doyle
C) Basil Hallward
D) Oscar Wilde
  • 56. In which periodical was the shorter version of the story published?
A) The London Literary Journal
B) Lippincott's Monthly Magazine
C) The Gothic Gazette
D) The Langham Review
  • 57. Who inspired the original idea for the novel when she painted Wilde's portrait?
A) Dorian Gray
B) J. M. Stoddart
C) Basil Hallward
D) Frances Richards
  • 58. Which other writer was commissioned alongside Wilde by J. M. Stoddart at the Langham Hotel?
A) Arthur Conan Doyle
B) Lord Henry Wotton
C) Basil Hallward
D) Frances Richards
  • 59. How many novels did Oscar Wilde write?
A) Three
B) One
C) Two
D) Zero
  • 60. According to the text, how long did it take Wilde to submit the manuscript after being commissioned?
A) One month
B) Seven months
C) Twelve months
D) Two years
  • 61. Where is the original typescript of The Picture of Dorian Gray currently housed?
A) UCLA
B) The British Library
C) Oxford University
D) The Wilde Museum
  • 62. Which press published the 2011 'uncensored' edition of the novel?
A) Fortnightly Press
B) Belknap Press
C) Penguin Classics
D) Lippincott's Press
  • 63. Approximately how many words were deleted by J. M. Stoddart before the 1890 publication?
A) 500 words
B) 50 words
C) 100 words
D) 1,000 words
  • 64. In which publication was the preface first published?
A) Lippincott's Monthly Magazine
B) The London Times
C) The Belknap Journal
D) The Fortnightly Review
  • 65. Which philosophical influence is identified in the preface?
A) Taoism
B) Existentialism
C) Stoicism
D) Nihilism
  • 66. Whose translation of Zhuang Zhou did Wilde review?
A) Herbert Giles
B) Basil Hallward
C) J. M. Stoddart
D) Chuang Tsǔ
  • 67. What was the occupation of Dorian Gray's father?
A) Junior officer in the infantry
B) Renowned portrait painter
C) Wealthy Victorian aristocrat
D) Successful merchant
  • 68. How does Dorian describe the east end in chapter 7?
A) A place of beauty and culture
B) A wealthy industrial center
C) A peaceful retreat from society
D) A Gothic creation with dim streets
  • 69. What is the only thing Dorian deems worth having?
A) Social status
B) Intellectual pursuit
C) Youth
D) Wealth
  • 70. According to the text, what does Dorian claim he will do when he grows old?
A) Retire to the country
B) Kill himself
C) Destroy his portrait
D) Seek redemption
  • 71. Which poet was rumored to be the inspiration for Dorian Gray?
A) John Gray
B) Robert de Montesquiou
C) Lord Ronald Gower
D) Charles Haslewood Shannon
  • 72. What did some reviewers suggest Wilde merited due to the content of his novel?
A) Prosecution for violating public morality laws.
B) Exile from the United Kingdom.
C) A public apology from the government.
D) A prestigious literary award.
  • 73. Which publication claimed the novel contained an element that would 'taint every young mind'?
A) Lippincott's Monthly Magazine
B) The Irish Times
C) Daily Chronicle
D) Scots Observer
  • 74. What was a primary reason for the moralistic scandal surrounding the novel?
A) Its political commentary.
B) Its use of slang language.
C) Its homoeroticism.
D) Its negative portrayal of the church.
  • 75. Which retailer withdrew the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine from its stalls?
A) Charles Carrington
B) Waterstones
C) WHSmith
D) The Daily Chronicle
  • 76. What happened to the novel during Wilde's 1895 trials?
A) It was labeled a perverted novel.
B) It was officially banned by the Queen.
C) It was burned in public.
D) It was declared the best book of the year.
  • 77. Until what decade was The Picture of Dorian Gray mostly ignored by critics?
A) 1980s
B) 1940s
C) 1990s
D) 1960s
  • 78. How did Joyce Carol Oates characterize the novel?
A) Too long
B) Historically inaccurate
C) Deeply flawed
D) Exceptionally good
  • 79. On which list did Allie Townsend place the novel in 2010?
A) Top 100 influential books
B) Greatest Gothic tragedies
C) Best Victorian literature
D) Must-read horror classics
  • 80. Who adapted the novel for the London stage in 1913?
A) Oscar Wilde
B) David Llewellyn
C) John Logan
D) G. Constant Lounsbery
  • 81. Which actress received an Academy Award nomination for playing Sibyl Vane?
A) Joyce Carol Oates
B) Angela Lansbury
C) No one was nominated
D) Allie Townsend
  • 82. Who played Lord Henry in the 2009 film adaptation?
A) Colin Firth
B) Reeve Carney
C) Stuart Townsend
D) Ben Barnes
  • 83. In the 2013 audio dramas, who played the role of Dorian Gray?
A) Colin Firth
B) Alexander Vlahos
C) Ben Barnes
D) Reeve Carney
  • 84. In which TV show does Reeve Carney portray Dorian Gray?
A) Dorian Gray
B) Penny Dreadful
C) Vaudeville Theatre
D) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
  • 85. When were the first Dorian Awards announced?
A) January 2010
B) October 2010
C) March 2014
D) January 1900
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