The Importance of Being Earnest

Act I (Portion 1)

I. Suggested vocabulary list (to be copied out, translated, learnt and reproduced from the book):

1. to consume smth

2. a bachelor

3. to attribute smth to smth

4. to be of a superior quality

5. to set a good example to smb

6. customary

7. reckless

8. extravagance

9. to speculate on smth

10. to offer a reward to smb

11. to be hard up

12. to have a hard-and-fast rule about smth

13. a guardian to smb

14. under/in smb’s charge

15. to alter

II. Answer the following questions:

1. Where is the scene laid?

2. Whom was Algernon preparing to receive?

3. How did Lane account for entering eight bottles of champagne as having been consumed?

4. What were Algernon’s views on the lower orders’ mission in life?

5. Who appeared quite unexpectedly?

6. What brought up Jack to town?

7. What kind of feelings underlay the talk of the two young men about the cigarette case?

8. How did Jack account for the inscription inside the cigarette case? Did he give probable or improbable explanations?

9. What were the fantastic inventions of the two young men? (How did Jack account for being Ernest in town and Jack in town?)

10. What were Algernon’s ideas about married life?

11. What is your first impression of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen?

12. Speak on the changes in Lady Harbury after her husband’s death.

13. Why did Lady Bracknell insist on Algernon’s presence at her reception and what did he promise to do for her?

14. What are Lady Bracknell’s preferences in music?

III. Comment on the following:

1. Divorces are made in Heaven.

2. Girls never marry the men they flirt with. Girls don’t think it right.

3. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read.

4. When one is placed in the position of guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects.

5. In married life three is a company and two is none.

6. Only relatives, or creditors, ever ring in that Wagnerian manner.

7. If one plays good music, people don’t listen, and if one plays bad music, people don’t talk.

Act I (Portion 2)

I. Suggested vocabulary list (to be copied out, translated, learnt and reproduced from the book):

1. to take advantage of smth
2. to have a way of doing smth
3. to be aware of smth
4. irresistible
5. to propose to smb
6. to touch (up)on a subject
7. eligible
8. to make out
9. at a notice
10. to be (feel) bewildered
11. as far as smb/smth is concerned
12. profligate
13. hereditary
14. to run in a family
15. a ward
16. to get smb into a serious scrape

II. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did Gwendolen advise Jack to take advantage of Lady Bracknell’s absense?

2. Why did Gwendolen prefer the name of Ernest most of all?

3. What kind of difficulties did Jack face when proposing to Gwendolen?

4. What was Lady Bracknell’s reaction to Gwendolen’s words about her engagement? What are Lady Bracknell’s views on engagement?

5. Why did she reject Jack’s proposal and what was her recommendation?

6. What was Gwendolen’s reaction to her mother’s decision?

7. Why did Jack get so furious when Algernon struck the Wedding March?

8. Why did Jack compare Lady Bracknell to a Gorgon?

9. Why was Algernon so glad at the end of the act?

10. What was Jack planning to do to get rid of the profligate Ernest?

III. Comment on the following:

1. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else.

2. An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be. It is hardly a matter that she should be allowed to arrange for herself.

3. A man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing.

4. All women become like their mothers.. That’s their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.

5. The truth isn’t quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice sweet refined girl.

6. The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is plain.

7. Women only call each other sisters when they have called each other a lot of other things first.

8. Few parents nowadays pay any regard to what their children say to them. The old-fashioned respect for the young is fast dying out. Whatever influence I ever had over my mother, I lost at the age of three.

Act II (Portion 1)

I. Suggested vocabulary list (to be copied out, translated, learnt and reproduced from the book):

1. plain
2. to improve oneself
3. to lay particular stress on smth
4. to have a sense of duty and responsibility
5. idle
6. to have a good influence over smb
7. to keep a diary
8. to have a stroll
9. wicked
10. to be taken aback
11. to be susceptible to smth (draughts/
12. on behalf of smb
13. to have no apprehensions
14. in disguise
15. to induce smb to do smth
16. to drive smb frantic
17. reconciliation

II. Answer the following questions:

1. Where is the scene laid?
2. What was Cecily displeased with and what was Miss Prism’s reaction to that?
3. Why do you think Uncle Jack laid particular stress on German? Why didn’t Cecily consider it a becoming language?
4. How did Cecily and Miss Prism account for Uncle Jack’s bored looks?
5. What was Cecily’s suggestions about Uncle Jack’s brother?
6. Why was Cecily glad to see Canon Chasuble?
7. Was Cannon Chasuble a well-read person? What is a metaphor? What is an allusion?
8. In what way did Algernon present himself and how did Cecily meet him?
9. What piece of news made Algernon greatly surprised?
10. What did Miss Prism recommend Canon Chasuble to do and why?
11. In what theatrical manner did Jack appear? What did he say about his brother?
12. What kind of sermon did Canon Chasuble plan to deliver on the occasion of the tragic affliction?
13. What did Jack request Canon Chasuble to do and what was the reason for it?
14. What was Cecily’s reaction when she saw Uncle Jack?
15. How did Jack meet Algernon?
16. Under what circumstances did reconciliation take place?

III. Comment on the following:

1. As a man sow so let him reap.
2. Memory is the diary that we all carry with us.
3. I don’t like novels that end happily … The good ended happily and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.
4. When one is going to lead an entirely new life one requires regular and wholesome meals.
5. All good looks are a snare.
6. By persistently remaining single, a man converts himself into a permanent public temptation.
7. Ripeness can be trusted. Maturity can be trusted.
8. People who live entirely for pleasure are usually unmarried.
9. What seem to us bitter trials are often blessing in disguise.
10. We must not be premature in our judgements.

Act II (Portion 2)

I. Suggested vocabulary list (to be copied out, translated, learnt and reproduced from the book):

1. to do smb (a) credit
2. a record of smth
3. to make sense
4. to confess to smb
5. to settle (the) engagement
6. to give an excuse
7. to make smb conceited
8. to break off the engagement
9. to inspire absolute confidence
10. learned
11. I can’t help doing smth
12. to be on good terms with smb
13. to lift a load from smb’s mind
14. to propose to smb
15. to have the prior claim to smb/smth
16. to be entrapped into smth
17. to rescue smb
18. to speak one’s mind
19. deceitful
20. to take smb in

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of conversation took place between Jack and Agernon about the luggage going to London?
2. On what condition did Algernon agree to go to London?
3. What kind of compliments did Algernon pay to Cecily? How did she take them?
4. How did it happen that Cecily announced that she and Algernon were engaged?
5. What excuse did Cecily always given for his leading such a bad life?
6. Why was the engagement broken off?
7. What helped Cecily to forgive her imaginary bridegroom?
8. What girlish dream did Cecily have and why?
9. What kind of decision did Algernon take under the circumstances?
10. How did the young ladies meet and what manners did they show/use before and after learning about the engagement?
11. Why did Gwendolen wish that Cecily were fully forty-two and more than usually plain for her age?
12. How did Gwendolen praise her beloved man?
13. What arguments did the young ladies use to claim the beloved man?
14. What was the young ladies’ reaction when they learnt about the gross deception?
15. What did Jack think about Algernon’s conduct towards Cecily?

III. Comment on the following:

1. It is always painful to part from people whom one has known for a very long space of time. The absence of old friends one can endure with equanimity. But even a momentary separation from anyone to whom one has just been introduced is almost unbearable.
2. A man who is much talked about is always very attractive.
3. It would hardly have been a really serious engagement if it hadn’t been broken off at least once.
4. He is a most learned man. He has never written a book, so you can imagine how much he knows.
5. My first impressions of people are never wrong.
6. Once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate.
7. I think that whenever one has anything unpleasant to say, one should always be candid.
8. Even men of the noblest possible moral character are extremely susceptible to the influence of the physical charms of others. Modern, no less than Ancient History, supplies us with most painful examples.
9. I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
10. If the poor fellow has been into a foolish promise, I shall consider it my duty to rescue him at once, and with a firm hand.