Act 2 of "The Importance of Being Earnest"

What is Cecily's first reaction to meeting Algernon, who she believes to be Ernest?

• She is defensive

• She is polite and clearly interested in him

• She ignores him until Jack returns

What happens right after Jack tells Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism that his brother has died?

• Cecily tells him that Ernest is waiting for him in the house.

• Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism tell Jack that his brother is waiting for him in the house.

• Cecily actually believes that the garden is haunted.

When Jack discovers Algernon pretending to be his younger brother, how does Jack react?

• He is furious and tries to send Algernon away.

• He is confused about why he has been told about his brother's death.

• He tells everyone that Algernon is not his brother.

What happens when Cecily and Gwendolyn first meet each other?

• They get along with each other initially.

• They are completely disgusted with one another.

• They tell each other jokes

What do Algernon and Jack want Chasuble to do?

• Christen them

• Play with them

• forgive their sins

What do Gwendolyn and Cecily require of their husbands?

• They must be named Ernest.

• They must be wicked.

• They must be rich.

What about the name "Ernest" attracts Cecily to Algernon, just as it attracts Gwendolen to Jack?

• It "inspires absolute confidence"

• It "portends seriousness"

• It "sounds like 'furnace'"

How does Cecily initially respond when Algernon declares his love and asks her to marry him?

• She insists that they've already been engaged for three months

• She scolds him for being so forward with someone he just met

• She politely declines his proposal because she is not in love with him

What is one aspect of Victorian marriage that Wildes mocks through Cecily and Gwendolen's distress over not being engaged to a man named "Ernest"?

• The emphasis on wealth and reputation in marriage rather than genuine affection

• The weight placed on true love in marriage instead of more practical considerations

• The emphasis on open communication between engaged couples

Why is the proposal scene between Algernon and Cecily, in which Cecily declares her dream of marrying a man named "Ernest," an example of dramatic irony?

• Because the audience is aware that "Ernest" does not really exist

• Because the audience knows that Algernon is in fact named "Ernest"

• Because the audience doesn't know what Algernon's real name is