Name _____________________________
Date ________
Drama – The Importance of Being Earnest
Questions – Act 1
Answers should be on separate paper and attached (staple) to this sheet. Print neatly or type.
1. Who is Bunbury? What is meant by Bunburying?
2. What is the true identity of Cecily Cardew and how do we find this out?
3. What happens to the cucumber sandwiches that Algernon promised to his Aunt
Augusta?
4. We discussed in class that Lady Bracknell has a superficial character and that she
desires money and social position for her daughter Gwendolyn. What does Lady
Bracknell do or say in the play to lead us to this conclusion?
5. Who will Lady Bracknell seat Algernon at the table with, if they dine together, and
why does Algernon not wish to sit with her?
6. Where was Jack found as a baby? Explain how he ended up with the last name
Worthing.
7. How does Jack decide ultimately to get rid of his brother Earnest?
8. Why does Jack want to be christened ‘Earnest’?
9. Jack compares Lady Bracknell to a ‘Gorgon’. What does the word Gorgon mean, and
why would he refer to Lady Bracknell in that way?
10. What is meant by the word ‘satire’? Would you consider ‘The Importance of Being
Earnest’ a social satire? Justify your answer.