Part 1: A Comedy of Manners: The Importance of Being Earnest — Quiz
Question 9 • English Language Arts 12
Read the excerpt from Act I of The Importance of Being Earnest . Algernon: [Languidly.] I don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane. Lane: No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself. Algernon: Very natural, I am sure. That will do, Lane, thank you. Lane: Thank you, sir. [Lane goes out.] Algernon: Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility. How does Wilde use this conversation to poke fun at the class divisions of his day?
Answer
A
Algernon excuses his servant after Lane provides refreshments, and the two men chat about marriage and family life.
B
Lane lectures Algernon about his disrespectful attitude.
C
Lane defends marriage while Algernon jokes about it.
D
Algernon holds his servant to an unreasonable standard because he expects the lower classes to be good examples for the upper class.
Explanation
Algernon treats Lane’s private views as evidence about the entire lower class, even though he has just said he is not interested in Lane’s family life. He ironically expects servants to provide moral examples for the upper classes while speaking dismissively about them. This hypocrisy pokes fun at the class divisions of Wilde’s day, so D is correct.
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