In which city does the opening scene take place?

• A. Paris
• B. New York
• C. Dublin
• D. London

Answer: (D)

The opening scene establishes the play’s social world and tone by placing the action in a refined London drawing-room. That urban, high-society setting is essential to Wilde’s satire of manners, where wit, appearances, and ritual shape how characters interact. Seeing Algernon in his London city home with Jack right away signals the satire of metropolitan manners and the clever, performative behavior that characterizes the whole piece.

London is the best answer because the dialogue, decor, and social cues point to a sophisticated city setting rather than a rural country house or a different country. The other locales would carry different social textures (continental salon, big-city but not London, or Irish locales), whereas Wilde uses London’s elite milieu to critique how people use hypocrisy and clever talk to navigate social expectations.