Which couples are formed by the end of the play, and what makes their unions socially acceptable?

• A. Jack Worthing and Gwendolen Fairfax; Algernon Moncrieff and Cecily Cardew; Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble; Their unions are sanctioned by revelations about lineage and social status.
• B. Jack and Gwendolen only; others remain unmarried; social norms are ignored.
• C. Algernon and Gwendolen; Jack and Cecily; All are based on love alone.
• D. Jack Worthing and Gwendolen Fairfax; Algernon Moncrieff and Cecily Cardew; Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble; Their unions are sanctioned by revealed lineage and social status.

Answer: (D)

This question tests how Wilde uses social status and family connections to determine which marriages feel proper by the play’s end. Three marriages occur: Jack Worthing with Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon Moncrieff with Cecily Cardew, and Miss Prism with Canon Chasuble. The reason this setup works is that new information about who these characters truly belong to—with Jack’s legitimate lineage established and Miss Prism’s past relationship to the family clarified—removes the social obstacles to their unions. Jack is revealed to be the rightful heir, connected to Lady Bracknell’s circle, which makes his engagement to Gwendolen socially acceptable. With that legitimacy in place, the other unions also fit into the social order Wilde satirizes; Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble’s engagement is sanctioned as their statuses align with the established hierarchy, and Algernon and Cecily’s pairing sits comfortably within the same social world once all the true identities are revealed. In short, the unions are acceptable not merely because of love, but because the revealed lineage and social standing support these marriages within the values Wilde pokes fun at.