Which factor best explains why the end of the play's marriages feels socially legitimate?

• A. Revelations about lineage and social status.
• B. The couples' mutual affection overrides all social distinctions.
• C. A royal decree formalizes the unions.
• D. Wealth alone determines compatibility.

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how social legitimacy for marriages in the play hinges on who the characters belong to and their family background. Wilde builds the tension around whether the couples can be accepted by the social circle that matters, and the key turn is the revelation of rightful lineage and status. When it’s shown that Jack has a legitimate place in the aristocracy and that both couples come from or connect to respectable families, the objections cast by the more conservative characters melt away. That acknowledgment of proper lineage makes the unions feel sanctioned by society, even as the play has mocked those same social rules.

The other possibilities don’t fit as well. A royal decree doesn’t occur, and wealth alone isn’t enough to grant legitimacy in this context. Mutual affection is present and important, but it isn’t what ultimately makes the marriages socially acceptable in the eyes of the characters who hold the power to approve them.