Read the excerpt from Act I of The Importance of Being Earnest . Jack: Gwendolen, will you marry me? [Goes on his knees.] Gwendolen: Of course I will, darling. How long you have been about it! I am afraid you have had very little experience in how to propose. Jack: My own one, I have never loved any one in the world but you. Gwendolen: Yes, but men often propose for practice. I know my brother Gerald does. All my girl-friends tell me so. How does this dialogue poke fun at a society that takes marriage too lightly?
Answer
A
Jack is joking about his marriage proposal.
B
Gwendolen says that her brother proposes to all her friends.
C
Gwendolen is happy that Jack has finally asked her to marry him.
D
Jack tells Gwendolen that he loves no one else.
Explanation
Gwendolen says that men sometimes propose “for practice,” and that her brother Gerald does this, according to her friends. Treating proposals as practice makes marriage seem casual rather than serious. Choice B best captures this idea, though the excerpt doesn’t literally say Gerald proposes to every one of her friends.
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