Nhận biết (M1)

The following text is from Richard B. Sheridan's 1777 satirical play The School for Scandal. Maria, Lady Sneerwell, and Joseph Surface are discussing their mutual acquaintance Sir Benjamin Backbite.

MARIA: [Sir Benjamin] has done nothing—but his conversation is a perpetual libel on all his acquaintance.

SURFACE: Aye and the worst of it is there is no advantage in not knowing him, for he'll abuse a stranger just as soon as his best friend—and [his uncle] is as bad.

SNEERWELL: Nay but we should make allowance. Sir Benjamin is a wit and a poet.

MARIA: For my part—I own madam—wit loses its respect with me, when I see it in company with malice. What do you think, Mr. Surface?

SURFACE: Certainly, madam, to smile at the jest which plants a thorn on another's breast is to become a principal in the mischief.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

• A.

  It presents a position that seems to support the stance of one character and undermine that of another.

• B.

  It contrasts the point of view of one character with that of another through the use of figurative language.

• C.

  It illustrates and expands on one character's definition of a term that was discussed earlier in the text.

• D.

  It appears to offer an explanation for the behavior of the character who is the topic of conversation in the text.