Which pair is directly connected to the plan to substitute Vincentio?

• A. Tranio and a merchant
• B. Petruchio and Grumio
• C. Hortensio and Biondello
• D. Kate and Vincentio

Answer: (A)

Deception through disguise and substitution drives this moment. In Padua, Lucentio and his servant Tranio hat an intricate ruse to present Lucentio as the son of a wealthy man named Vincentio, even though the real Vincentio isn’t present. To make that claim believable, they enlist a merchant to pose as Vincentio and accompany Lucentio’s pretend father to Baptista’s house. Tranio coordinates this plan, using the merchant’s impersonation to convince Baptista that Lucentio truly comes from a wealthy lineage, which smooths the path for Lucentio’s courtship of Bianca.

So the direct connection to substituting Vincentio is the collaboration between Tranio and a merchant who will impersonate Vincentio. The other pairs are involved in different strands of the plot—Petruchio and Grumio with Petruchio’s own household schemes, Hortensio and Biondello in separate disguises and schemes, or Kate and Vincentio who aren’t part of the substitution plan.