Final answer:
The option that does not characterize the opening of the A section of Haydn's Surprise Symphony is b. dramatic minor-key theme, played fortissimo. Instead, the theme is played in a major key with regular phrases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking which option does not characterize the opening of the A section of the second movement of Haydn's Surprise Symphony. The correct answer is b. dramatic minor-key theme, played fortissimo. The Symphony No. 94, known as the Surprise Symphony, features a second movement that is famous for its unexpected fortissimo chord at the end of the otherwise soft and gentle theme. However, the opening of the A section itself is characterized by a sweet melody played in a major key with a sudden loud chord to create the 'surprise' effect, rather than a dramatic minor-key theme played fortissimo.
The other options do describe the opening of the A section: the pizzicato strings do outline a triad (option a), the theme is indeed duple-meter and folklike (option c), and there are regular phrases which are each repeated (option d).