Final answer:
The term associated with the Victorian era's emphasis on social manners and domestic propriety is D) Etiquette. It involved a set of rules on conduct, dress, and politeness that indicated one's class and status, and adherence to these rules was crucial for maintaining social standing during this time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term most closely associated with the Victorians' sense of domestic propriety and social manners is D) Etiquette. Victorianism, named after Queen Victoria, was a cultural era where the bourgeoisie's norms became prevalent, particularly in the second half of the nineteenth century.
The Victorian ideal valued security, class distinction, and an ethos where socio-economic status was seen as a reflection of one's moral character. This period was characterized by strict social codes and moral expectations, especially within the domestic sphere. Within this context, etiquette encompassed the complex rules of conduct in society concerning dress, behaviors at the table, politeness, and other interactions that indicated one's class and status, breaches of which could lead to social censure.
Victorianism encompassed a belief in the moral dichotomy of good and evil in individuals, and the wealthy often saw their status as evidence of ethical virtue. As a result, etiquette became an integral part of maintaining and displaying one's social standing, which was ingrained in the very fabric of Victorian culture.
This culture was also marked by changing gender roles and the emergence of the 'Cult of Domesticity,' where women were expected to uphold principles of purity, submission, and domesticity, all of which were articulated through and enforced by strict adherence to etiquette.