Question

COUNTY ATTORNEY (facetiously). Well, Henry, at least we found out that she was not going to quilt it. She was going to—what is it you call it, ladies!

MRS. HALE (her hand against her pocket). We call it—knot it, Mr. Henderson.

How is this excerpt an example of irony?
A) The lighthearted and humorous tone of the County Attorney is the opposite of what you would expect during a situation like this.
B) A show of interest in the quilt on the men’s behalf was a sudden twist of what would normally be expected.
C) The County Attorney appeared to be asking a question about the quilt, but he was actually asking another question entirely.
D) It appeared as though Mrs. Hale was answering the question, but she actually meant something quite different with her response.

(B is incorrect)

Answer 1

The given excerpt above from a book written by Susan Glaspell ‘Trifles’, is an example of Irony because:

D) It appeared as though Mrs. Hale was answering the question, but she actually meant something quite different with her response.

Answer 2

Dramatic irony is a literary device where the audience knows the truth or events that transpired that the characters in the story do not. Like in Trifles, we know what happened but Mrs. Hale played the innocent.

So the answer to your question is D. It seems like she was just answering the question, but the audience knows what her response really meant because we know that she is guilty.