Question

Read the excerpt from "The Storyteller."

The child moved reluctantly to the window. "Why are those sheep being driven out of that field?" he asked.

"I expect they are being driven to another field where there is more grass," said the aunt weakly.

"But there is lots of grass in that field," protested the boy; "there's nothing else but grass there. Aunt, there's lots of grass in that field."

"Perhaps the grass in the other field is better," suggested the aunt fatuously.

"Why is it better?" came the swift, inevitable question.

"Oh, look at those cows!" exclaimed the aunt. Nearly every field along the line had contained cows or bullocks, but she spoke as though she were drawing attention to a rarity.

"Why is the grass in the other field better?" persisted Cyril.

Which instances of situational irony occur in the passage? Select two options.
O"Whoever it was who had made the wager was likely to lose his bet."
O"Come over here and listen to a story.' said the aunt,
when the bachelor had looked twice at her and once
at the communication cord."
O"The children moved listlessly towards the aunt's end of the carriage.
O The aunt expects the boy to accept her explanations, but he does not.
O The aunt expects the boy to be interested in the cows, but he is not.

Answer 1

The situational irony in "The Storyteller" arises because Cyril does not accept his aunt's weak explanations about the sheep, and he is not distracted by cows despite her expectation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The instances of situational irony in the excerpt from "The Storyteller" occur when the boy, Cyril, continually questions his aunt's explanations about the sheep and the grass. Despite her attempts to invent satisfactory answers, Cyril does not accept the weak explanations provided by his aunt.

Moreover, the aunt expects Cyril's interest to be diverted by a distraction, the cows, which ironically, had been commonplace in the fields they passed.

Ironic expectations play a crucial role here as the aunt expects her explanations to be enough for Cyril, and she also anticipates Cyril to be distracted by the cows. However, the outcomes are quite different from her expectations, elevating the situational irony present in this interaction.