Examples of Irony

Which of the following best describes verbal irony?

• when a twist ending of a story involves character dialogue

• when the result of an event contradicts the expected outcome

• when the audience knows something the main character does not

• when words are used to mean the opposite of their literal meaning

In a horror movie, the audience sees a monster enter the house while a family quietly eats dinner. Which type of irony is this?

• verbal irony

• dramatic irony

• situational irony

Irony is a literary device, but irony can also occur in real life with no author at all. While authors plan the use of irony in books, short stories and movie scripts, everyday events may just happen to unfold in an ironic way. In most cases, real life irony is situational irony. When a mismatched juxtaposition of expectation and reality occurs, that particular situation could be described as ironic. For example, a driving instructor who never learned how to parallel park or the fact that James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, had a losing record as a coach. Which of the following statements best expresses the central idea of the passage?

• Irony is a literary device used to create a mismatch between expectation and reality that does not apply to real life.

• Irony is both a literary device and a way to describe a set of circumstances in which expectations do not match reality.

• Irony is a literary device used by authors to add humor to their work and keep their audience engaged and invested.

• Two examples of irony are a driving instructor who never learned to parallel park and James Naismith's losing coaching record.

In the movie "Toy Story," human characters are not aware that the toys speak and move but the audience is.

• Verbal Irony

• Situational Irony

• Dramatic Irony

• None of the above

Irony is a literary ________ authors use to keep readers engaged.

• device

• genre

• symbol

• element

The name of the town "Summit" being flat as a flannel cake is and example of what?

• Verbal irony

• Situational irony

• Dramatic irony

• Edible irony

Which of the following best describes situational irony?

• A) when a character says something but means the opposite

• B) when the audience knows something the characters do not

• C) when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what was expected

• D) when a character's actions have the opposite effect of what was intended

In the story of 'The Gift of the Magi,' a couple sells their most prized possessions to buy gifts for each other, only to find the gifts are now useless. What type of irony is this?

• A) Verbal irony

• B) Situational irony

• C) Dramatic irony

• D) Cosmic irony

Which of the following is an example of dramatic irony?

• A) A fire station burns down

• B) A character in a play is unaware of a secret the audience knows

• C) A teacher fails a test

• D) A pilot has a fear of heights

In literature, irony is often used to create humor or emphasize a point. Which of the following sentences is an example of verbal irony?

• A) 'What a beautiful day,' she said, as it poured rain outside.

• B) The police station gets robbed.

• C) A plumber's house has leaky pipes.

• D) A pilot is afraid of flying.