Question

stopping it. i buried my hands in my pockets and put my head down. i’d rather starve than steal. i mean, we’re all going to die — and pretty soon from the looks of it. i might as well know that at least i lived honestly.

“freeze. state your business.”

it was a police megaphone.

“uh . . . just heading to my sister’s to see if everyone is o.k.”

the megaphone remained on. “why isn’t he running?” “looks suspicious.” “let’s take him in.”

what is one way the author uses irony to convey her message?

○ a. by having the narrator refuse to loot, she shows that moral integrity can survive in a chaotic environment.

○ b. by having extreme rationing result in looting, she shows that people will fight to survive against all odds.

○ c. by having the innocent narrator arrested, she shows that the society is very dysfunctional.

○ d. by having the police arrest the narrator without further explanation, she shows that those in power are corrupt.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The narrator refusing to loot shows moral integrity, but this is more about moral strength in chaos rather than irony. Irony involves a contrast between expectation and reality, and this option doesn't highlight such a contrast.
• Option B: Extreme rationing leading to looting is a logical consequence of survival, not irony. It's a cause - effect relationship without the element of unexpected contrast.
• Option C: The narrator is innocent (just going to check on his sister) but is arrested. The expectation is that the police would act justly, but here an innocent person is arrested, creating a contrast (irony) that shows the society is dysfunctional as the justice system (represented by the police) is not working properly.
• Option D: The police arresting without further explanation could be seen as hasty, but the idea of "corrupt" is not well - supported. The main irony here is about the innocence of the narrator and the unjust arrest, which is better captured by option C in terms of showing a dysfunctional society.

Answer:

C. By having the innocent narrator arrested, she shows that the society is very dysfunctional.