Question

read the excerpt from flannery oconnors \the life you save may be your own.\
\my only,\ the old woman said, \and shes the sweetest girl in the world. i wouldnt give her up for nothing on earth. shes smart too. she can sweep the floor, cook, wash, feed the chickens, and hoe. i wouldnt give her up for a casket of jewels.\
which best describes the irony of the excerpt?
○ mrs. crater asserts that lucynell can sweep, cook, feed the chickens, and hoe, but the girl also is very smart.
○ mrs. crater is describing all of her daughter’s strengths to mr. shiftlet in the hopes that he will marry lucynell.
○ mrs. crater says she values her daughter more than anything in the world, but then she gives her away for a car.
○ mrs. crater claims that she would not give her daughter away for anything, when in fact she gives her away for nothing at all.

Explanation:

Irony involves a contrast between a statement and reality. Mrs. Crater claims she wouldn’t give her daughter up for "nothing on earth" or "a casket of jewels," yet later trades her daughter for Mr. Shiftlet’s promise to fix her car (and eventually the car itself), creating a sharp contrast between her stated value and her actions. The other options do not highlight this contradictory contrast central to irony.

Answer:

Mrs. Crater says she values her daughter more than anything in the world, but then she gives her away for a car.