Question

read the excerpt from the storyteller.
\were there any sheep in the park?\ demanded cyril.

o,\ said the bachelor, \there were no sheep.\
\why werent there any sheep?\ came the inevitable question arising out of that answer.
the aunt permitted herself a smile, which might almost have been described as a grin.
\there were no sheep in the park,\ said the bachelor, \because the princes mother had once had a dream that her son would either be killed by a sheep or else by a clock falling on him. for that reason the prince never kept a sheep in his park or a clock in his palace.\
which statement best explains the situation in the passage?
○ cyril expects there to be sheep in the park, but there are not.
○ the aunt hopes that the bachelor cannot answer cyril’s questions, but he can.
○ the prince’s mother fears that her son will be killed by a sheep, but he is not.
○ the bachelor wants the children to listen quietly, but cyril asks a question.

Explanation:

Situational irony occurs when there is a contrast between expectation and reality. The prince's mother feared he would be killed by a sheep or a falling clock, so the prince never kept either—but the fear itself was based on a dream, making the extreme precaution irrational and ironic.

Answer:

The prince's mother fears that her son will be killed by a sheep, but he is not.