Question

irony, sarcasm, and paradox quick check

1. janelle ran the half - block from the subway station to the office. thank you very much, subway, janelle thought. thanks for picking today, of all days, to get stuck for twenty - six minutes. that was very considerate of you. thanks for picking the very day i have a new supervisor coming to work, someone i really want to impress.
2. she had risen before daylight that morning, planning to arrive to work even earlier than usual. she had planned to be at her desk, already hard at work, when the new supervisor arrived. and now here she was, prompt, predictable janelle, running late for the first time in her life.
3. janelle entered the building and hurried to the elevator. a small crowd stood waiting for it. no, she decided, too slow. she would take the stairs, all sixteen floors of them. there was no time to waste.
4. by the time janelle reached her floor, she was out of breath. she sprinted to her desk and threw herself into her chair.
5. her coworker mark leaned over from the next desk.
6. “hi, janelle,” he said. “everything okay? ive never known you to be even a minute late.”
7. “im fine,” she said, busying herself with her computer. “has the new supervisor come around yet?”
8. “the new supervisor?” mark asked. “you mean the one starting next monday?”
9. “next monday?” asked janelle. “you mean a week from today?”
10. “yes,” said mark. “its right here on the calendar.” he peered at janelle. “you didnt think it was today, did you?”
11. “oh, no,” said janelle. “of course not. i would never make such a silly mistake.”

use the story to answer the question
why are the italicized lines in the first paragraph ironic? (1 point)
the reader does not expect janelle to be thinking anything
it is unexpected that janelle is taking the subway to work
the reader knows something that janelle does not
janelles words are the opposite of what she means.

Explanation:

Irony occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. In the first - paragraph, Janelle is frustrated about being stuck in the subway on a day when she has a new supervisor coming, but it turns out she was wrong about the supervisor's start - date. Her words expressing frustration about the subway delay on an important day are ironic because the importance of the day was a misperception. So, her words are the opposite of what she really means in the context of the actual situation.

Answer:

Janelle's words are the opposite of what she means.