Question

literary / text elementsdramatic ironydramatic irony is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows to be true. dramatic irony gets the audience involved, and it creates tension and suspense as the audience waits for the character to learn the truth.playwrights and other writers use a variety of comic conventions to create works for the stage. this chart describes two common comic conventions.comic convention: | effects: | example:comic relief is the introduction of a comic situation or a comic character after a series of tragic or serious events. | it lightens the mood and relieves tension. | a clown jokes with a king after the king has lost his kingdom.a pun is a play on words. some puns use one word with two different meanings. others use two words that sound alike but have different meanings. | it creates humor. it may show that a character is educated and witty (if aware of the pun) or naïve (if unaware of the pun). | today, our mayor will seal the deal on the new aquapark.the shoemaker puts heart and sole into his work.directions: read each example. then, identify whether the example describes or illustrates dramatic irony (d), comic relief (c), or pun (p) by writing d, c, or p on the line.1. ____ ned decides not to get up from the couch to get the tv remote control. “it’s too remote,” he says.2. __ during a job interview at n-colm corp., the interviewers tell jack they will call right away if they decide to hire him. in the next scene, after jack has left, the interviewers agree to make jack an offer. back at home, jack doesn’t realize that his phone battery has died, so he can’t receive calls. he thinks that the interview had gone badly and he won’t get the job. when he finally charges his phone, he is relieved to see three messages from n-colm corp.3. __ several members of a band are arguing over their setlist for an upcoming concert. the mood grows increasingly tense until one of the band member’s dogs walks into the room carrying a half-eaten slice of pizza. the band takes one look at the dog and bursts out laughing.4. __ while observing fish in a pond, elle tells her young son ben that she thinks fish are the smartest creatures. “why?” ben asks. “because,” elle replies, “they live in schools.”5. ____ in a children’s book, two clocks spend the entire night talking. as dawn approaches, one clock says to the other, “if i make a buzzing noise shortly, don’t be alarmed.”

Explanation:

1. Ned uses the word "remote" with two meanings: the TV device and the distance from it, which is a pun.
2. The audience knows the interviewers will hire Jack, but Jack thinks he failed, fitting dramatic irony.
3. A tense band argument is broken by a silly dog moment, which is comic relief to lighten tension.
4. Elle uses "schools" to mean both fish groups and educational institutions, which is a pun.
5. The clock uses "alarmed" to mean both startled and the clock's alarm sound, which is a pun.

Answer:

1. P
2. D
3. C
4. P
5. P