Question

read the excerpt from the interview with e.y. (yip) harburg.
i was walking along the street at that time, and you’d see the bread lines. the biggest one in new york city was owned by william randolph hearst. he had a big truck with several people on it, and big cauldrons of hot soup, bread. fellows with burlap on their shoes were lined up all around columbus circle, and went for blocks and blocks around the park, waiting.
which statement explains the irony of harburg’s description of the bread line?
○ while millions of americans were suffering from the effects of poverty, hearst remained one of the wealthiest individuals of his time.
○ harburg was eating and living well while these individuals had to stand in bread lines to receive food
○ the men who were distributing the soup from the trucks did not receive any of the food themselves
○ the individuals, dressed in burlap shoes, needed new footwear more than they needed hot soup and bread

Explanation:

Irony often involves a contrast between what is expected and what occurs. Here, the bread line (for the poor) is associated with Hearst (wealthy). The contrast between widespread poverty and Hearst's wealth creates irony, as the source of the food for the impoverished is a very rich person, highlighting the inequality. The other options either lack this contrast (B: Harburg's situation isn't part of the irony in the bread line description; C: No info on distributors not getting food; D: The focus is on poverty and food, not footwear need).

Answer:

A. While millions of Americans were suffering from the effects of poverty, Hearst remained one of the wealthiest individuals of his time.