Question

read the excerpt from \the storyteller.\ the smaller girl created a diversion by beginning to recite \on the road to mandalay.\ she only knew the first line, but she put her limited knowledge to the fullest possible use. she repeated the line over and over again in a dreamy but resolute and very audible voice; it seemed to the bachelor as though some one had had a bet with her that she could not repeat the line aloud two thousand times without stopping. whoever it was who had made the wager was likely to lose his bet. \come over here and listen to a story,\ said the aunt, when the bachelor had looked twice at her and once at the communication cord. the children moved listlessly towards the aunt’s end of the carriage. evidently her reputation as a storyteller did not rank high in their estimation. which instances of situational irony occur in the passage? select two options. □ \whoever it was who had made the wager was likely to lose his bet.\ □ \come over here and listen to a story,\ said the aunt, when the bachelor had looked twice at her and once at the communication cord. □ \the children moved listlessly towards the aunt’s end of the carriage.\ □ \evidently her reputation as a story - teller did not rank high in their estimation.\ □ \in a low, confidential voice, interrupted at frequent intervals by loud, petulant questionings from her listeners, she began an unenterprising and... about a little girl who...

Explanation:

To identify situational irony, we look for instances where there's a contrast between expected and actual outcomes or actions.

1. For the option "Whoever it was who had made the wager was likely to lose his bet": The girl is repeating the line resolutely, so the one who bet she couldn't repeat it 2000 times is likely to lose, which is ironic as the wager's outcome is opposite to what the bettor might have expected.
2. For the option "In a low, confidential voice, interrupted at frequent intervals by loud, petulant questionings from her listeners, she began an unenterprising and deplorably uninteresting story about a little girl who...": The aunt tries to tell a story in a confidential voice, but the listeners (children) interrupt with loud questions, and the story is uninteresting, creating irony between her attempt to tell a story and the actual reception (uninterested, interrupting listeners) and the quality of the story. The other options do not show situational irony: the aunt asking to listen to a story is a normal request, and children moving listlessly is just their attitude, not irony.

Answer:

A. Whoever it was who had made the wager was likely to lose his bet.
E. In a low, confidential voice, interrupted at frequent intervals by loud, petulant questionings from her listeners, she began an unenterprising and deplorably uninteresting story about a little girl who...