Question

review the passage. the verbal irony is shown in bold.
grandson: a book?
grandfather: thats right. . . .
grandson: does it got any sports in it?
grandfather: are you kidding? fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles . . .
grandson: doesnt sound too bad. ill try and stay awake.
grandfather: oh. well thank you very much. very nice of you. your vote of confidence is overwhelming. all right. \the princess bride, by s. morgenstern. chapter one: buttercup was raised on a small farm in the country of florin.\
from the princess bride. copyright 1987 by 20th century fox
what is the effect of the verbal irony on the passages meaning or tone?
it demonstrates the grandfathers anger.
it highlights the grandsons lack of enthusiasm.
it illustrates how boring the story is.

Explanation:

The grandfather's words "Oh. Well thank you very much. Very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming." are ironic. The grandson says he'll "try and stay awake", showing he's not enthusiastic about the story. The grandfather's ironic response highlights this lack of enthusiasm (the grandson doesn't seem excited, so the grandfather's "thank you" and "confidence" remarks are sarcastic to point out the grandson's disinterest). The first option is wrong as he's not angry, just sarcastic. The third is wrong because the story has exciting elements (fencing, giants, etc.), so it's not boring.

Answer:

B. It highlights the grandson's lack of enthusiasm.