He opened the cabinet, pulled out a stack of dishes, and placed them on the counter. Just for now, he thought. He was sure he could jam the toaster into the cabinet and keep it there when he wasn’t using it. He unplugged the toaster and picked it up. A spray of crumbs fell out onto the counter. An attractive addition to his kitchen décor, Jack thought. He would clean it up in just a little bit. Meantime, he would get the toaster into the cabinet. Except that there were some glasses in the way. Jack pulled the glasses out and put them next to the stack of plates on the counter. Then he realized that the toaster was too deep to fit into the cabinet, so he put that back on the counter. He sighed, and the crumbs that had spilled from the toaster blew around. This project was certainly going well!
Jack slid the drawer open and began pulling forks, spoons, and knives from it. Soon he had a small mountain of utensils sitting next to the plates and glasses. No matter; he would rearrange them neatly soon enough. Next, he took out some wooden spoons, a spatula, and a ladle. There was no more room for them on the counter, so he laid them on top of the stack of plates.
Jack surveyed the kitchen. Where, exactly, had he planned to move everything? He couldn’t remember having a plan. He figured he’d put the plates and glasses back in the cabinet, and the utensils and cooking tools back in the drawer. He could continue to keep the toaster on the counter, though he should probably do something about all those crumbs.
He’d do it later.
The kitchen, he figured, was tidy enough for now.
Question
Use the story to answer the question.
What is ironic about the ending to the story (paragraphs 4–6)?
(1 point)
Responses
Jack decided his kitchen was clean enough even though it was messier than when he had started to tidy it.
Jack decided his kitchen was clean enough even though it was messier than when he had started to tidy it.
Jack did not have a plan to make his kitchen tidier.
Jack did not have a plan to make his kitchen tidier.
Jack knew he should clean up the crumbs on his counter.
Jack knew he should clean up the crumbs on his counter.
Jack believed that the way to tidy a kitchen was to put things away even though his things were clean.
Jack believed that the way to tidy a kitchen was to put things away even though his things were clean.
1 answer
The ironic aspect of the ending to the story is best captured by the response:
Jack decided his kitchen was clean enough even though it was messier than when he had started to tidy it.
This highlights the irony since Jack intended to organize and clean the kitchen, yet ended up creating more clutter instead.
