Question
Just after we turned 16, my best friend and I got jobs
at our favorite shoe store. On our first day we were
in the storage room, gazing up at the racks of
merchandise we would spend the next several
weeks hauling out to the floor for customers.
My friend promptly knocked a cart into the rack and
sent a small stack of boxes careening into the wall.
He moved to clean up the mess, but I quickly
stopped him. On the way in, he’d nearly tripped over
his own feet. Enough was enough.
“Please, let me,” I said. “You’re having a clumsy day.
Let’s not make things worse.”
He laughed as I picked the boxes up and spun to put
them back on the shelf. But as I spun, my hip caught
the cart hard. It bounced into the rack again—and
this time, the rack collapsed entirely. Boxes tumbled,
shoes went everywhere, and soon we were staring
at a huge mess.
“At least we didn’t make it worse,” my friend said.
“That would have been bad.”
A)
Use the story excerpt to answer the question.
What narrative technique does the writer use
to create an effect?
(1 point)
figurative language
dramatic irony
vivid description
verbal irony
at our favorite shoe store. On our first day we were
in the storage room, gazing up at the racks of
merchandise we would spend the next several
weeks hauling out to the floor for customers.
My friend promptly knocked a cart into the rack and
sent a small stack of boxes careening into the wall.
He moved to clean up the mess, but I quickly
stopped him. On the way in, he’d nearly tripped over
his own feet. Enough was enough.
“Please, let me,” I said. “You’re having a clumsy day.
Let’s not make things worse.”
He laughed as I picked the boxes up and spun to put
them back on the shelf. But as I spun, my hip caught
the cart hard. It bounced into the rack again—and
this time, the rack collapsed entirely. Boxes tumbled,
shoes went everywhere, and soon we were staring
at a huge mess.
“At least we didn’t make it worse,” my friend said.
“That would have been bad.”
A)
Use the story excerpt to answer the question.
What narrative technique does the writer use
to create an effect?
(1 point)
figurative language
dramatic irony
vivid description
verbal irony
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The writer uses **verbal irony** to create an effect in the story. This is evident when the friend says, "At least we didn’t make it worse," after they have just caused a significant mess, highlighting the contrast between the statement and the reality of the situation.