Question

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A
Which answer choice best states the situational irony in Selection 2?
A. Creatures from a fairy tale try to help a modern store owner.
B. A store that sells security solutions has become disorganized.
C. Gnomes are more helpful to a store owner than his employees are.
D. The help a store owner wishes for turns out to be an embarrassment.
Part B
What is the most likely effect created by the situational irony identified in Part A?
A. Surprise; the reader expects that a security store would be well organized.
B. Humor; the reader expects that the gnome’s helpful actions would be welcome.
C. Surprise; the reader expects that gnomes would not be interested in helping humans.
D. Humor; the reader assumes that paid employees would work harder than fairy tale creatures.

Answer 1

Part A: C

Part B: D

Brief justification:
- A situation where mythical gnomes outperform the store's paid employees is ironic because readers expect human employees to be more reliable than fairy‑tale creatures (so the effect is comic — surprise turned into humor).