Mr. Pilkington, of Foxwood, had stood up, his mug in his hand. In a moment, he said, he would ask the present company to drink a toast. But before doing so, there were a few words that he felt it incumbent upon him to say.

Question

It was a source of great satisfaction to him, he said—and, he was sure, to all others present—to feel that a long period of mistrust and misunderstanding had now come to an end. There had been a time—not that he, or any of the present company, had shared such sentiments—but there had been a time when the respected proprietors of Animal Farm had been regarded, he would not say with hostility, but perhaps with a certain measure of misgiving, by their human neighbours. Unfortunate incidents had occurred, mistaken ideas had been current. It had been felt that the existence of a farm owned and operated by pigs was somehow abnormal and was liable to have an unsettling effect in the neighbourhood. Too many farmers had assumed, without due enquiry, that on such a farm a spirit of licence and indiscipline would prevail. They had been nervous about the effects upon their own animals, or even upon their human employees. But all such doubts were now dispelled. Today he and his friends had visited Animal Farm and inspected every inch of it with their own eyes, and what did they find? Not only the most up-to-date methods, but a discipline and an orderliness which should be an example to all farmers everywhere. He believed that he was right in saying that the lower animals on Animal Farm did more work and received less food than any animals in the county. Indeed, he and his fellow-visitors today had observed many features which they intended to introduce on their own farms immediately.

Which statement best describes how dramatic irony is used in this passage?

The reader knows that the human neighbors plan to destroy Animal Farm.
The reader knows that Mr. Pilkington is praising a flawed and brutal system.
The reader knows that the information Mr. Pilkington shares about the farm is incorrect.
The readers know that the conditions at Animal Farm are not what Mr. Pilkington had expected.

Answer 1

The statement that best describes how dramatic irony is used in this passage is:

The reader knows that the information Mr. Pilkington shares about the farm is incorrect.

This is because, while Mr. Pilkington is praising the operations of Animal Farm, the reader is aware of the realities of life on the farm, including the exploitation and suffering of the animals, which contradicts his claims of orderliness and productivity. This creates a sense of dramatic irony, as the audience understands the true conditions while the characters in the passage remain oblivious.