Read the excerpt from "The Storyteller."

Question

The smaller girl created a diversion by beginning to recite "On the Road to Mandalay.” She only knew the first line, but she put her limited knowledge to the fullest possible use. She repeated the line over and over again in a dreamy but resolute and very audible voice; it seemed to the bachelor as though some one had had a bet with her that she could not repeat the line aloud two thousand times without stopping. Whoever it was who had made the wager was likely to lose his bet.

"Come over here and listen to a story,” said the aunt, when the bachelor had looked twice at her and once at the communication cord.

The children moved listlessly towards the aunt’s end of the carriage. Evidently her reputation as a storyteller did not rank high in their estimation.

In a low, confidential voice, interrupted at frequent intervals by loud, petulant questionings from her listeners, she began an unenterprising and deplorably uninteresting story about a little girl who was good, and made friends with every one on account of her goodness, and was finally saved from a mad bull by a number of rescuers who admired her moral character.

Which instances of situational irony occur in the passage? Select two options.

“Whoever it was who had made the wager was likely to lose his bet.”
“‘Come over here and listen to a story,’ said the aunt, when the bachelor had looked twice at her and once at the communication cord.”
“The children moved listlessly towards the aunt’s end of the carriage.”
“Evidently her reputation as a story-teller did not rank high in their estimation.”
“In a low, confidential voice, interrupted at frequent intervals by loud, petulant questionings from her listeners, she began an unenterprising and deplorably uninteresting story about a little girl who was good.”

Answer 1

The two instances of situational irony in the passage are:

1. “Evidently her reputation as a story-teller did not rank high in their estimation.” - This statement suggests that despite her role as a storyteller, the children do not regard her stories highly, which is ironic given that she is expected to be engaging and entertaining.

2. “In a low, confidential voice, interrupted at frequent intervals by loud, petulant questionings from her listeners, she began an unenterprising and deplorably uninteresting story about a little girl who was good.” - The irony here lies in the expectation that a storyteller would capture the audience's attention, yet the story she tells is boring and uninteresting, leading to interruptions from the listeners rather than engagement.

These two examples highlight the contrast between expectations of storytelling and the reality of the children's reaction and the nature of the story itself.