Question

Which of the following is an example of situational irony?
A) The cat ran away from the dog.
B) She told everyone what a beautiful day it was.
C) A vampire has a cross in his house.
D) Penny is beautiful.

Answer 1

Hint: Irony refers to an illustration where one thing seems to be true yet the opposite is truly true. In literature and in several forms this sort of contradiction regularly emerges. There are three major types of irony: Dramatic Irony, Verbal Irony and Situational Irony.

Complete answer:
Situational irony is a sort of irony as a literary device, in which something happens that is unusual or the opposite of what should happen. It is further divided into Cosmic irony, Poetic Irony, Structural Irony and Historical Irony.

Situational irony may also occur outside of the literary realm when paradoxical, unanticipated events and circumstances occur in daily life. Some frequent examples of situational irony are as follows:
1. A carpenter that can’t cut wood.
2. Searching everywhere for your goggles when it’s in your hair.

Now let’s look at the given options:
Option A) The cat ran away from the dog: Here we know that cats and dogs do not tolerate each other and cats usually avoid dogs on their path as they run away when they see a dog. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Option B) She told everyone what a beautiful day it was: Here we can see that it is a normal situation where a girl is telling others about the day that it was beautiful, there is nothing to contradict. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Option C) A vampire has a cross in his house: Here the given situation is opposite to what was expected. As for where a vampire lives, there can’t be a cross because vampires cannot tolerate the cross but here the situation is unexpected. Therefore, this option is correct.

Option D) Penny is beautiful: Here we can see that it is a normal situation where it is said that a penny is beautiful, there is nothing to contradict. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Therefore, we can conclude that the correct option is ‘C’ i.e, A vampire has a cross in his house.

Note: In a literary work, when authors construct an ironic position, readers may grasp the difference between appearance and reality within the limits of the literature. Often, this experience gives the reader an insight into the main subject or objective of the work.

Some of the humour irony:
i) A marriage counsellor files for divorce.
This is ironic because the expectation is that a professional who coaches couples through rough patches would herself have a strong marriage.
ii) The police station gets robbed.
Again, the expectation is that professional crime fighters would be able to help themselves; in this case, by securing their own station.