Question

Identify the type of irony in the following example:
A mean old man ate a large meal at a restaurant. The waitress tried to provide him with excellent service, but every time she brought him a dish, he complained. First he thought that the soup was too cold when it was hot. Then he said that his chicken steak was dry and chewy, when it was moist and succulent. Then he complained that one of her brown hairs was in his mashed potatoes, but the hair was actually grey like his own. She remained patient and continued to try to help him until the end of the meal, when he left her a a rupee for a tip. She replied on his way out, "Thank you for the generous tip, Mister."

• A. Situational Irony
• B. Verbal Irony
• C. Dramatic Irony
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Verbal Irony

Irony is a figure of speech or literary device in which what actually happens is completely different or opposite from the reader or audience's expectations.
Option B is correct. Verbal Irony shows a contrast between what is said and what is meant. In the given example, a waitress provides an old man with excellent service only for him to complain constantly about things that he made up and leave her only a rupee as a tip. Clearly the waitress knows that the customer has treated her unfairly, and yet, she thanks him for the "generous tip". She says this, but what she means is quite the opposite. There is verbal irony.

Option A is incorrect. Situational irony occurs when the actual result of a situation is totally different (often, the complete opposite) from what the audience expect the result to be. While the example does present a situation, it is not the situation that is ironic (the customer has consistently been rude throughout the scenario), but what the waitress says that is.

Option C is incorrect. Dramatic Irony is often found when the audience is aware of something that the character is not. For example, the audience watches the villain of a movie enter the main character's empty house and hide in a dark room. Then the main character walks into the house, not knowing the villain is hiding there. But the audience does. It is ironic because the audience knows more than the character. In the given question, there is no audience or reader. Moreover, there is no way an audience could have known what would happen.

Option D is incorrect as the answer lies in B.