Question

“bertha was rather sorry to find that there were no flowers in the park. she had promised her aunts, with tears in her eyes, that she would not pick any of the kind prince’s flowers, and she had meant to keep her promise, so of course it made her feel silly to find that there were no flowers to pick.”
“why weren’t there any flowers?”
“because the pigs had eaten them all,” said the bachelor promptly. “the gardeners had told the prince that you couldn’t have pigs and flowers, so he decided to have pigs and no flowers.”
there was a murmur of approval at the excellence of the prince’s decision; so many people would have decided the other way.
—“the storyteller,”
saki
what examples of irony does saki use to create satire? check all that apply.
□ bertha feels lonely.
□ the pigs ate the flowers.
□ bertha is sad that she will not be tempted.
□ pigs are more important than flowers.
□ the children take the silly story seriously.

Explanation:

1. "Bertha is sad that she will not be tempted": Bertha promised not to pick flowers, but there are no flowers to tempt her, yet she is sad. This is ironic as her sorrow over not being tempted (when she intended to keep the promise) is unexpected.
2. "The pigs ate the flowers": The Prince chose pigs over flowers, and the pigs eating the flowers (removing the temptation for Bertha) is ironic in the context of the story's satire on values.
3. "Pigs are more important than flowers": The Prince's decision to have pigs instead of flowers (prioritizing pigs) is ironic, satirizing misplaced priorities.
4. "The children take the silly story seriously": The story has absurd elements (like choosing pigs over flowers), but the children approve the Prince's decision, showing irony in their serious acceptance of a silly situation.

"Bertha feels lonely" is not irony related to satire here.

Answer:

• Bertha is sad that she will not be tempted.
• The pigs ate the flowers.
• Pigs are more important than flowers.
• The children take the silly story seriously.