Question

read the excerpt from chapter 10 of animal farm. 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. 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 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.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option based on the concept of dramatic irony (where the audience/reader knows more than the characters).

• Option 1: The passage doesn't indicate the human neighbors plan to destroy Animal Farm. Eliminate.
• Option 2: In Animal Farm, the farm's system (under the pigs) is flawed and brutal (e.g., inequality, oppression), but Mr. Pilkington praises it. The reader knows this flaw, creating dramatic irony.
• Option 3: The passage doesn't suggest Mr. Pilkington’s information about the farm is incorrect. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The passage doesn't focus on Mr. Pilkington’s expectations vs. reality at the farm. Eliminate.

Answer:

B. The reader knows that Mr. Pilkington is praising a flawed and brutal system.