Question

4.3.3 test (cst): wrap-up: the influence of science and technology
read this passage from \harrison bergeron\ by kurt vonnegut:
\if you could just take a few out when you came home from work,\ said hazel. \i mean—you dont compete with anybody around here. you just sit around.\
\if i tried to get away with it,\ said george, \then other peopled get away with it—and pretty soon wed be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. you wouldnt like that, would you?\
which statement best explains how irony is used in the passage?

a. george prefers a society with limits rather than one that allows him to compete.

b. hazel tries to persuade her husband to break a strictly enforced law.

c. george refers to the year 2081 as the dark ages because people are unable to use their talents.

d. george is unable to use his reasoning skills because the government has handicapped him.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option A: George's statement implies he thinks a competitive society (which one would expect to be "better") is the "dark ages", while he prefers the limited society. This is ironic because typically competition is seen as positive, but he views it negatively.
• Option B: Hazel is just suggesting he take out something (likely handicaps) when home, not persuading to break a law in a way that relates to irony about the situation.
• Option C: This is a factual statement about why he calls 2081 the dark ages, not irony. Irony involves a contrast between expectation and reality, not just an explanation.
• Option D: This is a statement about his handicap, not an example of irony in the passage's context of his view on society.

So, Option A shows the irony as George prefers a limited society over a competitive one, which is contrary to what one might expect (competition being positive, but he sees it as leading to the "dark ages").

Answer:

A. George prefers a society with limits rather than one that allows him to compete.