Question

read the excerpt from chapter 10 of animal farm. there was enthusiastic cheering and stamping of feet. napoleon was so gratified that he left his place and came round the table to clink his mug against mr. pilkingtons before emptying it. when the cheering had died down, napoleon, who had remained on his feet, intimated that he too had a few words to say. like all of napoleons speeches, it was short and to the point. he too, he said, was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. for a long time there had been rumours-circulated, he had reason to think, by some malignant enemy-that there was something subversive and even revolutionary in the outlook of himself and his colleagues. they had been credited with attempting to stir up rebellion among the animals on neighbouring farms. nothing could be further from the truth! which quotation best shows the use of irony? he left his place and came round the table to clink his mug against mr. pilkingtons. like all of napoleons speeches, it was short and to the point. there was something subversive and even revolutionary in the outlook of himself. nothing could be further from the truth!

Explanation:

Irony occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. In "Animal Farm", the animals initially rebelled against humans (like Mr. Pilkington) for a better life. But here, Napoleon (a pig who was part of the rebellion) is clinking mugs with Mr. Pilkington (a human), which is the opposite of what the rebellion stood for. This shows a contrast between the initial ideals (no association with humans) and the current action (friendly interaction with a human), which is ironic.

Answer:

"He left his place and came round the table to clink his mug against Mr. Pilkington’s."