Question

review the passage. the verbal irony is shown in bold.

as i started forward practically the whole population of the quarter flocked out of the houses and followed me. they had seen the rifle and were all shouting excitedly that i was going to shoot the elephant. they had not shown much interest in the elephant when he was merely ravaging their homes, but it was different now that he was going to be shot. it was a bit of fun to them, as it would be to an english crowd; besides they wanted the meat.

from george orwell, \shooting an elephant.\ copyright 1946 by george orwell
what is the effect of the verbal irony on the passages meaning or tone?

it asserts that the people respect the authors
authority.

it implies that the people are more interested in
entertainment than their own homes.

it suggests that the people dont understand how
destructive elephants are.

Explanation:

To determine the effect of verbal irony, analyze the bolded text: the people showed little interest when the elephant ravaged their homes but became excited when it was to be shot (for fun/meat).

• The first option is incorrect: The crowd’s interest in the elephant being shot (for entertainment/meat) doesn’t show respect for the author’s authority.
• The second option is correct: The irony highlights that they cared more about the “fun” of the elephant being shot (and getting meat) than their homes being ravaged, implying they prioritize entertainment over their own homes.
• The third option is incorrect: The passage shows they knew the elephant was destructive (it ravaged homes) but were uninterested then, so it’s not about misunderstanding destructiveness.

Answer:

It implies that the people are more interested in entertainment than their own homes.