Question

read the passage. select the detail that best shows the authors use of situational irony. detective maxine stone had proven herself to be a master at finding what others could not. lost clues, hidden trails, missing suspects—nothing escaped her sharp eye and relentless determination. tonight, she had lived up to her legend by capturing violet \the spider\ harper, a kidnapper who had evaded justice for months. as stone secured the handcuffed harper in the back of her squad car, camera flashes lit up the night, and reporters shouted questions from behind the makeshift barricades. anxious to give the reporters a show, stone winked and gave a confident wave as she slid into the drivers seat. but when she reached for the ignition, she froze. her hands searched the console, the seat, her pockets—still nothing. where on earth were her keys? stone tried to keep her cool, but harper, surprised by the delay, noticed her distress. the thief cracked a wide grin. \why arent we moving, detective? are we there already?\ he said with a wry chuckle.

Explanation:

Situational irony occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. In this passage, Detective Maxine Stone is known for being extremely good at finding things (lost clues, hidden trails, missing suspects). However, after a successful capture, she can't find her car keys. This is ironic because we expect someone so good at finding things to not lose something as important as her car keys.

Answer:

The detail "Her hands searched the console, the seat, her pockets—still nothing. Where on Earth were her keys?" best shows the author's use of situational irony.