Question

read the excerpt from the interview with e y (yip) harburg.
i was walking along the street at that time, and youd see the bread lines. the biggest one in new york city was owned by william randolph hearst. he had a big truck with several people on it, and big cauldrons of hot soup, bread. fellows with burlap on their shoes were lined up all around columbus circle, and went for blocks and blocks around the park, waiting.
which statement explains the irony of harburgs description of the bread line?
while millions of americans were suffering from the effects of poverty, hearst remained one of the wealthiest individuals of his time.
harburg was eating and living well while these individuals had to stand in bread lines to receive food.
the men who were distributing the soup from the trucks did not receive any of the food themselves.
the individuals, dressed in burlap shoes, needed new footwear more than they needed hot soup and bread

Explanation:

Irony occurs when there is a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. In this case, during a time when many Americans were suffering from poverty (as shown by the bread lines), Hearst (who owned the place with the bread - line setup) was one of the wealthiest individuals. This is a situation of irony as there is a stark contrast between the poverty of the masses and the wealth of Hearst.

• For the second option, there is no indication in the text that Harburg was eating and living well.
• The third option about the men distributing soup not getting food is just a statement of fact, not irony.
• The fourth option about footwear is a mis - interpretation of the text; the burlap on shoes is likely a sign of poverty, not a focus on footwear need over food.

Answer:

While millions of Americans were suffering from the effects of poverty, Hearst remained one of the wealthiest individuals of his time.