Read this passage from "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury:The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left, wasn't that correct? Ever since a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one. Crime was ebbing; there was no need now for the police, save for this one lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets.Which statement best explains how irony is used in the passage?A.If people stayed inside, there would be less crime and no need for police.B.During an election year, a city agrees to reduce its police force by 200 percent.C.There is only one police patrol car to serve a city of three million people.D.Even though the people stayed in their houses, the city still held elections.

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 don't compete with anybody around here. You just sit around.""If I tried to get away with it," said George, "then other people'd get away with it—and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?"Which statement best explains how irony is used in the passage?A.George refers to the year 2081 as the dark ages because people are unable to use their talents.B.George prefers a society with limits rather than one that allows him to compete.C.Hazel tries to persuade her husband to break a strictly enforced law.D.George is unable to use his reasoning skills because the government has handicapped him.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Which science fiction premise is the best example of irony?A.The desire to keep people secure leads to a future in which terrorism has been eradicated.B.The desire to decrease prejudice leads to a future in which "race" no longer exists as a concept.C.The desire to improve education leads to a future in which nearly all citizens have advanced degrees.D.The desire to make people safe leads to a future in which everyone is confined to their beds.

Read this passage from "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury:Was that a murmur of laughter from within a moonwhite house? He hesitated, but went on when nothing more happened. He stumbled over a particularly uneven section of sidewalk. The cement was vanishing under flowers and grass. In ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time.Which sentence best describes the overall impact of the setting?A.The cement being overtaken by flowers and grass implies that the sidewalks are no longer maintained.B.The fact that the man's house is the only one lit in the city suggests that something is wrong with society.C.The man's hesitation after hearing laughter suggests that he is overly cautious.D.The words "laughter" and "stumbled" convey a disturbing and eerie tone.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read the following excerpt from "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury:The street was silent and long and empty, with only his shadow moving like the shadow of a hawk in midcountry. If he closed his eyes and stood very still, frozen, he could imagine himself upon the center of a plain, a wintry, windless Arizona desert with no house in a thousand miles, and only dry river beds, the streets, for company.Which statement best explains how the setting affects the meaning of the story?A.The empty streets suggest that something is terribly wrong with society.B.The reference to "dry river beds" conveys a feeling of nostalgia for the Wild West.C.The motif of water and ice conveys the character's shifting feelings about being alone.D.The character's thoughts about Arizona suggest that he prefers the cold, snowy weather.

Read this passage from "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury:He would stand upon the corner of an intersection and peer down long moonlit avenues of sidewalk in four directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone, and with a final decision made, a path selected, he would stride off, sending patterns of frosty air before him like the smoke of a cigar.Which sentence best describes the overall impact of the setting?A.The absence of people suggests that something is very wrong with society.B.The many weeds in the pavement imply that the sidewalks are no longer maintained.C.The man's breath is compared to cigar smoke, which is a simile.D.The man's halt at the intersection suggests that he has a contemplative nature.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS