Irony: what you expect and what happens

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Tidy Talk (original story)

   [1] Jun was the proudest member of the Neat Desk Club, so the club asked Jun to give a short talk called “How to Never Lose Anything.” [2] Jun practiced for a week, using color-coded index cards that listed every tip in order. [3] On the morning of the talk, Jun carried the cards to school in a special folder, sure that nothing could go wrong.

   [4] In the gym, forty classmates sat on the bleachers while Milo introduced Jun with a loud cheer. [5] Jun stepped forward, reached into the folder, and found it completely empty. [6] The cards were still sitting on the kitchen table at home. [7] Jun stared at the blank folder for a long moment, and the gym fell silent. [8] Milo leaned over and whispered, “Nice work staying so organized.” [9] Jun laughed, took a deep breath, and began the talk from memory. [10] The first tip was to check your bag twice before leaving the house. [11] The audience laughed kindly, then clapped when Jun finished the last tip. [12] That night, Jun hung a long checklist beside the front door as a reminder for every morning.

2. 1.

   Ren reads sentences [1] and [5] together. Which kind of irony do they create?

   • Situational irony: a talk on never losing anything begins with Jun's cards missing.
   • Verbal irony: Jun says one thing about the cards and means the opposite.
   • No irony: forgetting something at home happens to everyone.
   • Dramatic irony: the reader knows the cards are at home while Jun thinks they are packed.
3. 2.

   Tala needs two sentences that prove the situational irony of Jun's talk. Which two work best?

   • Sentences [2] and [3]: Jun practices for a week and feels sure nothing can go wrong.
   • Sentences [8] and [11]: Milo whispers a joke, then the audience claps.
   • Sentences [5] and [9]: the folder is empty, then Jun begins from memory.
   • Sentences [1] and [5]: the talk is about never losing anything, then the folder is empty.
4. 3.

   Zee reads Milo's whisper in sentence [8]: “Nice work staying so organized.” Which kind of irony is that?

   • No irony: Milo is kindly praising Jun for staying calm.
   • Dramatic irony: the reader knows the folder is empty, but Milo does not, since Milo is outside.
   • Verbal irony: Milo says organized, but the empty folder shows the opposite meaning.
   • Situational irony: Milo planned a cheer, but the gym fell silent.
5. 4.

   Ari wants one sentence that shows what Jun expected and one that shows what happened. Which pair is it?

   • Expected in [5]; happened in [3].
   • Expected in [10]; happened in [12].
   • Expected in [3]; happened in [5].
   • Expected in [4]; happened in [7].
6. 5.

   Bo needs two sentences that prove Milo's whisper is verbal irony. Which two sentences work best?

   • Sentences [2] and [8]: Jun practices with index cards, and Milo praises how organized Jun is.
   • Sentences [5] and [7]: the folder is empty, and the gym falls silent.
   • Sentences [4] and [8]: Milo cheers loudly, and Milo praises how organized Jun is.
   • Sentences [5] and [8]: the folder is empty, and Milo praises how organized Jun is.

7. The Wrong Jar (original story)

   [1] The Garden Club bake sale started at noon, and Ren had promised to bring a lemon cake. [2] That morning, Ren mixed the batter in the school kitchen while the other volunteers set up tables outside. [3] The sugar jar and the salt jar looked exactly alike, and each one had a paper label on the front. [4] While Ren searched the cupboards for a baking pan, Kira wiped the counter and peeled both labels off to clean them. [5] Kira pressed the labels back on in a hurry, and each label ended up on the wrong jar. [6] Neither Ren nor Kira noticed the mistake, because both of them were thinking about the busy afternoon ahead.

   [7] Ren came back with the pan and read the label on the jar nearest the bowl: SUGAR. [8] “This will be the best cake at the sale,” Ren said with a grin. [9] Kira, carrying a stack of napkins toward the door, called back, “I can already taste how sweet it will be.” [10] Ren filled a big cup from the jar marked SUGAR and held it over the bowl.

8. 6.

   Noah reads Kira's line in sentence [9]: “I can already taste how sweet it will be.” Which kind of irony is that?

   • Dramatic irony: Kira means the words, but the reader knows the cake will not be sweet.
   • Verbal irony: Kira says sweet but means that the cake will be awful.
   • No irony: Kira is being friendly about the baking.
   • Situational irony: Kira expects a sweet cake, and the cake turns out salty.
9. 7.

   Esme needs two sentences that show the reader knows the jars are mixed up while Ren does not. Which two work best?

   • Sentences [9] and [10]: Kira says it will be sweet, and Ren fills a cup from the jar.
   • Sentences [5] and [6]: the labels land on the wrong jars, and neither baker notices.
   • Sentences [7] and [8]: Ren reads SUGAR, then predicts a winning cake.
   • Sentences [3] and [4]: the jars look alike, and Kira peels off both labels.
10. 8.

    Pia reads the whole story up to sentence [10]. Which kind of irony does the story use?

    • Verbal irony: Ren says the cake will be great but means that it will be bad.
    • Dramatic irony: the reader knows the labels are swapped, but Ren does not.
    • Situational irony: Ren's careful baking ends with the opposite of a good cake.
    • No irony: Ren is just following a recipe with the jars in front of Ren.
11. 9.

    Zee wants the sentence that tells the reader something Ren does not know. Which sentence is it?

    • Sentence [8], where Ren boasts about the cake.
    • Sentence [7], where Ren reads the label SUGAR.
    • Sentence [10], where Ren fills a big cup from the jar.
    • Sentence [5], where each label ends up on the wrong jar.
12. 10.

    Jun needs two sentences that show Ren believes the jar holds sugar. Which two work best?

    • Sentences [7] and [8]: Ren trusts the SUGAR label and expects the best cake.
    • Sentences [3] and [4]: the jars look alike, and Kira peels off both labels.
    • Sentences [5] and [6]: the labels land on the wrong jars, and neither baker notices.
    • Sentences [9] and [10]: Kira says it will be sweet, and Ren fills a cup from the jar.