Read the judge’s words from chapter 23 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . "We are sold—mighty badly sold. But we don't want to be the laughing stock of this whole town, I reckon, and never hear the last of this thing as long as we live. No. What we want is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the rest of the town! Then we'll all be in the same boat. Ain't that sensible?" What is ironic about the judge’s statement?
Answer
A
Although the show was truly funny, the townspeople are still petrified of what others will say about the fact they attended the show.
B
Despite the fact they themselves have been fooled, the townspeople trick themselves into thinking it will be easy to fool the others.
C
Rather than admit they have been fooled, the townspeople truly believe it is more sensible to devise a plan to fool the others as well.
D
In spite of the fact the townspeople claim to be embarrassed about attending the show, they actually enjoyed themselves immensely.
Explanation
The judge admits that the townspeople have been badly fooled, but instead of acknowledging it publicly, he proposes that they praise the show so they can sell tickets to the rest of the town. The irony is that they call this plan sensible even though it means deceiving others to hide their own embarrassment. Choice C best captures that contradiction.
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