Question 6 • CMS 2026-2027 English III CREDIT RECOVERY
Read the excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron." “Ladies and gentlemen—” said the ballerina, reading the bulletin. She must have been extraordinarily beautiful, because the mask she wore was hideous. And it was easy to see that she was the strongest and most graceful of all the dancers, for her handicap bags were as big as those worn by two-hundred-pound men. What is ironic about this excerpt?
Answer
A
The ballerina is described as beautiful, but she is actually hideous.
B
The ballerina is able to read the news bulletin flawlessly while wearing a mask and handicap bags.
C
The handicaps devised to conceal the ballerina’s strength and beauty actually accentuate them.
D
The news bulletin being read on the television is about Harrison.
Explanation
The handicaps are meant to hide the ballerina’s beauty and strength, but they have the opposite effect. The hideous mask suggests she is extraordinarily beautiful, and her unusually large handicap bags show that she is exceptionally strong and graceful. This reversal is the irony: the devices intended to conceal her qualities actually draw attention to them.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.