Choose the correct figure of speech used in the following sentence:
On the day Mehta ji retired after forty years at the post office, the letter about his own pension got lost in the post.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Irony
Mehta ji spent forty years making sure that other people got their letters. We would expect his own letter to reach him safely. Instead, it got lost in the very post he worked for.
| Figure | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Paradox | a statement that seems to go against itself but still holds a truth | The more the coach shouted, the less the team heard. |
| (2) Irony (answer) | the opposite of what we expect happens, or words say the opposite of what is meant | The spelling teacher’s notice had three spelling mistakes. |
| (3) Pun | a play on a word that has two meanings | The watchmaker said that he works around the clock. |
| (4) Litotes | an understatement: “not” or “no” before the opposite, to say something positive | The new canteen samosas are not bad. |