Read the passage. The headmistress of the boarding school was a buttoned-up, austere woman with a tightly wound, slate-gray bun
at the top of her head and clunky black shoes on her feet. She made sure that our uniforms were complete at inspection every morning, and if one of us dared to wear a warmer pair of socks than the thin, oatmeal-colored ones we were issued, there would be trouble. What does the use of the word austere imply? that the headmistress is concerned about her students that the headmistress is not a kind person that the headmistress is kind to some students that the headmistress is uncomfortable
The word austere implies that she is a very strict woman and she means business. No, it does not mean the headmistress is not a nice person. It means that she is very serious or presents an attitude to show strictness.
The reader and Sam can see that the boy is still there as Bill apologizes for giving up the ransom. Situational irony is when the opposite of what you expect to happen occurs. This occurs when instead of getting a ransom for Red Chief, Bill and Sam end up paying the boy's father for taking him back.
