Irony is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. This mostly refers to situational irony, but can relate to other types of irony as well. Situational irony means that the opposite of what was expected actually happens. So if you think you've aced the test and you're going to get an A, and you end up getting an F, that would be an example of situational irony.
The best answer to this question Based on the excerpt, how is higher education different from for-profit industries? would be the option C. <span>Salaries in higher education are lower because of business costs. </span>