Irony is a literary device, but irony can also occur in real life with no author at all. While authors plan the use of irony in books, short stories and movie scripts, everyday events may just happen to unfold in an ironic way. In most cases, real life irony is situational irony. When a mismatched juxtaposition of expectation and reality occurs, that particular situation could be described as ironic. For example, a driving instructor who never learned how to parallel park or the fact that James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, had a losing record as a coach. Which of the following statements best expresses the central idea of the passage?