HEEELP Nadia had seen the best of times and the worst of times in her school. But, she had constantly maintained her grades. When Mrs. Sue came to Woodland High as the new English teacher, things changed for everyone, including Nadia. Mrs. Sue expected her students to be at the Advanced Placement level classes and challenged them each and every day.
It was no surprise when she tested her students' knowledge of world literature on the mid-term. During the quiz, the students were sweating like horses at the finish line of a racetrack on a Texas summer day.
"So, how was it?" Nadia asked her best friend Paul after the test. "Didn't see that coming."
"Oh, I thought it was pleasant," Paul replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "Like a root canal."

Why is Paul's response at the end of the story an example of verbal irony?
A. because he knows Nadia is smarter than him
B. because Nadia helps him study for the exam
C. because Mrs. Sue can actually hear his response
D. because he feels the exam was painfully tough