"Dramatic irony" context?

Question

I have the following GRE question.Instructions: Fill in the blank._____ is achieved when the audience is made aware of a disparity between the facts of a situation and the characters understanding of it.Which of the following will correctly complete line 1?A) Aesthetic distanceB) Dramatic ironyC) Comic reliefD) The pathetic fallacyE) The dissociation of sensibilityRight answer is B, but I don't understand why. I thought it was Aesthetic distance because the context shows a clear gap between reality which is the facts of a situation and the characters, and psychological perception which is the characters' understanding of it. Can someone explain why it is Dramatic irony?

Answer 1

"Dramatic irony" is when an audience (or reader) is aware of all the facts but the characters in the play (or story) are not. The audience may realize a character is making a terrible choice, but the character doesn't realize it (yet).

"Aesthetic distance" refers to how engrossed you are in a story or work of art. If you are fully engrossed in a story(and oblivious to the real world around you), then the author has achieved a close aesthetic distance.