Q 01/05

Which device compares two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'?

A) A metaphor

B) An idiom

C) A simile

D) An allusion

Answer · why

C) A simile

'As brave as a lion' is the classic school example. Drop the linking word and it becomes a different device entirely.

Q 02/05

Which device makes a direct comparison without announcing it with a linking word?

A) A simile

B) A metaphor

C) An analogy

D) A pun

Answer · why

B) A metaphor

'The classroom was a zoo' states the comparison rather than signposting it. The version with 'like' or 'as' has a different name.

Q 03/05

What is it called when an inanimate object is given human traits?

A) Personification

B) Apostrophe

C) Anthropomorphism in verse

D) Metonymy

Answer · why

A) Personification

'The wind whispered' is the standard example. It applies to objects and non-animal organisms alike.

Q 04/05

Which figure of speech uses deliberate exaggeration for effect?

A) Irony

B) Understatement

C) Allegory

D) Hyperbole

Answer · why

D) Hyperbole

'I've told you a million times' is not a lie, it is a device. The effect can be dramatic or persuasive.

Q 05/05

What is a two-word paradox built from opposites called?

A) A tautology

B) A malapropism

C) An oxymoron

D) A euphemism

Answer · why

C) An oxymoron

'Deafening silence' and 'bittersweet' are the standard examples. The words fight each other on purpose.