Literary Devices in Prose Flashcards

"Her voice was as smooth as honey flowing over warm bread." Which literary device is used?

Answer: Simile

This is a simile because it uses 'as' to compare the voice to honey.

"The trees whispered secrets to the wind as night fell." What literary device is illustrated?

Answer: Personification

Personification gives human qualities (whispering secrets) to non-human things (trees).

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." Which device does this illustrate?

Answer: Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound ('p') in closely connected words.

Which of the following words is the best example of onomatopoeia?

Answer: Sizzle

Sizzle imitates the actual sound it describes, which is the definition of onomatopoeia.

"I have told you a million times to clean your room!" This sentence contains which device?

Answer: Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used for emphasis; no one literally repeats a million times.

A student fails an exam and says, "Well, that went perfectly!" This is an example of:

Answer: Verbal irony

Verbal irony occurs when someone says the opposite of what they actually mean.

A narrator interrupts the current story to describe an event from the character's childhood. This technique is called:

Answer: Flashback

A flashback interrupts the chronological flow of the narrative to revisit past events.