Figurative Language Flashcards

What is the key difference between a simile and a metaphor?

Answer: A simile uses 'like' or 'as' to compare; a metaphor makes a direct comparison

A simile uses 'like' or 'as' ('brave as a lion'), while a metaphor states directly that one thing is another ('he is a lion').

"The classroom was a zoo" is an example of which figurative language device?

Answer: Metaphor

This is a metaphor because it directly equates the classroom with a zoo, implying chaos, without using 'like' or 'as.'

An extended metaphor is one that:

Answer: Continues and develops throughout several lines, a stanza, or an entire text

An extended metaphor is a metaphor that is sustained and developed over a longer section of text, allowing the comparison to be explored in depth.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" — the opening of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities — is an example of:

Answer: Antithesis

Antithesis places contrasting ideas side by side in parallel grammatical structure; 'best of times' and 'worst of times' are direct opposites presented in the same form.

Which of the following sentences is the best example of personification?

Answer: The ocean swallowed the ship whole.

Personification gives human traits or actions to non-human things; 'the ocean swallowed' treats the ocean as if it can perform a human action.

"Tick-tock goes the clock" is primarily an example of:

Answer: Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia uses words that phonetically imitate the sounds they describe; 'tick-tock' mimics the actual sound a clock makes.

In literature, a symbol is best defined as:

Answer: An object, person, or event that represents something beyond its literal meaning

A symbol carries both a literal meaning and a deeper, often abstract meaning — for example, a dove can literally be a bird while also symbolizing peace.