AP English Language and Composition Metaphor and Simile Flashcards

Which sentence contains an extended metaphor?

Answer: Life is a journey with many unexpected detours, dead ends, and scenic routes we never planned to take.

An extended metaphor develops a single comparison across multiple details, as in comparing life to a journey with detours, dead ends, and scenic routes.

In the phrase 'her voice was silk,' what effect does the metaphor primarily create?

Answer: It conveys a sensory impression of smoothness and elegance.

Comparing a voice to silk transfers tactile qualities—smoothness and elegance—to an auditory experience.

A simile differs from a metaphor primarily because a simile:

Answer: Uses 'like' or 'as' to signal the comparison explicitly.

Similes use connecting words such as 'like' or 'as' to make comparisons explicit, while metaphors state comparisons directly.

Which rhetorical purpose is BEST served by a sustained metaphor comparing a nation to a sinking ship?

Answer: To create urgency and emotional investment in a political argument.

A sustained metaphor of a sinking ship evokes danger and helplessness, generating urgency that supports a political argument emotionally.

When a writer says 'the classroom was a zoo,' the metaphor implies:

Answer: The students were chaotic and difficult to control.

Comparing a classroom to a zoo implies wild, noisy, uncontrolled behavior among the students.

Which of the following is a DEAD metaphor?

Answer: The leg of the table.

A dead metaphor is one so overused that speakers no longer recognize it as figurative, such as 'the leg of the table.'

In AP rhetorical analysis, identifying a metaphor serves primarily to:

Answer: Explain how the author shapes meaning and influences the audience's perception.

Identifying a metaphor in rhetorical analysis helps students explain how authors construct meaning and affect their audiences.