Regents English Figurative Language and Literary Devices 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of a simile?
- The world is a stage.
- She ran like the wind. (Correct answer)
- The angry clouds growled.
- He was drowning in paperwork.
Correct answer: She ran like the wind.
A simile makes a comparison using 'like' or 'as,' as in 'ran like the wind.'
Question 2: 'The trees whispered secrets to each other' is an example of which literary device?
- Hyperbole
- Alliteration
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Metaphor
Correct answer: Personification
Personification gives human qualities — such as whispering secrets — to non-human things like trees.
Question 3: 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers' is primarily an example of:
- Assonance
- Alliteration (Correct answer)
- Onomatopoeia
- Rhyme scheme
Correct answer: Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, as shown by the repeated 'p' sound.
Question 4: Which of the following is the best example of an oxymoron?
- The storm raged all night.
- The silence was deafening.
- It was a bittersweet farewell. (Correct answer)
- He ran as fast as a cheetah.
Correct answer: It was a bittersweet farewell.
An oxymoron combines two contradictory terms in a single phrase, such as 'bittersweet.'
Question 5: 'I've told you a million times to clean your room!' is an example of:
- Metaphor
- Personification
- Understatement
- Hyperbole (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used for emphasis; 'a million times' is clearly an overstatement.
Question 6: When an author hints at events that will happen later in a story, this technique is called:
- Flashback
- Foreshadowing (Correct answer)
- Exposition
- Rising action
Correct answer: Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device where the author gives clues or hints about future events in the story.
Question 7: In 'The Gift of the Magi,' each character's sacrifice makes the other's gift useless. This unexpected outcome is an example of:
- Dramatic irony
- Verbal irony
- Situational irony (Correct answer)
- Cosmic irony
Correct answer: Situational irony
Situational irony occurs when the outcome of events is the opposite of what was expected.
Regents English Figurative Language and Literary Devices 1
Which of the following is an example of a simile?