Figures of Speech Quiz

1. A friend arrives thirty minutes late, and you say, “Right on time!” Which figure best describes your remark?

2. A poem declares, “O winter, leave us now!” Which figure is created specifically by directly addressing winter?

3. In “The firewood crackled in the stove,” what figure is illustrated by “crackled”?

4. In “The angry storm pounded on the roof,” what is the main effect of the personification?

5. A news report says, “The White House announced a new policy,” using the place to represent the administration. Which figure is this?

6. Which figure of speech appears in “Her explanation was as clear as glass”?

7. After completing an exhausting marathon, a runner says, “That was a bit tiring.” Which figure of speech minimizes the experience for effect?

8. Which revision turns the metaphor “The moon was a silver coin” into a simile?

9. What figure of speech is used in “Time is a thief”?

10. A frustrated parent says, “I’ve told you a million times.” Which figure of speech is being used?

11. In the command “All hands on deck,” hands represent the sailors as whole people. Which figure is used?

12. The compact phrase “deafening silence” places apparently contradictory terms together. What is it?

13. Which figure is most clearly created by the repeated initial consonant sounds in “Wild winds whipped the water”?

14. A teacher enters a loud, chaotic room and says, “This classroom is a zoo.” What does the metaphor primarily suggest?

15. In “The alarm clock scolded me awake,” which figure gives a human action to an object?

16. Someone gently says that a relative “passed away” instead of saying “died.” What figure of speech is this?