Simile and Metaphor Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Read the passage: “The rumor was a spark. By lunchtime, it had raced through every corridor.” What is the main effect of the metaphor?
It establishes that a real fire interrupted the school day.
It portrays the rumor as spreading quickly and becoming difficult to contain.
It suggests the rumor was bright but harmless.
It shows that the rumor disappeared as soon as it began.
2. Which sentence uses neither a simile nor a metaphor?
The calm lake reflected the trees along its shore.
The lake glittered like glass in the sunlight.
The lake was a mirror beneath the morning sky.
The lake wore a bright coat of afternoon sunlight.
3. What does the metaphor “His apology was a paper umbrella in a downpour” most strongly imply?
The apology arrived during a period of rainy weather.
The apology was creative but difficult to understand.
The apology completely repaired the harm that had been done.
The apology offered far too little protection or comfort for the situation.
4. A writer wants a metaphor showing that anxiety is preventing someone from thinking clearly. Which sentence best achieves that purpose?
Anxiety was a locked gate across the path of her thoughts.
Anxiety felt like something she had experienced before.
She became anxious whenever her thoughts turned to the exam.
Her anxious thoughts arrived as quickly as the morning train.
5. What is an extended metaphor?
A metaphor that uses a particularly long comparison word
A metaphor developed through multiple related details or comparisons
A comparison containing both “like” and “as”
A metaphor immediately followed by its literal definition
6. A mentor tells a student, “Let curiosity guide you like a compass.” What does the simile suggest?
Curiosity can provide exact answers to every question.
The student should use a physical compass while studying.
Curiosity prevents a person from changing direction.
Curiosity can help a person choose a direction for learning.
7. Consider the sentence “Her ideas took root, grew branches, and finally bore fruit.” Which explanation is most accurate?
It is a simile because it compares ideas with plants.
It develops a metaphor by describing ideas through stages of plant growth.
It is literal because ideas naturally change over time.
It uses only personification because the ideas perform actions.
8. How do the comparisons differ in “Maya moved like lightning” and “Maya was lightning on the track”?
The first is literal, while the second is an exaggeration without comparison.
The first is a metaphor, while the second is a simile.
The first is a simile using “like,” while the second is a direct metaphor.
Both are similes because both compare Maya with lightning.
9. A student wants to describe a runner’s smooth movement with a simile. Which sentence fits that goal?
The runner was a stream winding through the pack.
The runner moved smoothly through the group ahead.
The runner flowed through the pack like a stream around stones.
The pack opened its arms and welcomed the runner.
10. Which revision turns “The classroom became noisy” into a simile?
The classroom sounded like a crowded station.
The classroom shouted with excitement.
The classroom became extremely noisy after lunch.
The classroom became a roaring stadium.
11. The sentence “We’ll cross that bridge when it comes to our doorstep” mixes two expressions. Which revision creates one coherent metaphor while preserving the intended meaning?
We’ll open that door when we cross the bridge.
We’ll solve the problem if it arrives like a bridge.
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
We’ll think about the problem at a later time.
12. What do similes and metaphors have in common?
Both create comparisons that connect unlike things through a shared quality.
Both must contain the word “like” to signal a comparison.
Both describe events exactly as they occurred.
Both require several linked comparisons across a passage.
13. Which definition best describes a simile?
A description that gives a nonhuman thing human qualities
A direct comparison that states one thing is another
An exaggeration used to create emphasis
A comparison that explicitly uses a word such as “like” or “as”
14. In “When the debate began, Lena pounced on the weakest argument,” why can “pounced” function as an implied metaphor?
It explicitly states that Lena is a predator.
It becomes a simile because the word “like” is understood.
It gives the debate itself a human ability.
It suggests a predator’s attack without directly naming Lena as a predator.
15. Which sentence contains a metaphor?
The moon looked like a silver coin above the trees.
The silver moon rose above the dark trees.
The moon was a silver coin suspended above the trees.
The moon shone as brightly as it had the night before.
16. In the sentence “A blanket of snow covered the village,” what does the metaphor mainly suggest?
The villagers used blankets to protect their homes.
The snow formed a broad, covering layer over the village.
The snow felt unusually warm despite the weather.
The snowfall had ended before reaching the village.