Figurative Language — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. What does the idiom "Piece of cake" mean?
A) Someone brought dessert.
B) Something is very easy.
C) A cake fell on the floor.
D) Someone is hungry.
Eating a piece of cake is a simple, enjoyable task, and that is where the idiom comes from — it describes any job that feels quick and easy.
2. Which sentence is an example of hyperbole?
A) The cat slept on the couch.
B) She runs like the wind.
C) I have told you a billion times to clean your room.
D) The moon is a silver coin.
Nobody has actually said something a billion times, so that huge exaggerated number is the giveaway that this sentence is hyperbole.
3. Read: "The old tree stretched its arms toward the clouds." What type of figurative language is this?
A) hyperbole
B) simile
C) idiom
D) personification
Trees have branches, not arms, and they cannot stretch — giving the tree those human actions and body parts is what makes this personification.
4. Which pair contains one simile and one metaphor?
A) The sky cried. The wind howled.
B) She is as sweet as candy. He is a shining star.
C) Break a leg! It costs an arm and a leg.
D) I could sleep for a year. This weighs a ton.
The first sentence uses "as...as" to compare, which signals a simile, and the second directly calls him a shining star with no like or as, which is a metaphor.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. "The grass was as green as emeralds" is a simile comparing the color of grass to a jewel.
Emeralds are precious jewels known for their rich green color, so they are the ideal match for a simile that compares grass to a jewel.
2. When you say "Hold your horses," you really mean to be patient and wait.
In the old days people held the reins of real horses to slow them down, and the idiom kept that meaning — asking someone to be patient and wait calmly.
3. "Her temper was a volcano ready to erupt" is a metaphor comparing anger to a natural event.
A volcano builds pressure until it bursts, so calling a temper a volcano — without like or as — is a strong metaphor showing anger about to explode.
4. "This homework will take forever" is hyperbole because it will not really last that long.
Homework has a real end, so saying it will take forever stretches the truth to make a point about how long it feels — that is hyperbole.
5. "The sun tiptoed behind the clouds to hide" is personification giving the sun a human action.
Tiptoeing is something people do to move quietly, so giving the sun that sneaky human action to go behind clouds is personification.