Figurative Language — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The puppy was as playful as a kitten. (simile)
Kittens are famous for pouncing and batting at toys, which makes them a lively match to compare to a playful puppy with "as...as."
2. The lightning raced across the sky angrily. (personification)
Racing is something runners or animals do, so giving lightning that human-like action creates personification and matches the clue "angrily."
3. His room was a disaster after the party. (metaphor meaning messy)
Calling the room a disaster directly — no like or as — paints a picture of huge mess, which is exactly how a metaphor works.
4. I waited for you for a thousand years! (hyperbole)
No one lives a thousand years, so that huge number exaggerates how long the wait felt — the kind of over-the-top stretch that makes hyperbole.
5. The night wrapped the city in darkness. (personification)
Wrapping is an action people do with their arms or a blanket, so giving that gentle human-like action to the night creates personification.
6. She was as tall as a giraffe. (simile)
Giraffes are the tallest land animals, so comparing someone's height to a giraffe using "as tall as" makes a perfect simile.
7. Knowledge is a key that opens many doors. (metaphor)
A real key unlocks doors, so calling knowledge a key is a metaphor showing how learning opens up new chances and opportunities in life.
8. This bag is so heavy it weighs a ton! (hyperbole)
A ton is 2,000 pounds and a school bag never weighs that much, so exaggerating the weight that way is a classic hyperbole.
9. The sea grabbed at the rocks on the shore. (personification)
Grabbing needs hands, so giving the sea that human action as its waves reach the rocks is what turns the sentence into personification.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
It's raining cats and dogs.
→ idiom meaning heavy rain
metaphor about being unkind
She has a heart of stone.
→ metaphor about being unkind
idiom meaning heavy rain
The wind whispered secrets.
→ personification of wind
hyperbole about laughing hard
I nearly died laughing.
→ hyperbole about laughing hard
personification of wind
The cats-and-dogs phrase is an idiom because its meaning is unrelated to the actual words; "heart of stone" directly calls one thing another with no like or as, making it a metaphor; whispering is a human action given to the wind, so that is personification; and "nearly died laughing" is an extreme exaggeration, which is hyperbole.