Similes and Metaphors — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The sentence 'The moon is a silver coin' is a metaphor.
Without 'like' or 'as', the direct comparison is a metaphor.
2. The sentence 'She sings like an angel' is a simile.
The word 'like' makes this a simile, not a metaphor.
3. In 'as quiet as a mouse', the quality being compared is being quiet.
The adjective between the 'as' words names the shared quality.
4. In 'The wind was an angry beast', the wind is compared to a beast.
Metaphors place the compared thing right after the linking verb, here 'beast'.
5. Similes always need the word 'like' or the word as.
Similes are built using 'like' or 'as' to signal the comparison.
6. Figurative language is the opposite of literal language.
Literal language means exactly what it says, while figurative language compares ideas creatively.
7. 'His feet are blocks of ice' is a metaphor comparing feet to ice.
The sentence directly says the feet ARE blocks of ice, which is a metaphor.
8. 'The road twisted like a snake' compares the road to a snake.
In a simile, the second item compared follows 'like' or 'as'.
9. Both similes and metaphors are kinds of figurative language.
Similes and metaphors both belong to figurative language because they go beyond the literal meaning.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
The cookies were as warm as toast.
→ Simile (uses 'as ___ as')
Metaphor (laughter = music)
Her laughter is music.
→ Metaphor (laughter = music)
Simile (uses 'as ___ as')
He runs like the wind.
→ Simile (uses 'like')
Metaphor (night = curtain)
The night was a black curtain.
→ Metaphor (night = curtain)
Simile (uses 'like')
Similes use the signal words 'like' or 'as', while metaphors directly equate two different things.