Similes and Metaphors — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. In 'The baby's cheeks were as pink as roses', the cheeks are compared to roses.
The second item in a simile follows the second 'as', here 'roses'.
2. In 'My teacher is a walking dictionary', the shared quality is knowing many words.
A walking dictionary metaphor shows the teacher knows many words and definitions.
3. In 'The lake was glass that morning', the lake's quality of being smooth is compared to glass.
The metaphor highlights the smooth, flat quality shared by glass and a calm lake.
4. In 'He fought like a lion', the shared quality is being brave.
Similes share a quality between the two compared things; lions stand for bravery.
5. A poem that says 'hope is a feather' uses a metaphor.
Saying hope IS a feather is a direct metaphor, common in poetry.
6. 'The leaves danced like ballerinas' gives leaves the quality of being graceful.
The simile gives leaves the graceful, light movement of ballerinas.
7. In 'Her temper is a volcano', her temper is compared to a volcano.
Metaphors place the compared item directly after a linking verb.
8. Similes and metaphors help readers picture, or imagine, what is described.
Figurative language creates imagery so readers can imagine scenes more vividly.
9. 'As busy as a bee' shares the quality of being busy with bees.
The adjective between the 'as' words names the shared quality, here 'busy'.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
As cold as ice
→ Simile — very cold
Metaphor — kind person
A heart of gold
→ Metaphor — kind person
Simile — very cold
Like a bull in a china shop
→ Simile — clumsy person
Metaphor — life as a play
The world is a stage
→ Metaphor — life as a play
Simile — clumsy person
Knowing the type and the meaning together helps you fully understand figurative language.