Similes and Metaphors — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. 'The fog comes on little cat feet' uses a metaphor because it says fog IS cat feet.
Grade 4 readers spot a metaphor when a poet directly calls one thing another without 'like' or 'as'.
2. 'My love is like a red, red rose' is a simile because it uses the word 'like'.
Grade 4 students know 'like' is a key signal word for similes.
3. 'Hope is the thing with feathers' calls hope a bird, making it a metaphor.
Grade 4 readers recognize a metaphor when a poem renames an idea as a concrete image.
4. 'Her voice was as clear as a bell' uses 'as X as,' so it is a simile.
Grade 4 students identify 'as ___ as' as the structure of a simile.
5. 'Time is a thief that steals our days' is a metaphor because time is renamed.
Grade 4 readers spot metaphors when an abstract idea like time is renamed as something concrete.
6. Comparing two unlike things using 'like' or 'as' is called a simile.
Grade 4 students define a simile by its connector words 'like' or 'as'.
7. Comparing two unlike things by stating one IS the other is called a metaphor.
Grade 4 students define a metaphor by its direct comparison without connector words.
8. Vivid language that paints pictures in a reader's mind is called imagery.
Grade 4 students learn imagery as the broader category that includes similes and metaphors.
9. Language meant exactly as written, with no comparisons, is called literal.
Grade 4 students contrast literal language with figurative language for accurate reading.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
'Stars like diamonds in the sky'
→ Simile using 'like' to compare stars
Simile using 'like' to compare stars
'The classroom is a zoo'
→ Metaphor that renames the room
Metaphor that renames the room
'Her laugh is music to my ears'
→ Metaphor calling laughter music
Metaphor calling laughter music
'Quick as lightning, the cat ran'
→ Simile using 'as' to compare speed
Simile using 'as' to compare speed
Grade 4 readers match figurative phrases to their type by checking the structure of each comparison.