Literary Devices — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
"The lake was like a mirror" is a metaphor.
Corrected: "The lake was like a mirror" is a simile.
Because the sentence uses the word like to compare the lake to a mirror, it is a simile. Metaphors make a direct comparison without using like or as.
2. Fix the sentence:
"Her voice is music to my ears" uses the word like, so it is a simile.
Corrected: "Her voice is music to my ears" does not use like or as, so it is a metaphor.
Without like or as, the comparison between her voice and music is direct, which makes it a metaphor. Similes always use the words like or as to draw the comparison.
3. Fix the sentence:
A metaphor compares two things using the words like or as.
Corrected: A simile compares two things using the words like or as.
Similes are the device that compares using like or as. Metaphors compare two things directly, by saying one thing IS another, without those connecting words.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. "The stars were like diamonds in the sky" is an example of a simile.
The word like signals a simile, and here it compares the stars to diamonds because both are small, bright, and shining. Whenever a comparison uses like or as, the device is a simile.
2. "Time is money" is an example of a metaphor.
Saying time IS money makes a direct comparison between two unlike things, which is what a metaphor does. There is no like or as, so it cannot be a simile.
3. A simile uses the words like or as to compare two things.
Similes always use one of two little connecting words to set up the comparison, and like is the most common one. The other choice is as, as in 'as cold as ice.'
4. A metaphor makes a direct comparison without using like or as.
A metaphor states that one thing IS another, so the comparison is direct rather than softened by like or as. That direct quality is what separates a metaphor from a simile.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Read: "The classroom was as quiet as a graveyard." Is this a simile or a metaphor? Explain how you know.
Sample answer: This is a simile because it uses the word "as" to compare the classroom to a graveyard. Both share the quality of being very quiet.
The clue word as signals a simile, and the sentence compares the classroom to a graveyard because both are extremely quiet. Pointing to the comparison word is the easiest way to identify the device.
2. Read: "Her laughter is a bubbling brook." Explain what two things are being compared and what the metaphor means.
Sample answer: The metaphor compares her laughter to a bubbling brook. It means her laughter sounds light, happy, and flowing, like water moving over rocks in a stream.
A bubbling brook is light, cheerful, and flows easily, so calling her laughter a bubbling brook paints it as happy and continuous. Because the sentence says her laughter IS a brook, with no like or as, the comparison is a metaphor.