Literary Devices — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Read: "The smoky aroma of roasted marshmallows drifted through the cool evening air as sparks popped and crackled above the campfire." Which literary devices are used?
A) Simile and hyperbole
B) Imagery and onomatopoeia
C) Metaphor and alliteration
D) Personification and symbolism
"Smoky aroma" and "cool evening air" create sensory imagery for smell and touch. Meanwhile, "popped" and "crackled" are onomatopoeia because they imitate the actual sounds a campfire makes.
2. In a story, a bird escapes from its cage and flies into the open sky. What does this most likely symbolize?
A) The bird is hungry and looking for food
B) The character has lost a pet and feels sad
C) The character has gained freedom or independence
D) The weather is warm enough for birds to fly
A caged bird cannot go where it wants, so escaping the cage and flying freely represents gaining freedom or independence. The bird's experience mirrors what the character is going through in the story.
3. Read: "The velvet darkness wrapped around the sleeping town like a heavy blanket." Why does the author combine imagery with a simile here?
A) To teach readers about different types of blankets
B) To help readers feel how dark, quiet, and still the night is
C) To show that the town has no electricity
D) To explain that people sleep better with blankets
"Velvet darkness" uses imagery to make the reader feel the thick, soft quality of the night. Comparing it to a heavy blanket with "like" adds a simile that reinforces how still and quiet the town feels wrapped in darkness.
4. Read: "After weeks of gray skies, a single ray of sunlight broke through the clouds on the day she won the spelling bee." What does the sunlight most likely symbolize?
A) The weather is finally changing to summer
B) The character needs sunscreen for her skin
C) Success and happiness after a difficult period
D) The spelling bee was held outdoors in a park
The gray skies represent the difficult weeks, and the sunlight breaking through represents the character's success. The timing of the sunlight with winning the spelling bee connects brightness to happiness after struggle.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. "The bitter, black coffee stung his tongue" uses imagery that appeals to the sense of taste.
"Bitter" describes a flavor and "stung his tongue" tells how the coffee felt in his mouth. Both details engage the sense of taste, making the reader almost experience the strong coffee.
2. A crumbling wall in a story about two friends growing apart is an example of symbolism.
The wall physically breaking apart mirrors how the friendship is falling apart. When an author uses a concrete object like a crumbling wall to represent an abstract idea like a failing friendship, that is symbolism.
3. Authors use imagery to help readers see, hear, smell, taste, or feel what the characters experience.
When authors describe sensory details, readers can imagine being inside the story. This technique of appealing to sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch to bring writing to life is called imagery.
4. "The moss-covered stones felt damp and gritty beneath his bare feet" appeals to the sense of touch.
Words like "damp," "gritty," and "bare feet" describe physical sensations you would feel if you stepped on wet, rough stones. This appeals directly to the sense of touch.
5. Unlike a metaphor, which directly compares two things, a symbol is an object that stands for a larger idea or theme.
A metaphor says one thing IS another to compare them, but a symbol works differently. A symbol is an object or image that quietly represents a bigger idea or theme throughout the story without making a direct comparison.