Literary Devices — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. When someone says "It is raining cats and dogs," they do not mean animals are falling from the sky.
Figurative language, by definition, does not mean exactly what it says. Devices like metaphor and hyperbole use non-literal meaning to create effect.
2. The literal meaning of "He has a heart of gold" is that his heart is made of gold, but the figurative meaning is that he is very kind.
Figurative language includes simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, and onomatopoeia — all used to create richer meaning.
3. "The test was a breeze" figuratively means the test was easy.
Recognizing patterns in figurative language — the signal words, the exaggeration, the sound effects — makes interpretation easier over time.
4. "I nearly died laughing" is hyperbole because no one actually died.
Hyperbole uses obvious exaggeration. The speaker does not literally have a mountain; the statement emphasizes an overwhelming amount of work.
5. "The leaves whispered secrets to each other" is figurative because leaves cannot actually whisper.
'Whisper' is a human action assigned to trees, making this an example of personification. Trees don't literally communicate.
6. "She is as brave as a lion" literally compares her to a lion but figuratively means she is very brave.
Lions are commonly associated with bravery and courage. The simile uses 'as...as' to compare the person's bravery to that of a lion.
7. Figurative language makes writing more interesting by creating pictures in the reader's mind.', a: 'mind'
'Blew my mind' is a hyperbolic idiom expressing extreme amazement. It is figurative, not literal.
8. "Time flies when you are having fun" uses a metaphor to say that time seems to pass quickly.
By saying books ARE windows, this metaphor directly equates them, suggesting books let us see beyond our own experience.
9. When we interpret figurative language, we look beyond the literal meaning of the words.
Literal language means exactly what it states. Figurative language uses devices to go beyond the literal to create effect or imagery.
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 sun smiled down on us"
→ personification
alliteration
"She was as light as a feather"
→ simile
simile
"Peter picked a pail of purple plums"
→ alliteration
onomatopoeia
"The clang of the bell echoed"
→ onomatopoeia
personification
'Sun smiled' = personification (sun given human action); 'light as a feather' = simile (uses 'as'); 'Peter picked purple plums' = alliteration (repeating 'P'); 'clang of the bell' = onomatopoeia (word imitates sound).