BECE - Basic Education Certificate Examination Literary Devices in Prose Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the following sentence: 'The old house groaned under the weight of the storm, and the wind screamed through the broken window panes.' Which literary device is used to describe the house and the wind?
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Imagery
Correct answer: Personification
Personification is the correct answer because human qualities are given to non-human things. The house is described as 'groaning' and the wind as 'screaming', which are actions associated with living beings.
Question 2: An author writes, 'Just as the child was about to leave for the beach party, dark clouds gathered ominously in the sky.' What is the primary literary device the author is using in this sentence?
- Flashback
- Foreshadowing (Correct answer)
- Symbolism
- Irony
Correct answer: Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the use of hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in a story. The gathering of dark clouds hints at potential trouble or disappointment for the child's beach party, building suspense for the reader.
Question 3: Which of the following sentences contains a metaphor?
- The politician's speech was like a roaring fire.
- The athlete runs as fast as a cheetah.
- Her voice was music to his ears. (Correct answer)
- The sun smiled down on the village.
Correct answer: Her voice was music to his ears.
A metaphor is a direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. The sentence 'Her voice was music to his ears' directly equates her voice with music, which is a metaphorical comparison. The other options are a simile ('like a roaring fire'), another simile ('as fast as a cheetah'), and personification ('sun smiled').
Question 4: Read the passage: 'The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air, mixing with the sharp scent of pine from the nearby forest. He could hear the crackle of the fire and feel the rough texture of the wool blanket.' The author is primarily using which literary device to engage the reader?
- Imagery (Correct answer)
- Allusion
- Hyperbole
- Symbolism
Correct answer: Imagery
Imagery is the use of descriptive language that appeals to the reader's five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This passage appeals to the sense of smell ('freshly baked bread', 'sharp scent of pine'), hearing ('crackle of the fire'), and touch ('rough texture'), creating a vivid picture for the reader.
Question 5: In a story, a character who is a professional firefighter has his own house burn down because he forgot to check the batteries in his smoke alarm. This situation is an example of which literary device?
- Foreshadowing
- Flashback
- Symbolism
- Situational Irony (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Situational Irony
Situational irony occurs when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected. It is ironic that a firefighter, whose job is to prevent and stop fires, would have his own house burn down due to a preventable fire safety issue.
Question 6: What is the main reason an author would use a flashback in a prose narrative?
- To describe the current setting in great detail.
- To provide background information about a character or event. (Correct answer)
- To hint at what will happen in the future.
- To compare two different characters using 'like' or 'as'.
Correct answer: To provide background information about a character or event.
A flashback is a narrative technique that interrupts the current plot to show an event that happened in the past. Its primary purpose is to give the reader crucial backstory or context that helps explain a character's motivations or the current situation.
BECE - Basic Education Certificate Examination Literary Devices in Prose Questions and Answers 1
Read the following sentence: 'The old house groaned under the weight of the storm, and the wind screamed through the broken window panes.' Which literary device is used to describe the house and the wind?