Figurative Language and Literary Devices Flashcards
7 cards from real Reading Comprehension practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Figurative Language and Literary Devices flashcards as text
"After the argument, the silence between them was a wall neither could bring themselves to break." What literary device is 'the silence was a wall,' and what does it reveal?
Answer: A metaphor equating silence to a wall, suggesting an emotional barrier that separated the two characters after the conflict.
The silence is directly equated to a wall without 'like' or 'as,' making it a metaphor that conveys an emotional obstacle — the estrangement following a conflict.
"His words cut through the crowd like a knife, leaving everyone too stunned to speak." What literary device is used, and what does it suggest about the impact of his words?
Answer: A simile comparing the effect of his words to a knife cutting, suggesting his speech was sharp, startling, and divisive.
The word 'like' signals a simile; comparing words to a knife conveys their sharp, piercing impact on the audience — startling and immediately silencing them.
"The autumn leaves were a patchwork quilt draped over the hillside, stitched together in gold, amber, and crimson." What literary device is primarily at work, and what effect does it create?
Answer: An extended metaphor comparing the hillside of leaves to a patchwork quilt, creating a warm, cozy, and colorful image of autumn.
The leaves are directly called a quilt (no 'like' or 'as'), and the metaphor is extended with 'stitched together,' making it a rich extended metaphor conveying beauty and warmth.
"He hit the nail on the head with his explanation of why the project failed." What literary device is used in 'hit the nail on the head,' and what does it mean?
Answer: An idiom meaning he identified the problem or expressed an idea exactly and correctly.
'Hit the nail on the head' is a common idiom meaning to identify something correctly or state something exactly right; the literal carpentry meaning is not intended.
"The mountains stood as silent witnesses to centuries of human struggle and triumph." What literary device is used, and what does it convey?
Answer: Personification — assigning the human role of 'witness' to mountains suggests nature silently observes and endures all of human history.
Calling mountains 'witnesses' assigns a distinctly human cognitive/observational role to inanimate nature — personification that conveys mountains' ancient, enduring, silent presence through history.
"The politician's speech was full of flowery promises — a garden that had never been watered." What literary device is the phrase 'a garden that had never been watered,' and what does it suggest?
Answer: A metaphor comparing the promises to an unwatered garden, implying they were superficially attractive but unlikely to grow into anything real.
The promises are metaphorically equated to an unwatered garden — beautiful in appearance but incapable of bearing fruit, suggesting the pledges were empty and would not be fulfilled.
"The detective's mind was a steel trap — once an idea entered, it never escaped." What literary device is used, and what does it communicate?
Answer: A metaphor comparing the detective's mind to a steel trap to convey that he retained information with powerful, unyielding precision.
The mind is directly called a steel trap (metaphor), and the extended comparison explains the trap's function — conveying formidable, unrelenting retention of information.