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figures-of-speech

Q1. Identify the figures of speech in the sentence. Is a bitter sweet symphony, this life.
  • 1) Antithesis, Inversion and Metaphor
  • 2) Synecdoche, Personification and Oxymoron
  • 3) Antithesis and Inversion
  • 4) Inversion, Oxymoron and Metaphor

Solution

Is a bitter sweet symphony, this life. Inversion - The subject ‘this life’ comes at the end of the sentence. Oxymoron - ‘Bitter sweet’ are two words that are the exact opposites of each other. Here, they represent a single idea which is both bitter and sweet. Metaphor - Life is compared to a bitter sweet symphony.
Q2. What figure of speech is used in the given line? I  walked along the lonely road. 
  • 1) Synecdoche  
  • 2) Transferred Epithet  
  • 3) Personification  
  • 4) Metonymy  

Solution

I  walked along the lonely road. - The speaker’s quality of loneliness is transferred to the road.
Q3. What figure of speech is evident in the sentence? A horse is a very stable animal.

Solution

Pun A horse is a very stable animal. Both the meanings of the word ‘stable’ are used. One that means calm and the other that means a place where horses are kept.
Q4. Identify the figures of speech in the given lines. We had everything before us, We had nothing before us.
  • 1) Repetition and Anticlimax
  • 2) Repetition and Climax
  • 3) Repetition and Antithesis
  • 4) Repetition and Hyperbole

Solution

We had everything before us, We had nothing before us. Repetition - ‘We had...’ is repeated in the beginning of both the lines. Antithesis - The phrase ‘everything before us’ is the opposite of  ‘nothing before us’.
Q5. Identify the figures of speech in the given lines. Where bashful flowers blow, And blushing birds go down to drink, And shadows tremble so?
  • 1) Alliteration and Personification
  • 2) Alliteration
  • 3) Alliteration and Metaphor
  • 4) Alliteration and Simile

Solution

Where bashful flowers blow, And blushing birds go down to drink, And shadows tremble so? Personification - The flowers and birds are given human qualities of being bashful (shy) and blushing, respectively. Shadows are given the human ability to tremble as if in fear. Alliteration - The ‘b’ sound is repeated pleasingly in blushing birds.
Q6. Identify the figures of speech in the sentences. I advise you to be gentle with him as he is mentally unsound. China aggressed into Indian territory.
  • 1) Euphemism and Metonymy
  • 2) Alliteration and Simile
  • 3) Pun and Personification
  • 4) Irony and Metonymy

Solution

I advise you to be gentle with him as he is mentally unsound. Euphemism - It is a polite way of calling him ‘mad’.   China aggressed into Indian territory. China is a metonym for the Chinese military.
Q7. Identify the figures of speech in the given lines. O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
  • 1) Hyperbole and Euphemism
  • 2) Anticlimax and Repetition
  • 3) Apostrophe and Tautology
  • 4) Apostrophe and Repetition

Solution

O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Apostrophe - The line starts with an invocation to the lifeless earth: “O, pardon me” Tautology - ‘Meek’ and ‘gentle’ point towards the same idea. One of those words could have sufficed.
Q8. Identify the figures of speech in the sentences. There are three things that will endure: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 
  • 1) Tautology and Climax
  • 2) Alliteration and Climax
  • 3) Alliteration and Anticlimax
  • 4) Tautology and Anticlimax

Solution

There are three things that will endure: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Alliteration - The ‘th’ sounds has been repeated pleasingly. Climax - Faith, hope and love are enumerated in the ascending order of importance.
Q9. Identify the figure of speech in the sentences. This is excellent news! It is music to my ears.
  • 1) Metaphor
  • 2) Hyperbole
  • 3) Irony
  • 4) Synecdoche

Solution

It is music to my ears. Metaphor - The news is compared to music.
Q10. Identify the figure of speech in the sentence. His character is as clean as a pig sty.
  • 1) Simile
  • 2) Metaphor and Simile
  • 3) Irony
  • 4) Simile and Irony

Solution

His character is as clean as a pig sty. Simile - The comparison is made between a pig sty and his character. Irony - A pig sty is not associated with cleanliness. The speaker tries to be sarcastic by making this unusual comparison.
Q11. Identify the figures of speech in the given lines. I heard a growl in the middle of the night, Soon it turned into a whimper, Then a sorrowful sigh, Then I heard it no more.
  • 1) Pun, Anticlimax and Inversion
  • 2) Alliteration and Anticlimax
  • 3) Only Anticlimax
  • 4) Only Alliteration

Solution

I heard a growl in the middle of the night, Soon it turned into a whimper, Then a sorrowful sigh, Then I heard it no more. Anticlimax - The events are arranged in a descending order of importance. Alliteration - The ‘s’ sounds in ‘sorrowful’ and ‘sigh’ are repeated pleasingly.
Q12. What are the figures of speech used in these two lines? You won yourself a free gift. Can you kindly repeat it again?
  • 1) Alliteration and Tautology
  • 2) Tautology
  • 3) None of the above
  • 4) Alliteration

Solution

You won yourself a free gift. Can you kindly repeat it again? Tautology - Gifts are always free and the word ‘repeat’ implies that it will happen again.
Q13. State the figure of speech used in the sentence. The bank sent me a late payment notice. 

Solution

Metonymy - The bank in this case refers to the bank employees.
Q14. State the figures of speech in the following lines. The shot was heard round the world. The leader was accused of orchestrating ethnic cleansing. To err is human; to forgive is divine.

Solution

Hyperbole - It is an exaggerated statement. Euphemism - ‘Ethnic cleansing’ is a milder term for genocide. Antithesis - The words ‘human’ and ‘divine’ are used in contrasting clauses.
Q15. What figures of speech are used in the given line? Christmas means the crackling of embers and crinkling of gift wrappers.
  • 1) Alliteration
  • 2) Repetition and Alliteration
  • 3) Onomatopoeia
  • 4) Alliteration and Onomatopoeia

Solution

Christmas means the crackling of embers and crinkling of gift wrappers. Alliteration - The sounds ‘cr’ is repeated pleasingly. Onomatopoeia - The words ‘crackling’ and ‘crinkling’ resemble the sound of things.
Q16. Identify the figure of speech in the sentence. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
  • 1) Irony
  • 2) Metaphor
  • 3) Oxymoron
  • 4) Synecdoche

Solution

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Synecdoche - ‘The head’ is a part used to refer to the ruler.
Q17. Identify the figure of speech in the sentence. Cowards die many times before their deaths.
  • 1) Hyperbole
  • 2) Apostrophe
  • 3) Metonymy
  • 4) Personification

Solution

Cowards die many times before their deaths. Hyperbole - The sentence is an exaggeration.
Q18. Identify the figure of speech in the sentence. It is funny that a man named Smiley has a permanent frown on his face.
  • 1) Alliteration
  • 2) Simile
  • 3) Oxymoron
  • 4) Irony

Solution

It is funny that a man named Smiley has a permanent frown on his face. Irony - One may expect a person named Smiley to have a permanent smile not a frown.
Q19. State the figures of speech used in the following sentences. I kissed thee 'ere I killed thee. He came, he saw, he conquered. O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.

Solution

Antithesis - The verbs ‘kiss’ and ‘killed’ are opposites. Climax - The seriousness of the actions escalates. Apostrophe/Personification- An appeal is made towards the non-living dagger./ The dagger is given the human quality of being happy.
Q20. State the figure of speech used in the sentences? They have swum a sea of grief. Your argument is as clear as mud.

Solution

Metaphor - Sea and grief are compared. Simile - Argument is compared to mud. Irony - ‘Clear’ and ‘mud’ are opposite ideas and cannot be compared to each other. The speaker intends to be sarcastic by making such a comparison.
Q21. State the figures of speech used in the following sentences. Justice is blind. She is a rather slow child. My stomach craved delicious treats.

Solution

Personification - Justice is said to have the human quality of being blind. Euphemism - ‘Slow’ in this case means dumb. Synecdoche - A part, that is the stomach, is used for the whole.
Q22. Find the figure of speech in the sentences. Initially, she resolved to finish her work. She then started to procrastinate. Eventually, she abandoned her resolution.

Solution

Anticlimax - The series of events leads to an unexciting end.
Q23. Name all the figures of speech used in the given lines. I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and Africa meet and the river jumps over the mountain and the salmon sing in the street.

Solution

Hyperbole - The entire sentence contains highly improbable scenarios. Repetition - ‘I'll love you, dear, I'll love you’. The lines are repeated. Alliteration - The ‘s’ sounds in ‘salmon’, ‘sing’ and ‘street’ are repeated pleasingly.
Q24. State the figure of speech used in the given lines. When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized on a table.

Solution

When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized on a table. Simile - Evening is compared to a patient.
Q25. State the figure of speech used in the given line. She backed out of the plan citing ill health.

Solution

Oxymoron - The words ‘ill’ and ‘health’ are opposite in nature.
Q26. State the figure of speech used in the sentence. A pessimist's blood type is always B-negative. 

Solution

The term ‘B-negative’ describes both the blood type and the pessimist’s attitude. Hence, it is a pun.
Q27. What figure of speech is used in the line? Made of sapphires are thy eyes.

Solution

Inversion Made of sapphires are thy eyes. The correct order is Thy eyes are made of sapphires.
Q28. State the figure of speech in the given lines. The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window panes Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening.  

Solution

Personification - The yellow smoke is given life-like characteristics such as licking.
Q29. What figures of speech are used in the sentences? He is a genuinely fake person. Rohan turned white as a ghost.

Solution

He is a genuinely fake person. Oxymoron - The words ‘genuine’ and ‘fake’ are opposites, but they are used together. Rohan turned white as a ghost. Simile - The words ‘Rohan’ and ‘ghost’ are compared to each other.


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