Table of Contents

What is Literary Device ?

A literary device is a technique or tool that writers use to convey meaning, enhance their writing, and create specific effects in their work. These devices help to add depth, texture, and richness to texts, allowing readers to experience and interpret the work in more complex ways. Literary devices can be found in poetry, prose, drama, and various forms of writing.

For Example

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”
Example: “Time is a thief.”

24 Literary Devices with Examples

Literary devices are essential tools that writers use to enhance their storytelling and convey deeper meanings. For instance, metaphor compares two unlike things directly, such as “Time is a thief,” implying that time steals moments from our lives. A simile, on the other hand, uses “like” or “as” for comparison, as in “Her smile was as bright as the sun,” creating vivid imagery.

Personification attributes human traits to non-human entities, illustrated in “The wind whispered through the trees,” making the natural world feel alive. Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds, seen in “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” which adds a rhythmic quality to the text. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement, like “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” used for emphasis.

Imagery involves descriptive language that evokes sensory experiences, such as “The golden sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the ocean,” painting a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Symbolism uses objects or elements to represent larger ideas, like a rose symbolizing love. Irony involves a contrast between expectation and reality, as in a fire station burning down.

Foreshadowing hints at future events, adding suspense, while allusion references well-known figures or events, like mentioning “a modern-day Romeo and Juliet” to evoke the theme of tragic love. Together, these devices enrich literature, allowing readers to engage more profoundly with the text.

682. “The child shows the man, as morning shows the day.” Here the sentence contains:

a) Personification
b) Hyperbole
c) Simile
d) Allegory

Answer: c) Simile

683. Known secret is an example of:

a) Open secret
b) Oxymoron
c) Romanticism
d) Nazism

Answer: b) Oxymoron

684. Private property, namely cars is often collateral damage during clashes between rioters and the police. The bold-faced phrase is an example of:

a) Simile
b) Euphemism
c) Metonymy
d) Hyperbole

Answer: b) Euphemism

685. The comparison of unlike things using the words “like” or “as” is known to be:

a) Metaphor
b) Simile
c) Alliteration
d) Personification

Answer: b) Simile

686. The repetition of the beginning consonant sound is known as:

a) Personification
b) Rhyme
c) Alliteration
d) Onomatopoeia

Answer: c) Alliteration

687. The repetition of the initial consonant sound is known as:

a) Personification
b) Assonance
c) Alliteration
d) Rhyme

Answer: c) Alliteration

688. “Pyongyang and Washington have finally come to a consensus.” This is an example of:

a) Metaphor
b) Metonymy
c) Euphemism
d) Dysphemism

Answer: b) Metonymy

689. “When the evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherized upon a table” is an example of:

a) Metaphor
b) Chiasmus
c) Oxymoron
d) Personification

Answer: d) Personification

690. Which literary device can be found in the sentence “She sells sea shells on the sea shore”?

a) Rhyme
b) Hyperbole
c) Alliteration
d) Simile

Answer: c) Alliteration

691. “Mina’s lovely voice was music to our ears” is an example of:

a) Metaphor
b) Metonymy
c) Simile
d) Symbol

Answer: a) Metaphor

692. “Liza is a rose.” It is an example of:

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Personification
d) None

Answer: b) Metaphor

693. Milton’s phrase “darkness visible” to describe hell is an example of:

a) Oxymoron
b) Onomatopoeia
c) Paronomasia
d) Paradox

Answer: a) Oxymoron

694. “An Austrian army awfully arrayed” is an example of:

a) Alliteration
b) Assonance
c) Reiteration
d) Consonance

Answer: a) Alliteration

695. A paradox is a statement that is:

a) True if and only if it is false but false if and only if it is true
b) Difficult to understand
c) Self-contradictory
d) False

Answer: a) True if and only if it is false but false if and only if it is true

696. “The radio suddenly stopped singing and stared at me.” The statement is an example of:

a) Hyperbole
b) Metaphor
c) Symbolism
d) Personification

Answer: d) Personification

697. A simile involves:

a) Implicit comparison
b) Illicit comparison
c) Explicit comparison
d) Elaborate comparison

Answer: c) Explicit comparison

698. “Life is like a pathless wood.” What figure of speech do you find in the sentence?

a) Metaphor
b) Conceit
c) Literal language
d) Simile
e) Symbol

Answer: d) Simile

699. Metaphor, simile, synecdoche, personification, hyperbole, and pun are types of:

a) Ornamental language
b) Figurative language
c) Literal language
d) Fictional language

Answer: b) Figurative language

700. “Her long hair was a flowing golden river.” The figure of speech used here is:

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Personification
d) Alliteration

Answer: b) Metaphor

701. A satire is a poem or prose composition in which the prevailing vices or follies are held up to ridicule or scorn.

a) Lyric
b) Ballad
c) Satire
d) Dramatic monologue

Answer: c) Satire

702. “The cat’s fur was a blanket of warmth” is an example of:

a) Simile: explicit comparison
b) Metaphor: implicit comparison
c) Aphorism: statement of wisdom
d) Euphony: the use of a combination of words with sweet, melodious sound

Answer: b) Metaphor: implicit comparison

703. A metaphorical statement is an implied comparison; it does not compare things explicitly but suggests a likeness between them.

a) Sarcastic-unfair
b) Metaphorical-implied
c) Sanguine-inherent
d) Blatant-overt

Answer: b) Metaphorical-implied

704. The literary device in the underlined phrase in the following is:

“O no! It is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken.”
a) Metaphor
b) Synecdoche
c) Metonymy
d) Simile

Answer: a) Metaphor

705. Tautology is:

a) Unnecessary repetition of the same thing in different words
b) Strong expression of a feeling
c) The frequent repetition of the same letter
d) A way of saying offensive words in an agreeable and pleasing manner

Answer: a) Unnecessary repetition of the same thing in different words

706. Complete the unfinished simile by choosing the right word: “as cunning as a -“

a) Lamb
b) Fox
c) Lark
d) Horse

Answer: b) Fox

707. A graphic novel is a novel in the form of:

a) A poem
b) A comic strip
c) An audio clip
d) A video clip

Answer: b) A comic strip

708. Which is NOT true about a tragedy?

a) It represents serious actions
b) It shows disaster for chief character
c) The tragic hero often has an error or mistake of judgment
d) The tragic hero must be a figure of national or even comic importance.

Answer: d) The tragic hero must be a figure of national or even comic importance.

709. Which statement is incorrect about a short story?

a) It has few characters.
b) It is short.
c) It concentrates on the dilemma of many characters.
d) Its plot usually reaches the climax in a revelation.

Answer: c) It concentrates on the dilemma of many characters.

710. Jaws of death is an example of:

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Personification
d) Symbol

Answer: b) Metaphor

711. “Euphemism” is:

a) A direct expression of admiration
b) A witty remark
c) An indirect expression for a harsh one
d) An unpleasant expression

Answer: c) An indirect expression for a harsh one

712. A hyperbole is a/an:

a) Authentic statement of something
b) Overstatement of something
c) Understatement of something
d) Hesitant statement of something

Answer: b) Overstatement of something

713. The word Paradoxical refers to:

a) Similar
b) Consistent
c) Symbol
d) Contradictory

Answer: d) Contradictory

714. What is a simile?

a) A contrast between two things
b) A comparison between two things
c) Symbol
d) Exaggeration

Answer: b) A comparison between two things

715. “That men might look and live as glowworms shine/And face the moon.” What is the term used for the comparison in the lines?

a) Metaphor
b) Simile
c) Personification
d) Metonymy

Answer: b) Simile

716. Time waits for none is an example of:

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Allusion
d) Fable

Answer: b) Metaphor

717. When writers give human characteristics and attributes to objects, it is called:

a) Epithet
b) Paradox
c) Metaphor
d) Personification

Answer: d) Personification

718. “Bengal’s rivers, fields, flowers, wailed like strings of bells on her feet.” This is an example of:

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Irony
d) Paradox

Answer: a) Simile

719. The patriot is the star of the country. Here the “star” is used as a/an:

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Allegory
d) Personification

Answer: b) Metaphor

720. Metaphor: Figurative is to:

a) Epic: History
b) Fable: Contemporary
c) Irony: Dramatic
d) Precept: Instructive

Answer: d) Precept: Instructive

721. “I raised my head at the rustling of the leaves.” Rustling is an example of:

a) Homophone
b) Rhyme
c) Metonymy
d) Onomatopoeia

Answer: d) Onomatopoeia

722. The figure of speech found in “I have known the eyes already, known them all” is:

a) Synecdoche
b) Personification
c) Irony
d) Eulogy

Answer: a) Synecdoche

723. Which of the following sentences gives the example of a metaphor?

a) She has a heart of stone
b) Her heart is like a stone
c) He has a stone-like heart
d) Her heart is as hard as stone

Answer: a) She has a heart of stone

724. Learning’s bower is an example of:

a) Metaphor
b) Simile
c) Image
d) Personification

Answer: a) Metaphor

725. Kicking the bucket is a humorous expression for dying. This is an example of:

a) Dictum
b) Incantation
c) Euphemism
d) Addendum

Answer: c) Euphemism

726. Apparently contradictory words appearing in conjunction is called:

a) hyperbole
b) paradox
c) oxymoron
d) antithesis

Ans: c

727. “He is the black sheep of the family.” What ornamentation of language has been used here?

a) personification
b) simile
c) metaphor
d) exaggeration

Ans: c

728. The figure of speech in which the author makes an obvious exaggeration for emphasis or to create some other specific effect is-

a) metaphor
b) personification
c) metonymy
d) hyperbole

Ans: d

729. Metaphor involves:

a) implicit comparison
b) illicit comparison
c) explicit comparison
d) elaborate comparison

Ans: a

730. What is the example of a metaphor?

a) The lawn is a beautiful green blanket we spread out every summer.
b) You could have knocked me over with a feather.
c) The star danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
d) The weather is as cool as a summer day in the Midwest.

Ans: a

731. “Time is money” is an example of

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Personification
d) Allusion

Ans: b

732. “The camel is the ship of the desert.” Which of the following figures of speech is used in this sentence?

a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Personification
d) Exaggeration

Ans: b

733. “My heart leaped into my mouth.” What type of comparison is used in the sentence?

a) Personification
b) Metaphor
c) Onomatopoeia
d) Simile

Ans: a

734. Consonance refers to the repetition of similar consonant sounds. Which of the following is NOT an example of consonance?

a) Curse, bless me now
b) Dark deep dread
c) Bleak chill stream
d) Fierce tears flow

Ans: d

735. Assonance refers to the repetition of the same vowel in two or more words placed closely. Which of the following is NOT an example of assonance?

a) Curse, bless me now
b) Men sell the wedding bells
c) Go and mow the lawn
d) We light fire on the mountain

Ans: d

736. Personification is a figure of speech in which human features are attributed to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. Which of these is an example of personification?

a) My song has put off her adornments
b) My poet’s vanity dies
c) A flute of reed
d) Both (A) & (B)

Ans: d

737. ‘Rose’ is often used as- for beauty or the beautiful.

a) metaphor
b) euphemism
c) pun
d) hyperbole

Ans: a

738. “So that I saw into the clear well of his eyes” – What ornamentation of language has been used here?

a) personification
b) simile
c) metaphor
d) exaggeration

Ans: c

739. “Substitution of an unpleasant or vulgar expression is called:

a) euphemism
b) alliteration
c) allusion
d) eponym

Ans: a

740. “The foggy day mocks at my plan to wash clothes.” The literary technique used in the sentence is a/an —

a) personification
b) analogy
c) metaphor
d) none of the above

Ans: a

741. The sentence “Who would have thought Shylock was so unkind”?

a) hyperbole
b) interrogation
c) sarcasm
d) wonder

Ans: b

742. In the poem “Ozymandias”, the phrase “king of kings” is an example of –

a) exaggeration
b) irony
c) sarcasm
d) humor

Ans: b

743. What figure of speech do you find in “budding beauty”?

a) Assonance
b) Alliteration
c) Simile
d) Metaphor

Ans: b

744. ‘Milton! Thou shouldst be living at this hour’ is an example of

a) Apostrophe
b) Euphemism
c) Hyperbole
d) Personification

Ans: a

745. The ‘merit’ in the sentence “The boy showed his merit by making twenty mistakes in ten minutes is an example of –

a) personification
b) metaphor
c) pun
d) irony

Ans: c

746. “The Bench found him guilty.” Here ‘Bench’ is-

a) Synecdoche
b) Metonymy
c) Simile
d) metaphor

Ans: b

747. “Ten thousand saw I at a glance.” is a figure of speech known as –

a) hyperbole
b) metaphor
c) irony
d) satire

Ans: a

748. The sentence, “Death, thou shalt not die” is an example of

a) simile
b) metaphor
c) irony
d) paradox

Ans: d

749. The literary term ‘euphemism’ means-

a) vague idea
b) a sonnet
c) wise saying
d) inoffensive expression

Ans: d

750. Which one is not a literary ornament?

a) Simile
b) Similar
c) Similitude
d) Sarcasm

Ans: b

751. “A way of speaking or writing that makes something sound better, more exciting, dangerous etc. than it is really is.” This can be the best definition of the term-

a) personification
b) simile
c) synecdoche
d) hyperbole

Ans: d

752. The technique of treating non-living things as humans is called —

a) Living
b) Description
c) Feeding
d) Personification

Ans: d

753. ‘Paradox’ means-

a) A statement containing two opposing but true ideas
b) A funny situation involving a dilemma
c) A false statement to deceive people
d) An apparent contradiction

Ans: a

754. Paradox’ is

a) A statement which is false
b) A statement which is apparently self-contradictory
c) A statement which is apparently false
d) A statement which is apparently true

Ans: b

755. A Paradox’ is-

a) an impossibility
b) something miraculous
c) a perfect model or copy
d) an improbable combination of opposing qualities

Ans: d

756. In linguistics, ‘collocation’ means-

a) words that have the same root
b) words that go together
c) words that do not go together
d) words that give the same meaning

Ans: b

757. In the sentence, “Death lays his icy hands on kings”, “Death” is an example of

a) symbolism
b) metaphor
c) hyperbole
d) personification

Ans: d

758. If a part of speech or writing breaks the theme, it is called-

a) pomposity
b) digression
c) exaggeration
d) anti-climax

Ans: b

759. “They seem to push you back into a corner” like a poor intruder

a) simile
b) metaphor
c) metonymy
d) hyperbole

Ans: a

760. “I wondered lonely as a cloud” is an example of –

a) a symbol
b) a simile
c) a metaphor
d) an alliteration

Ans: b

761. In the sentence ‘The man is a mad dog.” “mad dog’ is an example of a/an-

a) simile
b) metaphor
c) assonance
d) alliteration

Ans: b

762. What figure of speech has been used in “Jingle-jangle, melodious murmur”?

a) personification
b) metaphor
c) onomatopoeia
d) alliteration

Ans: c

763. “Here’s the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”

a) Euphemism
b) Epigram
c) Metonymy
d) Hyperbole

Ans: d

764. “Man proposes, God disposes.”

a) Oxymoron
b) Antithesis
c) Pun
d) Irony

Ans: b

765. Commencement of words with the same letter-

a) Onomatopoeia
b) Consonance
c) Assonance
d) Alliteration

Ans: d

766. The term ‘euphemism’ refers to-

a) a pleasant term for something unpleasant
b) a figurative phrase
c) a simile
d) a metaphor

Ans: a

767. An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which

a) contradictory terms appear in conjunction
b) similar terms appear in conjunction
c) two similar things are compared
d) two dissimilar things are compared

Ans: a

768. In which of the following words is consonance present?

a) To the foot of the mountain
b) To the place of rest
c) Every day we go to the beach
d) The ship sails through the sea

Ans: b

769. Which of the following words does NOT have the same consonant sounds?

a) Deer
b) Beard
c) Heart
d) Tear

Ans: c

770. The type of rhyme that occurs at the end of lines is called –

a) terminal rhyme
b) internal rhyme
c) cross rhyme
d) slant rhyme

Ans: a

771. The following phrase is an example of: “Like a gleaming jewel”.

a) simile
b) metaphor
c) hyperbole
d) personification

Ans: a

772. A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using-

a) like or as
b) if
c) than
d) with

Ans: a

773. “The wind whispered through the trees” is an example of –

a) metaphor
b) hyperbole
c) personification
d) simile

Ans: c

774. In the phrase, “the crack of a whip,” the word ‘crack’ is an example of-

a) alliteration
b) assonance
c) onomatopoeia
d) metaphor

Ans: c

775. The phrase “the heat of the moment” is an example of –

a) hyperbole
b) metaphor
c) synecdoche
d) euphemism

Ans: b

776. A statement which appears self-contradictory but may reveal a deeper truth is called –

a) metaphor
b) irony
c) hyperbole
d) paradox

Ans: d

777. The term ‘eponym’ refers to –

a) a person whose name is used to name something else
b) a term used for literary ornamentation
c) a type of rhyme
d) a figure of speech

Ans: a

778. The phrase “the ship of the desert” refers to –

a) camel
b) horse
c) cow
d) donkey

Ans: a

779. The term ‘metonymy’ refers to –

a) a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept
b) an expression that has become lifeless
c) a figure of speech that exaggerates
d) a phrase that uses the word ‘like’ or ‘as’

Ans: a

780. In the sentence “The stars danced in the night sky,” what figure of speech is being used?

a) metaphor
b) personification
c) simile
d) hyperbole

Ans: b

781. The phrase “In the middle of the road” is an example of –

a) idiom
b) metaphor
c) euphemism
d) personification

Ans: a

782. “All the world’s a stage” is an example of –

a) hyperbole
b) metaphor
c) simile
d) personification

Ans: b

783. The expression “a flurry of activity” is an example of –

a) euphemism
b) hyperbole
c) idiom
d) personification

Ans: d

784. The expression “silk and satin” is an example of –

a) alliteration
b) metaphor
c) simile
d) assonance

Ans: a

785. The term ‘onomatopoeia’ refers to –

a) a word that imitates a sound
b) a figure of speech
c) a type of rhyme
d) a form of personification

Ans: a

786. “She had a heart of stone” is an example of –

a) simile
b) hyperbole
c) metaphor
d) personification

Ans: c

787. The expression “you are the apple of my eye” is an example of –

a) metaphor
b) simile
c) hyperbole
d) idiom

Ans: a

788. The expression “I’m feeling blue” is an example of –

a) idiom
b) metaphor
c) simile
d) hyperbole

Ans: a

789. The phrase “the winds of change” is an example of –

a) personification
b) metaphor
c) synecdoche
d) hyperbole

Ans: b

790. The phrase “to pull someone’s leg” is an example of –

a) idiom
b) metaphor
c) simile
d) hyperbole

Ans: a

791. “He is a lion in battle” is an example of –

a) personification
b) metaphor
c) simile
d) hyperbole

Ans: b

792. “The clouds were crying” is an example of –

a) metaphor
b) personification
c) hyperbole
d) simile

Ans: b

793. The expression “a penny for your thoughts” is an example of –

a) hyperbole
b) idiom
c) metaphor
d) simile

Ans: b

794. “It’s raining cats and dogs” is an example of –

a) idiom
b) metaphor
c) simile
d) hyperbole

Ans: a

795. The phrase “the heart of the matter” is an example of –

a) synecdoche
b) metaphor
c) euphemism
d) hyperbole

Ans: b

796. “When it rains, it pours” is an example of –

a) idiom
b) metaphor
c) personification
d) hyperbole

Ans: a

797. The term ‘synesthesia’ refers to –

a) a figure of speech in which one sense is described in terms of another
b) a type of rhyme
c) a figure of speech that exaggerates
d) a phrase that uses the word ‘like’ or ‘as’

Ans: a