Figurative Language Quiz

Grade 6 · English · Quiz

Identify and analyze figurative language devices in context.

Questions

1. What figurative device is used in 'The classroom was a zoo today'?

   1. Simile
   2. Metaphor
   3. Hyperbole
   4. Personification
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   Answer: Metaphor

   The classroom IS a zoo — a direct comparison with no 'like' or 'as' makes this a metaphor.

2. Alliteration is the repetition of the same vowel sound at the start of nearby words.

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   Answer: False

   Alliteration repeats the same CONSONANT sound at the start of words (Peter Piper). Repeating vowel sounds is assonance.

3. When a writer gives human qualities to an object or animal, that device is called ___.

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   Answer: personification

   Personification applies human characteristics (emotions, actions, thoughts) to non-human subjects.

4. Which sentence uses a simile?

   1. Time is money.
   2. He ate like a starving wolf.
   3. The stars winked at us.
   4. The car engine coughed and sputtered.
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   Answer: He ate like a starving wolf.

   'Like a starving wolf' uses 'like' to compare — that's the hallmark of a simile.

5. Hyperbole is meant to be taken literally.

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   Answer: False

   Hyperbole is intentional exaggeration. No one expects it to be taken literally — it's meant to emphasize or amuse.

6. Words like 'buzz,' 'sizzle,' and 'thud' are examples of ___.

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   Answer: onomatopoeia

   These words imitate sounds: bees buzz, bacon sizzles, heavy objects thud. The word itself sounds like the noise.

7. In poetry, what does a dove most commonly symbolize?

   1. Danger
   2. Peace
   3. Sadness
   4. Power
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   Answer: Peace

   The dove has symbolized peace across many cultures and literary traditions for centuries.

8. Which line contains alliteration?

   1. She sells seashells by the seashore.
   2. The rain fell all afternoon.
   3. He was as quiet as a mouse.
   4. Night fell like a curtain.
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   Answer: She sells seashells by the seashore.

   Alliteration repeats the same initial consonant sound: 'sells,' 'seashells,' 'seashore' all start with the 's' sound.

9. A metaphor uses 'like' or 'as' to make a comparison.

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   Answer: False

   Metaphors do NOT use 'like' or 'as' — that's a simile. Metaphors state directly that one thing IS another.

10. Using an object or image to represent a larger idea beyond its literal meaning is called ___.

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    Answer: symbolism

    Symbols work on two levels: literal (a rose is a flower) and figurative (a rose symbolizes love or beauty).

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