Read: "The evening was gold, and the river lay still, content as a cat; but beneath the bridge something stirred, and the water began to speak in whispers." Which pair of devices is used?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. A simile ("content as a cat") and personification ("the water began to speak")
- Step 1: Find the comparison with "as": "content as a cat" is a simile. Step 2. Water cannot speak, so "began to speak in whispers" is personification. Answer: simile and personification. Why not the others: the other pairs mislabel phrases, and the question asks for the pair that is clearly present.
Practise more Literary Devices, Language Genres and Close Reading.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Leaving Cert Ireland mock tests.
More Literary Devices, Language Genres and Close Reading questions
- Which device is used in the line "The fog crept into the harbour like a cat"?
- Which device is used in "Time is a thief that steals our evenings"?
- Which device appears in "The wind whispered through the empty classroom"?
- What is alliteration?
- Which term describes the exaggerated claim "I have told you a million times to close the door"?
- What is a soliloquy in a play?