Question

Difficulty: EasyUnseen Text Appreciation and Analysis

Read the unseen poetic extract below and answer the question that follows:

"The wind howled like a wounded beast,
Across the cold and empty plain."

Which literary device is used in the line "like a wounded beast"?

  1. SimileAnswer
  2. B
    Metaphor
  3. C
    Paradox
  4. D
    Assonance

Answer

Simile
The phrase compares the sound of the wind directly to that of a wounded beast using the explicit comparison word 'like', which defines a simile.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target phrase in the unseen extract
The target phrase is "like a wounded beast".
Analyzing the phrasing reveals how the wind's sound is being described.
2
Examine the marker of comparison
The word "like" explicitly links the sound of the wind to the sound of a wounded beast.
Explicit comparison markers distinguish direct comparison tropes.
3
Match the observed device to literary definitions
A direct comparison using 'like' or 'as' is defined as a simile.
This directly fulfills the definition of a simile.

Key Concept

Identification of Simile in Unseen Poetry
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