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Difficulty: MediumLiterary Devices, Diction, and Style in Prose

Read the prose extract below:

"Throughout the harsh Harmattan season, the dried riverbed became a winding highway of scorched earth and white pebbles."

Which literary device is employed in the phrase "the dried riverbed became a winding highway"?

  1. MetaphorAnswer
  2. B
    Simile
  3. C
    Oxymoron
  4. D
    Assonance

Answer

Metaphor
The correct answer is Metaphor because the author asserts directly that the dried riverbed was a winding highway, making an implicit comparison without using explicit connective words such as 'like' or 'as'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the targeted phrase in the prose extract
The phrase compares 'the dried riverbed' directly to 'a winding highway'.
Identifying the subject and what it is being compared to establishes the figurative framework.
2
Check for comparative connective markers
No comparative words such as 'like' or 'as' are present in the sentence.
The absence of 'like' or 'as' distinguishes a metaphor from a simile.
3
Determine the dominant literary device
Directly asserting that one thing is another creates a metaphor.
A metaphor makes an implicit, direct comparison between two unlike entities.

Key Concept

Literary Devices in Prose: Metaphor vs. Simile
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Topics

Literary Devices, Diction, and Style in Prose

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