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Difficulty: MediumLiterary Devices, Diction, and Style in Prose

Match each prose extract below to the dominant literary device or figurative element it demonstrates.

  • "The solitary lantern wept yellow tears onto the damp cobblestones of the narrow alleyway."Personification
  • "The village council hall became a buzzing hive of discontent as soon as the decree was announced."Metaphor
  • "His voice during the heated debate was as smooth and reassuring as cool morning oil."Simile
  • "Standing alone in the ruins of his ancestral home, he was wrapped in a deafening silence."Oxymoron

Answer

Extract 1 ("The solitary lantern wept...") matches Personification. Extract 2 ("The village council hall became a buzzing hive...") matches Metaphor. Extract 3 ("His voice... was as smooth... as cool morning oil") matches Simile. Extract 4 ("...wrapped in a deafening silence") matches Oxymoron.
Each extract contains distinct stylistic markers: giving human actions like weeping to a lamp is personification; directly stating a hall is a beehive is a metaphor; comparing voice to oil using 'as' is a simile; and placing 'deafening' next to 'silence' creates an oxymoron.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Extract 1 for human attributes given to non-human entities.
The lantern is described as weeping tears, which is a human action, identifying the device as Personification.
Attributing human qualities to non-living objects defines personification.
2
Analyze Extract 2 for direct figurative comparison.
The hall is directly equated to a buzzing hive, establishing a Metaphor.
Directly asserting that one thing is another without comparative signal words constitutes a metaphor.
3
Analyze Extract 3 for explicit comparison markers.
The comparison uses the marker "as... as", identifying it as a Simile.
Comparisons using "like" or "as" are similes.
4
Analyze Extract 4 for contradictory word combinations.
"Deafening silence" combines opposing concepts of loud sound and complete quiet, identifying it as an Oxymoron.
Two adjacent contradictory terms form an oxymoron.

Key Concept

Literary Devices and Figurative Language in Prose
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Topics

Literary Devices, Diction, and Style in Prose

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