Literary Devices & Techniques

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

Repetition of consonant sounds
(e.g., “She sells sea shells”).

Question 2

Assonance

Answer 2

Repetition of vowel sounds
(e.g., “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain”).

Question 3

Consonance

Answer 3

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words (e.g., “pitter-patter”).

Question 4

Onomatopoeia

Answer 4

Words that imitate sounds (e.g., “buzz,” “sizzle”).

Question 5

Personification

Answer 5

Giving human qualities to non-human things
(e.g., “The wind whispered”).

Question 6

Hyperbole

Answer 6

Extreme exaggeration for effect
(e.g., “I’ve told you a million times”).

Question 7

Metaphor

Answer 7

Direct comparison without using “like” or “as”
(e.g., “Time is a thief”).

Question 8

Simile

Answer 8

Comparison using “like” or “as”
(e.g., “As brave as a lion”).

Question 8

Oxymoron

Answer 8

Contradictory terms placed together (e.g., “deafening silence”).

Question 9

Paradox

Answer 9

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a deeper truth
(e.g., “The only constant is change”).

Question 10

Irony

Answer 10

Contrast between expectation and reality:

Verbal Irony – Saying the opposite of what is meant.
Situational Irony – When events turn out differently than expected.
-Dramatic Irony – When the audience knows something the characters don’t.

Question 11

Symbolism

Answer 11

When something represents a deeper meaning (e.g., a dove symbolizes peace).

Question 12

Imagery

Answer 12

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Question 13

Foreshadowing

Answer 13

Hints about future events in a story.