Question 79
GCE_MODEL_QUESTIONS_VOL1
•
2025
•
ENGLISH_LANGUAGE
•
objective
Read the following passage and identify **all figures of speech** used. For each figure, state its name and briefly explain the effect it creates in the passage.
*"The city awoke with a sigh, its streets stretching like tired limbs after a night of restless dreams. Neon lights flickered, whispering promises that vanished as quickly as morning mist. People hurried, their footsteps a drumbeat of ambition, yet the sky above lingered, indifferent, as if watching a play without applause."*
Answer Options
A.
1. **Irony** - "The city awoke with a sigh" - presents a contrast between expectation of vigor and a weary exhale.
2. **Oxymoron** - "Neon lights flickered, whispering promises" - pairs contradictory ideas to highlight tension.
3. **Hyperbole** - "their footsteps a drumbeat of ambition" - exaggerates the impact of footsteps to stress determination.
4. **Litotes** - "the sky above lingered, indifferent" - uses understatement to convey the sky's lack of concern.
5. **Anaphora** - "restless dreams" - repeats a word at the start of successive clauses for emphasis.
B.
1. **Euphemism** - "the city awoke with a sigh" - softens the harsh reality of urban fatigue.
2. **Metonymy** - "Neon lights flickered, whispering promises" - uses lights to stand for the city's allure.
3. **Chiasmus** - "People hurried, their footsteps a drumbeat of ambition, yet the sky above lingered, indifferent" - reverses grammatical structures for effect.
4. **Parallelism** - "the sky above lingered, indifferent, as if watching a play without applause" - repeats similar structures to create rhythm.
5. **Allusion** - "restless dreams" - references the concept of dreaming to evoke imagination.
C.
1. **Hyperbole** - "the city awoke with a sigh, its streets stretching like tired limbs after a night of restless dreams" - exaggerates the city's reaction to emphasize drama.
2. **Onomatopoeia** - "Neon lights flickered, whispering promises" - uses sound‑imitating words to create auditory imagery.
3. **Synecdoche** - "their footsteps a drumbeat of ambition" - uses a part (footsteps) to represent the whole crowd's drive.
4. **Metonymy** - "the sky above lingered, indifferent, as if watching a play without applause" - substitutes the sky for the broader atmosphere.
5. **Alliteration** - "restless dreams" - repeats the ‘r' sound, adding rhythm.
Correct Answer
D.
1. **Simile** - "streets stretching like tired limbs" - compares the streets to exhausted limbs, emphasizing the city's weariness after a chaotic night.
2. **Personification** - "Neon lights flickered, whispering promises" - gives lights the human ability to whisper, suggesting seductive but fleeting allure.
3. **Metaphor** - "their footsteps a drumbeat of ambition" - equates footsteps with a drumbeat, conveying rhythmic determination and collective drive.
4. **Personification** - "the sky above lingered, indifferent, as if watching a play without applause" - attributes watching and indifference to the sky, highlighting a sense of detachment and the futility of human effort.
5. **Alliteration** (optional) - "restless dreams" - repeats the ‘r' sound, adding a musical quality that reinforces the uneasy atmosphere.
Correct Answer
D
Correct Option:
1. **Simile** - "streets stretching like tired limbs" - compares the streets to exhausted limbs, emphasizing the city's weariness after a chaotic night.
2. **Personification** - "Neon lights flickered, whispering promises" - gives lights the human ability to whisper, suggesting seductive but fleeting allure.
3. **Metaphor** - "their footsteps a drumbeat of ambition" - equates footsteps with a drumbeat, conveying rhythmic determination and collective drive.
4. **Personification** - "the sky above lingered, indifferent, as if watching a play without applause" - attributes watching and indifference to the sky, highlighting a sense of detachment and the futility of human effort.
5. **Alliteration** (optional) - "restless dreams" - repeats the ‘r' sound, adding a musical quality that reinforces the uneasy atmosphere.
About This Question
This is
Gce Model Questions Vol1
2025
English Language
Question 79.
It is one of the
objective
questions from the
2025
Gce Model Questions Vol1
English Language
examination.
Difficulty level:
Medium
.