Figures of Speech Quiz: Test Your Figurative Language Skills
Quick, free figure of speech test to check your skills. Instant results.
Editorial: Review CompletedUpdated Aug 23, 2025
This figures of speech quiz helps you spot simile, metaphor, personification, and more in short examples. Answer 20 quick questions, get instant results, and review brief explanations. For added practice, try our figurative speech quiz, build technique with a rhetorical devices quiz, or broaden your knowledge with a literary devices quiz.
Study Outcomes
- Identify various types of figurative language, including metaphors, similes, and personification.
- Analyze examples of figurative language to determine their meanings and effects.
- Distinguish between literal and non-literal language in different contexts.
- Interpret the use of figurative language in written texts.
- Apply understanding of figurative language to enhance reading comprehension and test performance.
6.01 Figures of Speech Cheat Sheet
- Understand the Basics of Figures of Speech - Figures of speech are the secret sauce of vibrant writing, twisting literal language into memorable expressions. Getting familiar with their definitions and functions will supercharge your reading and writing skills.
- Master Similes and Metaphors - Similes use "like" or "as" to draw playful comparisons ("busy as a bee"), while metaphors boldly state one thing is another ("time is a thief"). Spotting them makes you a text-detective, uncovering deeper meanings with each line.
- Recognize Personification - When objects talk back or nature shows emotion ("the wind whispered"), that's personification bringing scenes to life. Noticing these human-like touches boosts your appreciation for creative storytelling.
- Identify Hyperbole and Understatement - Hyperbole stretches reality for dramatic flair ("I've told you a million times!"), while understatement downplays big events ("it's just a scratch"). Understanding these opposites helps decode an author's true vibe and tone.
- Explore Onomatopoeia - Words like "buzz," "sizzle," and "boom" mimic sounds and immerse you in the scene's atmosphere. Spotting onomatopoeia turns reading into an aural adventure - picture yourself inside the action!
- Understand Oxymorons and Paradoxes - An oxymoron pairs contradictory words ("deafening silence"), while a paradox seems nonsensical but reveals truth ("less is more"). These clever twists sharpen your analytical eye and spark "aha!" moments.
- Learn About Euphemisms and Dysphemisms - Euphemisms soften hard topics ("passed away" for "died"), whereas dysphemisms add a harsh edge. Recognizing them tunes you into subtle shifts in tone and audience impact.
- Recognize Alliteration and Assonance - Alliteration repeats initial consonant sounds ("She sells seashells"), and assonance plays with vowel sounds ("the rain in Spain"). These sonic devices make prose or poetry dance off the page.
- Understand Metonymy and Synecdoche - Metonymy swaps a related term ("The White House said…"), while synecdoche uses a part to represent the whole ("all hands on deck"). Spotting these adds nuance to your text interpretations.
- Practice Identifying Figures of Speech in Context - Turn theory into practice by hunting for these devices in poems, articles, or song lyrics. The more you play this game, the sharper your exam and essay skills become!