Figure of Speech Metaphor Quiz : 15 MCQs

Figure of Speech Metaphor Quiz : Definition of Metaphor (Figure of Speech):

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A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally denote, in order to imply a resemblance and suggest symbolic meaning. It asserts that one thing is another, not just like it, thereby offering a more direct and often more powerful comparison than a simile.

Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms: “A metaphor is an implicit comparison in which a word or phrase ordinarily used for one thing is applied to another.”

M.H. Abrams’ A Glossary of Literary Terms: “A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison.”

Cambridge Dictionary: “An expression, often found in literature, that describes a person or object by referring to something that is considered to have similar characteristics to that person or object.”

5 Classic Examples of Metaphor in English Literature:

William Shakespeare – As You Like It

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players.”

(Life is metaphorically presented as a stage, and people as actors playing roles.)

John Donne – The Sun Rising

“She is all states, and all princes…”

( The beloved is compared to entire states and empires, expressing her value and centrality.)

Emily Dickinson – Hope is the Thing with Feathers

“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers –

That perches in the soul –”

(Hope is metaphorically described as a bird living in the soul.)

Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar

“I couldn’t see the point of getting up. I had nothing to look forward to.”

“It was like being shut in a bell jar, suffocating on my own sour air.”

(The bell jar represents psychological entrapment and depression.)

George Orwell – Animal Farm

The entire novella is an extended metaphor:

( The farm stands in for a totalitarian regime, and animals represent political figures and ideologies.)