Which of the following is a simile?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a simile?

Simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using words such as like or as. In the sentence “Her courage shone like a beacon,” the word like signals a direct comparison: courage is being described in a way that resembles a beacon’s glow. That explicit use of like is what makes it a simile. The other options don’t use like or as in a comparative sense. “Time is a thief” states a direct equality between time and a thief—this is a metaphor. “The city wore a tired face” and “The wind whispered secrets” give human traits to nonhuman things, which is personification, not a simile.

Simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using words such as like or as. In the sentence “Her courage shone like a beacon,” the word like signals a direct comparison: courage is being described in a way that resembles a beacon’s glow. That explicit use of like is what makes it a simile.

The other options don’t use like or as in a comparative sense. “Time is a thief” states a direct equality between time and a thief—this is a metaphor. “The city wore a tired face” and “The wind whispered secrets” give human traits to nonhuman things, which is personification, not a simile.

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