Which term describes a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as?

Study for the GMAS 5th Grade ELA Test. Enhance skills with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with thorough explanations. Prepare comprehensively for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which term describes a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as?

Explanation:
A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using like or as. This device helps readers picture something by linking it to something familiar and easy to imagine. For example, saying someone is “as brave as a lion” uses the words as and like to draw a clear, vivid comparison. The others describe different figures of speech: a metaphor makes a direct claim that one thing is another, without using like or as; personification gives human traits to nonhuman things; hyperbole uses deliberate exaggeration for emphasis. Because the question specifies comparing with like or as, the term that fits best is simile.

A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using like or as. This device helps readers picture something by linking it to something familiar and easy to imagine. For example, saying someone is “as brave as a lion” uses the words as and like to draw a clear, vivid comparison.

The others describe different figures of speech: a metaphor makes a direct claim that one thing is another, without using like or as; personification gives human traits to nonhuman things; hyperbole uses deliberate exaggeration for emphasis. Because the question specifies comparing with like or as, the term that fits best is simile.

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