Identify the figure of speech in the underlined part of the sentence:
When the lights went off for the fifth time that evening, Papa put down his newspaper and sighed, “Why do we even pay the electricity bill?”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Rhetorical question
Papa does not want anyone to tell him why the family pays the bill. He asks only to show how fed up he is with the power cuts.
| Figure | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Rhetorical question (answer) | a question asked for effect, not for an answer | Who wants homework on a Sunday? |
| (2) Apostrophe | the speaker talks directly to a thing, an idea or an absent person, as if it can hear | Old banyan tree, you have seen five generations of our family. |
| (3) Simile | an open comparison of two different things, using “like” or “as” | After the swimming class, my fingers were as wrinkled as raisins. |
| (4) Hyperbole | a big exaggeration made for effect | The last period on a Friday lasts an eternity. |