From the given options, select the figure of speech (poetic device) used in the expression:
"Her face ashened like that of a corpse"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Simile
"Her face ashened like that of a corpse" compares her pale, grey face with the face of a dead body, using "like". The comparison conveys the shock that drained the colour from her face.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Simile (answer) | A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as". The comparison makes a picture or a feeling vivid by linking it with something familiar. | "His hands were as cold as ice" is a simile. |
| (2) Oxymoron | An oxymoron puts two words of opposite meaning side by side. "Face" and "corpse" do not contradict each other. One is compared with the other. | "An open secret" is an oxymoron. |
| (3) Personification | Personification gives human qualities to a non-human thing. The face belongs to a woman, so no object or idea is treated as a person. | "The old house groaned in the storm" is personification. |
| (4) Alliteration | the repetition of the same first consonant sound in nearby words. "Face", "ashened" and "corpse" begin with different sounds. | "Big brown bears" uses alliteration. |