Read the Poem below and answer the question.
A Bird Came Down
A Bird, came down the Walk -
He did not know I saw
He bit an Angle Worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,
And then, he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass -
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let Beetle pass -
He glanced with rapid eyes,
That hurried all abroad -
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,
He stirred his Velvet Head -
Like one in danger, Cautious,
I offered him a Crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers,
And rowed him softer Home -
Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,
Leap, splashless as they swim.
Choose the figure of speech in the line.
'They looked like frightened beads'.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Simile
Simile:
- A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things directly, using "like" or "as".
- "They looked like frightened beads" is an explicit comparison of this kind; it sharpens the picture of the bird's small, glinting eyes and its nervousness.
Example: Her smile was like sunshine after rain.
Contrast: "like" or "as" makes the comparison a simile; without them ("his eyes were frightened beads") it would be a metaphor.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Metaphor — Incorrect. A metaphor compares without "like" or "as", saying one thing is another; this line uses "like".
Example: The classroom was a zoo when the teacher left.
Option 2: Personification — Incorrect. Personification gives human qualities to a non-human thing. "Frightened" does give a feeling to beads, but the device that shapes the line is the comparison with "like".
Example: The wind whispered through the trees.
Option 3: Hyperbole — Incorrect. Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration; nothing is exaggerated here.
Example: I have told you a million times to shut the door.