From the given options, select the correct figure of speech (poetic device) used in the following expression-
The wise fool impressed the king
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Oxymoron
In "wise fool", wise (having good sense and judgement) is joined to fool (a person who lacks good sense). The contradiction suggests a person who looks foolish but says something sensible.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Oxymoron (answer) | An oxymoron places two words of opposite meaning side by side. | The two sisters are friendly enemies who fight all day and still share everything. |
| (2) Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as". The sentence compares nothing. | The athlete ran like the wind. |
| (3) Personification | Personification gives human actions or feelings to a non-human thing. The fool and the king are already human, so nothing is personified. | The wind whispered through the trees. |
| (4) Metaphor | A metaphor calls one thing another to compare them directly. "Wise fool" is not a comparison. It joins two opposite ideas. | Her smile was a ray of sunshine on a dull day. |