Which of the following figures of speech is used in the following sentence?
It is an open secret that the administration is planning to promote Mr. Vinod as the General Manager.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Oxymoron
Oxymoron:
- An oxymoron puts two words of opposite meaning side by side to make a striking expression.
- The name itself is one: Greek oxys (sharp) + moros (foolish), "sharply foolish".
- In "open secret", "open" means known to all, while a "secret" is something hidden; together they describe a secret that everyone already knows.
Example: There was a deafening silence in the hall.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Simile — Incorrect. A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as"; the sentence makes no such comparison.
Example: Her face shone like the moon.
Option 3: Metaphor — Incorrect. A metaphor says that one thing is another, without "like" or "as"; nothing is called something else here.
Example: Time is a thief.
Option 4: Hyperbole — Incorrect. Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration for effect; the sentence does not exaggerate.
Example: I have told you a million times.
Contrast: a simile compares with "like" or "as", a metaphor calls one thing another, hyperbole exaggerates, and an oxymoron joins two opposite words.