Read the poem and answer the questions given below it.
The Umbrella Mender
Under the neem tree by the post office
old Kasim sits on a sack, his tools laid out:
a coil of wire, black thread, a pair of pliers,
spare ribs and handles in a biscuit tin.
All summer no one stops. The sun is harsh,
and people hurry past him to the shade.
But when the first clouds gather over the hills,
the lane remembers him and his small trade.
They bring him broken things: a schoolgirl’s red one,
a clerk’s black giant with three ribs snapped,
a grandmother’s faded one with flowers on it,
older than the lane, and patched and patched.
He turns each one slowly, like a doctor
who listens to a heartbeat through his hands,
then bends a wire, ties a knot, and gives it back
with the same nod for coins or for thanks.
And when the rain comes down at last in sheets,
the lane goes home beneath the roofs he made.
Kasim pulls a plastic sheet over his head
and waits, unhurried, in the dripping shade.
Identify the figure of speech used in the lines:
“He turns each one slowly, like a doctor
who listens to a heartbeat through his hands”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Simile
Simile:
- A simile compares two different things using “like” or “as”.
- Kasim turning an umbrella is compared to a doctor listening to a heartbeat. The word “like” joins the two. It shows how gently and carefully he finds what is wrong. Example: The lake was as still as glass in the morning.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Metaphor — Incorrect. A metaphor calls one thing another, without “like” or “as”. Example: My grandfather is a walking library.
Option 3: Alliteration — Incorrect. Alliteration is the same first sound repeated in words close together. Example: Sita sold sweet samosas at the fair.
Option 4: Hyperbole — Incorrect. Hyperbole is a big exaggeration that is not meant to be taken as true. Example: This bag weighs a ton.