Read the poem and answer the following questions.
maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)
and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and
milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;
and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and
may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone. (10)
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
Which figure of speech is used in line 10, “as small as a world and as large as alone”?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Simile
Simile:
- A simile compares two different things using “like” or “as”.
- Line 10 uses the pattern “as ... as” two times. The small stone is compared to “a world”.
- It is also compared to being “alone”. A stone is not a world or a feeling.
- The word “as” joins these unlike things, so the line is a simile. Example: After the swim, Ravi was as hungry as a wolf.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Personification — Incorrect. Personification gives human actions or feelings to a thing. In line 10 the stone does nothing human. It is only compared. Example: The old fan groaned all night.
Option 3: Onomatopoeia — Incorrect. Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like the noise it names, such as “buzz” or “splash”. Line 10 has no such sound word. Example: The bees buzzed around the mango tree all afternoon.
Option 4: Metaphor — Incorrect. A metaphor compares two things without “like” or “as”. It says one thing is the other. Line 10 does use “as”. Example: My grandmother’s kitchen is a treasure house.