From the given options, select the figure of speech used in the sentence:
For the old prisoner, those years in a cramped cell had been a living death.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Oxymoron
In “a living death”, “living” and “death” are opposites. The prisoner was alive, but his life in the cramped cell was as bad as being dead.
| Figure | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Oxymoron (answer) | puts two words of opposite meaning side by side. Together they make a strong point | After the result, there was a deafening silence in the hall. |
| (2) Pun | a joke using a word with two meanings, or two words that sound the same. No word in this sentence is used for a double meaning | The tailor said his job was sew easy. |
| (3) Simile | compares two things using “like” or “as”. This sentence has no “like” or “as” | Her hands were as cold as ice. |
| (4) Alliteration | the same first sound repeated in words close together. “Cramped” and “cell” begin with the same letter, but not the same sound (k and s) | Seema sold sweet samosas on Sunday. |