Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
He had no idea what it would be like, of course, and was pleased when Robinson Street proved to be leafy and relatively quiet, lined with large mansions. Number twenty-two was one of the older buildings, a massive four-story edifice, studded with graceful columned balconies: probably once the grandest building on the street, its Doric facade was now much bruised and discoloured, its plaster blacked with mildew. He went up to the fourth floor in a rattling birdcage of a lift that ascended through the center of a winding teak wood staircase. When the lift came to a stop, Murugan stepped gingerly on to the splintered planks of a wooden landing. A beam of sunlight, shining through a hole in a stained-glass window, revealed a small sign beside the tall door to his right. It said: 'The Robinson Guest House'. Beneath it was a nameplate for 'N. Aratounian'. Dragging his leather suitcase behind him, Murugan went to the door and rang the bell. Several minutes later, he heard footsteps on the other side. The door swung open, and he found himself looking at an ashen-faced, elderly woman in a frayed dressing grown and rubber slippers. 'Hi,' said Murugan, sticking out a hand. 'Any vacancies today?' Ignoring his hand, the woman looked him up and down, frowning through her gold rimmed bifocals.
In the expression 'rattling birdcage of a lift' what is the figure of speech used?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Metaphor
Metaphor:
- A metaphor describes one thing as if it were another.
- It uses no "like" or "as"; that is what separates it from a simile.
- This expression: in a rattling birdcage of a lift, the old lift is called a birdcage, a small, open cage of metal bars that shakes and rattles. The lift is not said to be like a birdcage; it is called one directly.
Example: The classroom was a zoo when the teacher stepped out.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Simile — Incorrect. A simile compares two things using "like" or "as"; the expression would have to be "a lift like a rattling birdcage".
Example: She is as busy as a bee.
Option 3: Oxymoron — Incorrect. An oxymoron puts two opposite words together; "rattling" and "birdcage" are not opposites.
Example: There was a deafening silence after the news.
Option 4: Transferred Epithet — Incorrect.
- A transferred epithet moves an adjective from the person who feels something to an object (a sleepless night).
- "Rattling" really describes the lift, which does rattle; nothing is transferred.
Example: He spent a sleepless night before the exam.
Contrast: a metaphor calls one thing another directly (a birdcage of a lift); a simile says it is like the other (a lift like a birdcage).