From the given options, select the figure of speech (poetic device) used in expression:
Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Personification
Being selfish is a human trait, yet here it is given to cars. The cars are shown as if they were people who rush past caring only for themselves.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Personification (answer) | Personification gives human qualities or feelings to a thing that is not human. | The angry sea swallowed the little boat. |
| (2) Simile | A simile compares two things using "like" or "as". The cars are not compared to anything with these words. | He ran as fast as the wind. |
| (3) Oxymoron | An oxymoron joins two words of opposite meaning. "Selfish cars" does not join two opposites. It gives a human quality to a machine. | The two friends spent the evening in sweet sorrow before parting. |
| (4) Pun | a play on two meanings of a word or on words that sound alike. No word in the line carries a double meaning. | I used to work in a bank, but I lost interest. |