Identify the figure of speech in the underlined part of the sentence:
From the window of our slow train to Darjeeling, we watched tea-pickers toiling on the tall, terraced slopes.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Alliteration
In the underlined part, four words close together begin with the “t” sound: “tea-pickers”, “toiling”, “tall” and “terraced”. “Toiling” means working very hard, and “terraced” slopes are hillsides cut into steps.
| Figure | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Alliteration (answer) | the same first sound repeated in words that are close together | Rani rode her red rickshaw round the market. |
| (2) Assonance | the same vowel sound repeated in words that are close together | The green leaves in the deep stream drifted away. |
| (3) Onomatopoeia | a word that sounds like the sound it names | The rickshaw horn went honk, honk all the way to the station. |
| (4) Hyperbole | a big exaggeration made for effect | I have a mountain of clothes to fold before the trip. |