Identify the figure of speech used in the given sentence:
There was a deafening silence before the crest of the huge wave broke onto the deck.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Oxymoron
Oxymoron:
- An oxymoron puts two words of opposite meaning side by side to create a striking effect. The word comes from the Greek oxys (sharp) + moros (dull), itself a pair of opposites.
- The two words usually stand together: an adjective and a noun (sweet sorrow, open secret).
- In "deafening silence", deafening (so loud that one cannot hear) is joined to silence (no sound at all). The silence was so heavy that it seemed to "deafen" the people waiting for the wave to break.
Example: Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Irony — Incorrect. Irony is saying the opposite of what one means, or a result that is the opposite of what was expected; the sentence has no such contrast between words and meaning.
Example: The fire station burned down last night.
Option 3: Hyperbole — Incorrect. Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration for effect; "deafening silence" is a joining of opposites, not an exaggeration of size or amount.
Example: I have a ton of homework today.
Option 4: Pun — Incorrect. A pun is a play on two meanings of a word or on words that sound alike, usually for humour; no word in the sentence has a double meaning.
Example: A bicycle cannot stand on its own because it is two-tyred.
Contrast: an oxymoron joins two opposite words (deafening silence), hyperbole exaggerates, irony says the opposite of what is meant, and a pun plays on a double meaning.