Which of the following sentences contains a metaphor?

The correct answer is Option (4) → For Raghav, the hostel’s single geyser was a lottery that he lost every winter morning.

Metaphor:

• A metaphor says that one thing is another. It does not use “like” or “as”.
• The geyser is called “a lottery”. In a lottery only a lucky few win. With one geyser for the whole hostel, Raghav rarely got hot water, so he “lost” every morning.

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 1: When the bell rang, the children scattered across the playground like spilt marbles. — Incorrect. This sentence uses a simile, which compares two different things using “like” or “as”. The words “like spilt marbles” compare the children to marbles.

Option 2: Each December, the stubborn fog refused to leave our hill town before noon. — Incorrect. This sentence uses personification, which gives human qualities or actions to a thing. The fog is “stubborn” and “refused to leave” like a person.

Option 3: The new mall is so big that my cousin needed a whole weekend to find the exit. — Incorrect. This sentence uses hyperbole, a big exaggeration made for effect. Nobody needs “a whole weekend to find the exit” of a mall.