Read the poem and answer the questions given below it.
Rain on the Tin Roof
At six the sky above our town turns grey,
and the first big drops come down, slow and few:
plink on the tin, then plonk, then plink again,
until the roof is drumming through and through.
The fan slows down; the lights go out next door,
and then our own. Ma strikes a single match.
The lantern shows our faces, gold and still,
while the wind keeps tugging at the window latch.
Our phones are dead; the TV screen is black.
No one will hear the cricket score tonight.
For once the house forgets its little screens
and sits together in one ring of light.
Dadaji tells the story of the flood,
the year the river came up to our door;
the roof keeps time above him all the while,
and we have heard it twenty times before.
By ten the roar has softened to a hum
that lulls my little sister where she lies.
The lights come on again. Nobody moves.
We listen to the rain with half-closed eyes.
Identify the figure of speech used in the line:
“plink on the tin, then plonk, then plink again”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia:
- Onomatopoeia is the use of words that sound like the sound they name.
- “Plink” and “plonk” copy the sound of single raindrops hitting the tin roof. When we say them, we almost hear the drops. Example: The dry leaves crackled under our feet.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Simile — Incorrect. A simile compares two different things using “like” or “as”. Example: The baby’s cheeks were as soft as cotton.
Option 2: Personification — Incorrect. Personification gives human actions or feelings to a thing. Example: The kettle sang on the stove.
Option 3: Metaphor — Incorrect. A metaphor calls one thing another, without “like” or “as”. Example: My brother is a walking dictionary.