Which figure of speech (poetic device) has been used in the expression:
the room was filled with a screaming silence.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Oxymoron
Silence has no sound, yet it is called "screaming". The clash shows how heavy and uncomfortable the silence felt.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Oxymoron (answer) | An oxymoron puts two words of opposite meaning side by side for effect. | "Deafening silence" is another oxymoron. |
| (2) Alliteration | the repetition of the same first consonant sound in nearby words. The "s" of screaming and silence is close, but the effect of the line comes from the clash of meanings, not from sound. | "Sally sells sea shells" uses alliteration. |
| (3) Personification | Personification gives human qualities to non-human things. "Screaming" here does not make silence a person. It shows the contradiction of a loud silence. | The wind whispered through the trees. |
| (4) Simile | A simile compares two things using "like" or "as". There is no comparison word in the line. | Her eyes shone like stars. |