Language Analysis

What is a metaphor?

• AA direct comparison of two things using 'like' or 'as'
• BAn implied comparison stating one thing is another✓
• CA question asked purely for effect rather than an answer
• DTwo contradictory words placed side by side for effect

Answer: Metaphors state that one thing is another, without using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'Time is money').

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?

• ASimiles use 'like' or 'as'; metaphors don't✓
• BMetaphors use 'like' or 'as'; similes don't
• CThey are the same thing
• DSimiles are only in poetry

Answer: Similes use 'like' or 'as' (brave as a lion); metaphors don't (he is a lion).

What is personification?

• ADescribing a person's appearance in close physical detail
• BGiving human qualities to non-human things✓
• CComparing two unlike things using the word 'like' or 'as'
• DChanging a verb from past to present tense

Answer: Personification assigns human characteristics to objects or abstract ideas.

What is an oxymoron?

• AA long sentence built from several linked clauses
• BA combination of contradictory terms (e.g., 'deafening silence')✓
• CA repeated pattern of sounds across a line
• DA deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis

Answer: Oxymorons combine contradictory words for emphasis or effect.

What is alliteration?

• ARepeating the same vowel sound inside nearby words
• BRepeating the same consonant sound at the start of words✓
• CComparing one thing to another to suggest that they are alike
• DGiving human qualities to objects and animals

Answer: Alliteration repeats initial consonant sounds: 'Sally sells seashells'.

What is assonance?

• ARepeating the initial consonant sound of nearby words
• BRepeating vowel sounds within words✓
• CA comparison drawn with 'like', 'as' or 'than'
• DA question asked for effect with an obvious answer

Answer: Assonance repeats vowel sounds: 'the cat sat' (repeated 'a' sound).

What is onomatopoeia?

• AA word of several syllables borrowed from Greek
• BA word that imitates the sound it represents✓
• CA comparison using 'like' or 'as'
• DThe repetition of consonant sounds at the start of words

Answer: Onomatopoeia: words like 'buzz', 'hiss', 'splash' imitate their sounds.

What is hyperbole?

• AA deliberate understatement that plays something down
• BA small, realistic exaggeration of the facts
• CExtreme exaggeration for effect✓
• DA comparison of two things that are otherwise unalike

Answer: Hyperbole uses extreme exaggeration for emphasis: 'I've told you a million times'.

What effect does a short sentence have in writing?

• AIt slows the pace and softens the tone
• BIt leaves the point unfinished
• CIt creates impact and quickens pace✓
• DIt signals a shift in the setting

Answer: Short sentences create emphasis, drama, and quicken pacing.

What effect does a long sentence have?

• AIt confuses the reader, blurs the argument and loses easy marks
• BIt can create complexity, flowing rhythm, or breathlessness✓
• CIt is a technical error that examiners penalise
• DIt shows the writer has run out of ideas

Answer: Long sentences can build tension, show complexity, or create a flowing rhythm.

What is a pun?

• AA short poem that ends with a humorous line
• BA repeated phrase used as a refrain
• CA play on words using multiple meanings✓
• DA witty insult aimed at another character

Answer: Puns exploit multiple meanings or similar sounds of words for humour.

What is an idiom?

• AA grammatical rule governing tense, agreement and word ordering
• BAn unusually long word of Latin origin
• CA regional dialect that is spoken in only one part of the country
• DA phrase whose meaning differs from individual word meanings✓

Answer: Idioms: 'raining cats and dogs' doesn't mean literal animals falling.

What is diction?

• AThe rhythm, stress and beat pattern of a line
• BWord choice and its effects✓
• CThe rules governing tense, agreement and word order
• DA fourteen-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme

Answer: Diction refers to word choice and how it shapes tone and meaning.

What does register mean in language?

• AThe official record of who is present, absent or late in class
• BAn alphabetical list of names and addresses
• CThe level of formality and vocabulary appropriate to context✓
• DThe range of pitch that a speaker's voice can comfortably reach

Answer: Register is the level of formality: formal, informal, slang, technical, etc.

What is the effect of using active voice versus passive voice?

• AActive is direct and engaging; passive is indirect or evasive✓
• BPassive voice is the stronger choice in writing
• CBoth voices create exactly the same effect on readers
• DActive voice suits formal writing and passive suits speech

Answer: Active voice is direct (The cat ate fish); passive is indirect (Fish were eaten).

What is tone?

• AThe pattern of stressed syllables in a line
• BThe emotional atmosphere that the reader feels
• CThe typeface, colour and layout chosen for the page
• DThe writer's attitude towards the subject✓

Answer: Tone is the writer's attitude: sarcastic, serious, humorous, etc.

How does imagery work in writing?

• AIt relies on illustrations printed alongside the text
• BIt appeals to the sense of sight and no other sense
• CIt creates vivid mental pictures through descriptive language✓
• DIt states feelings plainly so nothing is left unclear

Answer: Imagery uses sensory language to create vivid mental pictures.

What is a symbol in literature?

• AA concrete thing representing something abstract✓
• BA punctuation mark used in typing
• CA poem of three lines with five, seven and five syllables
• DA sign used in mathematics to stand for a quantity

Answer: Symbols represent larger concepts: a dove for peace, darkness for evil.

What is pathetic fallacy?

• AA poem written to mourn a death, a loss or an ending
• BA story with a deliberately sad ending
• CA mistake in reasoning that weakens a written argument
• DAttributing human emotions to weather or nature✓

Answer: Pathetic fallacy uses weather/nature to reflect character emotions: dark sky = sadness.

What is the purpose of repetition in writing?

• AA sign of careless, rushed and unpolished writing
• BTo pad out a short piece of work
• CTo emphasise ideas and create rhythm✓
• DTo signal a change of topic

Answer: Repetition emphasises key ideas and creates memorable rhythmic effects.

What is a pun's primary purpose?

• ATo create humour through wordplay✓
• BTo demonstrate the writer's wide vocabulary
• CTo disguise the writer's real opinion
• DTo add weight, formality and authority to an argument

Answer: Puns amuse through clever word combinations and double meanings.

What is parallel structure?

• ACovering one topic twice, in separate paragraphs or sections
• BBuilding an argument out of metaphors
• CUsing similar grammatical forms for related ideas✓
• DTwo storylines that run alongside but never connect

Answer: Parallel structure repeats grammatical forms: 'I came, I saw, I conquered'.

What is an allusion?

• AAn indirect reference to another work, person, or event✓
• BA metaphor extended across a whole passage
• CA trick of the eye, ear or mind that fools the reader
• DA direct quotation copied word for word

Answer: Allusions reference other texts or events without explicit explanation.

What does connotation mean?

• AA word with the same dictionary meaning as another
• BThe rules that decide how a sentence is built
• CThe association or emotional value beyond dictionary definition✓
• DThe literal meaning listed in the dictionary

Answer: Connotation is the emotional/cultural association of a word beyond its literal meaning.

What is the difference between denotation and connotation?

• ADenotation is literal definition; connotation is emotional association✓
• BDenotation is used by poets, and connotation by novelists
• CBoth terms describe a word's dictionary definition
• DConnotation is the literal meaning; denotation is emotional

Answer: Denotation = dictionary meaning; connotation = emotional/cultural association.

What is a pun and what effect does it create?

• AA pattern of stressed, unstressed and paused beats
• BA play on words creating humour✓
• CA sentence made up of many linked clauses
• DA blunt statement of the writer's real view

Answer: Puns use wordplay for humour and can be memorable or groan-worthy.

What is the effect of using colloquial language?

• AIt belongs only in poetry and song lyrics
• BIt creates informal, conversational tone✓
• CIt blurs the writer's meaning, tone and purpose
• DIt is never acceptable in writing

Answer: Colloquial language ('gonna', 'ain't') creates casual, conversational tone.

What does a rhetorical device do?

• AIt makes a text look more sophisticated
• BIt belongs to poetry, drama and song but not prose
• CAdds length to a piece without altering its impact
• DUses language techniques to persuade or create effect✓

Answer: Rhetorical devices are language techniques that persuade, emphasise, or create effect.

What is the effect of using imperative mood?

• AIt always sounds rude, whatever the context
• BIt softens a request for the reader
• CIt gives commands and creates directness✓
• DIt leaves the reader unsure what to do next

Answer: Imperatives give commands and create direct, urgent tone.

What does antithesis mean?

• AA rhyme falling at the end of a line
• BContrasting ideas placed together for effect✓
• CAn opening section that sets out the argument
• DAn argument added to support a claim, view or theory

Answer: Antithesis contrasts opposing ideas: 'It was the best of times, worst of times'.