Similes & Metaphors Quiz

Question 1

What is the key difference between a simile and a metaphor?

Accepted Answer

A simile uses 'like' or 'as' to compare; a metaphor says one thing directly IS another

Answer

Similes are used in poetry; metaphors are used in prose

Answer

Similes are always longer than metaphors

Answer

Metaphors must compare living things; similes can compare anything

Question 2

Which is a simile?

Accepted Answer

She sang like an angel.

Answer

Time is money.

Answer

The classroom was a zoo.

Answer

His words were daggers.

Question 3

Which is a metaphor?

Accepted Answer

The internet is a spider's web of connections.

Answer

He is as strong as an ox.

Answer

The stars twinkled like diamonds.

Answer

She moved as gracefully as a swan.

Question 4

Complete this famous simile: 'As blind as a ___.'

Accepted Answer

bat

Answer

stone

Answer

wall

Answer

night

Question 5

What is an 'extended metaphor'?

Accepted Answer

A metaphor that continues and develops over several sentences or a whole text

Answer

A very long simile using 'like' or 'as'

Answer

A metaphor used at the end of a poem

Answer

Two metaphors placed next to each other

Question 6

Which metaphor suggests someone is very cold and emotionless?

Accepted Answer

She has a heart of stone.

Answer

She has a heart of gold.

Answer

She has a warm heart.

Answer

She wears her heart on her sleeve.

Question 7

Identify the simile in Shakespeare's famous line: 'All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.'

Accepted Answer

This is a metaphor, not a simile — it says the world IS a stage

Answer

This contains a simile: the world is compared 'like' a stage

Answer

This is personification, not a simile or metaphor

Answer

There is no comparison here — it is a literal statement

Question 8

Complete this simile to describe speed: 'He ran as fast as ___.'

Accepted Answer

lightning

Answer

a wall

Answer

a rock

Answer

pudding

Question 9

Which of these is a dead metaphor (a metaphor so overused it no longer feels like a comparison)?

Accepted Answer

The leg of the table.

Answer

Life is a battle.

Answer

The classroom erupted with laughter.

Answer

Her voice was honey.

Question 10

Which simile best conveys the idea of confusion?

Accepted Answer

As confused as a chameleon in a bag of Skittles

Answer

As clear as day

Answer

As bright as a button

Answer

As cool as a cucumber

Question 11

What effect does using a metaphor have compared to a literal description?

Accepted Answer

It creates a stronger, more vivid image and can carry deeper meaning

Answer

It is always shorter

Answer

It makes writing more formal

Answer

It is only appropriate in poetry

Question 12

Complete this famous metaphor: 'Life is not a bed of ___.'

Accepted Answer

roses

Answer

rocks

Answer

clouds

Answer

stars

Question 13

Which sentence contains a mixed metaphor (two metaphors that don't logically fit together)?

Accepted Answer

We must iron out the teething problems and get the ship back on track.

Answer

She is a shining star.

Answer

Time is a thief that steals our youth.

Answer

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.

Question 14

Which simile best describes very heavy rain?

Accepted Answer

It rained like cats and dogs.

Answer

It rained like a dripping tap.

Answer

It rained like a sunny day.

Answer

It rained like a gentle breeze.

Question 15

What is a 'visual metaphor'?

Accepted Answer

An image or picture that represents an idea without using words

Answer

A metaphor only used in poetry

Answer

A metaphor that compares two visual objects

Answer

A metaphor about colours

Question 16

Identify the type of comparison: 'The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.' (W.J. Turner)

Accepted Answer

Metaphor — the moon IS directly described as a galleon

Answer

Simile — it compares the moon to a galleon using 'like'

Answer

Personification — the moon is given human qualities

Answer

Onomatopoeia — the words sound like the sea

Question 17

Which simile most effectively describes a very loud noise?

Accepted Answer

It was as loud as a thunderclap.

Answer

It was as loud as a pin dropping.

Answer

It was as loud as a whisper.

Answer

It was as loud as a hum.

Question 18

What is the metaphor in Martin Luther King's phrase: 'We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream'?

Accepted Answer

Justice and righteousness are compared to a flowing stream using 'like', making it a simile

Answer

There is no metaphor — it is a simile using 'like'

Answer

Justice is described as already flowing, which is a metaphor

Answer

It is personification because water cannot roll down

Question 19

Which metaphor for time is most negative in tone?

Accepted Answer

Time is a thief that steals our youth.

Answer

Time is a river, always flowing forward.

Answer

Time is a gift to be cherished.

Answer

Time is an opportunity waiting to be seized.

Question 20

Create the most effective simile to complete: 'After the marathon, his legs felt like ___.'

Accepted Answer

jelly

Answer

running shoes

Answer

steel

Answer

a forest