Figurative Language

7 Grade 9 English questions on Figurative Language, with worked marking schemes. 7 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   5 marks

   Analyse the following stanza:

   "I wandered lonely as a cloud

   That floats on high o'er vales and hills"

   (a) Identify a poetic device and explain its effect. (3 marks)

   (b) What mood does the stanza create? (2 marks)

   (5 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Simile: lonely as a cloud; isolated, solitary feeling. Mood: solitary, reflective, peaceful.

2. Question 2

   1 mark

   Which poetic device is used in: "Time is a thief"?

   A. metaphor

   B. personification

   C. onomatopoeia

   D. simile

   (1 mark)

   Marking scheme for this question

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3. Question 3

   1 mark

   Which rhetorical device repeats a word at the end of successive clauses?

   A. chiasmus

   B. anaphora

   C. asyndeton

   D. epistrophe

   (1 mark)

   Marking scheme for this question

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4. Question 4

   1 mark

   Which sentence demonstrates anaphora?

   A. "We shall fight. We shall never surrender."

   B. "He was as brave as a lion."

   C. "She is tall and smart."

   D. "Life is a journey."

   (1 mark)

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5. Question 5

   1 mark

   Which figure of speech is used in: "The pen is mightier than the sword"?

   A. simile

   B. metonymy

   C. alliteration

   D. hyperbole

   (1 mark)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   "I am the darkness that swallows the sun." This is:

   A. hyperbole

   B. a metaphor

   C. alliteration

   D. a simile

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   8 marks

   Read the poem and answer the questions.

   "The Caged Bird"

   The free bird leaps on the back of the wind,

   And floats downstream till the current ends,

   But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage,

   Can seldom see through his bars of rage.

   (a) Identify and explain two figures of speech. (4 marks)

   (b) What does the "caged bird" symbolise? (2 marks)

   (c) What is the tone of this poem? (2 marks)

   (8 marks)

   Marking scheme

   (a) 1. Personification: "a bird that stalks" — the caged bird is given human actions (stalking). 2. Metaphor: "bars of rage" — the cage bars represent anger/frustration. 3. Contrast: free bird vs. caged bird — symbolising freedom vs. oppression.

   (b) The caged bird symbolises oppressed people — those denied freedom, opportunity, or justice. The cage represents societal barriers like poverty, discrimination, or political oppression.

   (c) The tone is melancholic and yearning for freedom, contrasted with the joyful tone when describing the free bird. There is also a sense of injustice.

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