Prepare for the Praxis Core Skills for Educators: Reading (5713) exam. Engage with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each accompanied by hints and explanations. Boost your readiness for exam day!

Multiple Choice

Which broad term refers to language that uses figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and personification?

Figurative language uses expressions that go beyond the exact dictionary meaning to create vivid images or ideas. Metaphors convey a direct comparison, like "time is a thief," implying time steals moments. Similes compare using like or as, such as "bright as the sun." Personification gives nonhuman things human traits, for example, "the wind whispered through the trees." These devices help writers evoke emotion, emphasize ideas, and paint a clearer picture. Literal language, by contrast, sticks to the exact meaning of the words without these imaginative comparisons. Syntax concerns sentence structure, and diction is about word choice and its connotations. The broad term for language that uses figures of speech is figurative language.

Figurative language uses expressions that go beyond the exact dictionary meaning to create vivid images or ideas. Metaphors convey a direct comparison, like "time is a thief," implying time steals moments. Similes compare using like or as, such as "bright as the sun." Personification gives nonhuman things human traits, for example, "the wind whispered through the trees." These devices help writers evoke emotion, emphasize ideas, and paint a clearer picture.

Literal language, by contrast, sticks to the exact meaning of the words without these imaginative comparisons. Syntax concerns sentence structure, and diction is about word choice and its connotations. The broad term for language that uses figures of speech is figurative language.