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 figure of speech compares two things using the words like or as?

Recognizing a simile. A simile makes a comparison between two unlike things using explicit connectors like or as, which signals the comparison clearly. For example, saying someone is “as brave as a lion” directly uses like or as to link bravery to the lion’s image. This explicit use of like or as is what sets a simile apart from other figures of speech: a metaphor would claim one thing is another (time is a thief), personification would attribute human qualities to nonhuman things (the wind whispered), and hyperbole would be a deliberate exaggeration (so hungry I could eat a horse). So the statement that compares two things using the words like or as defines a simile.

Recognizing a simile. A simile makes a comparison between two unlike things using explicit connectors like or as, which signals the comparison clearly. For example, saying someone is “as brave as a lion” directly uses like or as to link bravery to the lion’s image. This explicit use of like or as is what sets a simile apart from other figures of speech: a metaphor would claim one thing is another (time is a thief), personification would attribute human qualities to nonhuman things (the wind whispered), and hyperbole would be a deliberate exaggeration (so hungry I could eat a horse). So the statement that compares two things using the words like or as defines a simile.