Figures of Speech & Rhetorical Devices is one of 9 topics in the Grade 11 English First Additional Language CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. Which figure of speech is used in "Her determination was as unshakeable as a mountain"?
Simile
Metaphor
Onomatopoeia
Hyperbole
Answer: Simile — A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as", as seen here with "as unshakeable as".
Easy
2. Which figure of speech is used in "The storm clawed at the windows all night"?
Personification
Simile
Hyperbole
Alliteration
Answer: Personification — Personification gives a human action (clawing) to a non-human force (the storm), suggesting violence or aggression.
Medium
3. Identify the figure of speech: "I have explained this a thousand times already."
Answer: Hyperbole — Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration, not meant to be taken literally, used here for emphasis on frustration.
