Which literary device uses 'like' or 'as' to compare two unlike things?

Which literary device uses 'like' or 'as' to compare two unlike things?

• A. Simile
• B. Metaphor
• C. Allusion
• D. Irony

Answer: (A)

Similes compare two unlike things by using the words like or as. That explicit marker signals that a comparison is being made between different things, not that they are the same. For example, phrases like "bright as the sun" or "moves like a shadow" show two unlike things being linked through like or as. A metaphor makes a claim that one thing is another without using like or as (the world is a stage). Allusion is a reference to something well known outside the text, and irony involves a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. Since this prompt highlights using like or as to compare, the best answer is simile.

Similes compare two unlike things by using the words like or as. That explicit marker signals that a comparison is being made between different things, not that they are the same. For example, phrases like "bright as the sun" or "moves like a shadow" show two unlike things being linked through like or as. A metaphor makes a claim that one thing is another without using like or as (the world is a stage). Allusion is a reference to something well known outside the text, and irony involves a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. Since this prompt highlights using like or as to compare, the best answer is simile.