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In the line from "The Cremation of Sam McGee," what type of figurative language is used in the phrase "wore a smile you could see a mile"?

a) Hyperbole
b) Simile
c) Onomatopoeia
d) Personification

User Amy
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2 Answers

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Final answer:

In "The Cremation of Sam McGee," the phrase "wore a smile you could see a mile" uses hyperbole, an exaggerated statement intended for emphasis and not taken literally, which is option (a).

Step-by-step explanation:

In the phrase "wore a smile you could see a mile" from "The Cremation of Sam McGee," the type of figurative language used is hyperbole. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally. It is used to create a strong impression and emphasize a particular point.

Here, the expression is used to tell us just how broad or noticeable Sam McGee's smile was without implying that it could literally be seen from a mile away. This use of hyperbole contributes to the vivid imagery of the poem and allows the reader to engage with the content in a more evocative way.

The correct option: a) Hyperbole. The other options, simile, onomatopoeia, and personification, do not accurately describe the phrasing used in the text.

User Forgottofly
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7 votes

Final answer:

In "The Cremation of Sam McGee," the phrase "wore a smile you could see a mile" employs hyperbole, which is an exaggeration used for emphasis, thus answering the student's question with choice (a) Hyperbole.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the line from "The Cremation of Sam McGee," the type of figurative language used in the phrase "wore a smile you could see a mile" is hyperbole.

Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or comic effect.

In this context, it is meant to convey how significant and noticeable Sam McGee's smile is; it's not meant to be taken literally, since no one can actually see a smile from a mile away.

This is different from a simile, which would use "like" or "as" to compare; onomatopoeia, which imitates sounds; and personification, which attributes human qualities to non-human entities. Therefore, the correct answer is (a) Hyperbole.

User Wolfcall
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