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.