Question

Identify and explain the figure of speech in "the White House decided."

a) Personification, as it attributes human qualities to an inanimate object.
b) Simile, as it makes a direct comparison using "like" or "as."
c) Metaphor, as it implies a hidden comparison between the White House and a decision-making entity.
d) Alliteration, as it repeats the initial consonant sound in "White" and "House."

Answer 1

The phrase 'the White House decided' is an example of personification because it attributes the human quality of making decisions to an inanimate object. The correct answer is option a.

Step-by-step explanation:

Identifying Figures of Speech

The phrase 'the White House decided' employs the figure of speech known as personification. This is because it attributes human qualities, specifically the ability to decide, to the White House, which is an inanimate object. In literature and rhetoric, personification is used to give human characteristics to objects or abstract concepts, making them more relatable and vivid to the reader.

A simile is a comparison that uses the words 'like' or 'as', for example, 'as brave as a lion'. The phrase in question does not use these keywords and thus is not making a simile. A metaphor is a direct comparison between two unlike things, such as 'the curtain of night', but the phrase does not state that the White House is the same as a decision-making entity. Finally, alliteration is a repetition of initial consonant sounds, which is not present here as the emphasized element is the act of decision-making, not the sound repetition.