Question

Identify the figure of speech in the following sentence:
The cat purred when I stroked her fur
A) Oxymoron
B) Irony
C) Alliteration
D) Onomatopoeia

Answer 1

Hint: A figure of speech is a word or expression that has a meaning other than its literal meaning. It may be a metaphor or a simile that is used to compare two items. It can be used to create a dramatic effect by repeating alliteration or exaggerating hyperbole.

Complete answer:
Here, the sentence of the underlined word means as it breathes, a cat makes a low, vibrating sound by contracting its laryngeal muscles and diaphragm when I stroked her fur. Fur means animal hair. A cat can purr itself to sleep, which indicates relaxation, faith, and well-being. Here, we need to find a figure of speech.
Let's compare the four choices and see which one is the right.
Option (A) Oxymoron - A figure of speech in which seemingly opposing words are used together
Option (B) Irony- The definition of irony as a literary device is a situation in which there is a contrast between expectation and reality.
Option (C) Alliteration- A literary device in which a sequence of words begin with the same consonant sound is known as alliteration.
Option (D) Onomatopoeia - The creation of a word from the sound associated with what it is called is known as an onomatopoeia.
So, the last option matched the sentence, the cat purred when I stroked her fur. Note the underlined word ‘pur’ is the sound of a cat.

A figure of speech is a non-literal expression or word used for rhetorical or vivid effect. Option D) Onomatopoeia is correct because purred imitates the tone. The other alternatives are incorrect since the sentence contains no other figures of speech.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note: We note that the figure of speech for the sentence is onomatopoeia. When spoken aloud, onomatopoeia is a word or group of words that imitates the sound it makes. In written English, onomatopoeia is extremely useful because it aids authors in accurately describing sounds and makes writing much more lively and interesting.