Question

What kind of literary device is the following:
“A long time ago, in a kingdom far – far away, there lived a king and queen who wished for a child.”
a) Satire
b) Imagery
c) Exposition
d) Personification

Answer 1

Hint: The definition of literary device is a technique a writer uses to produce a special effect in their writing. An example of a literary device is a flashback. Here, the sentence gives an introduction or back – story of a plot.

Complete answer : Before finding the solution let us look into the meaning of the different literary devices given in the options –

>Option a: Satire - it is the use of humor or irony to ridicule someone's vices or stupidity particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
>Option b: Imagery – it is the 'visually descriptive or figurative language' that makes a scene more vivid and alive to the readers.
>Option c: Exposition – it is a literary device used to introduce background information or a back – story of a character or plot.
>Option d: Personification – it adds human characteristics to objects or brings it to life.
Now, the given sentence 'a long time ago... for a child' is an introductory sentence that begins or is the start of a story. It sets the background for the plot. Hence, the correct solution is option – ‘c’, i.e. exposition.

Hence option ‘c’ is the correct answer.

Note: Imagery consists of descriptive language that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature and also add symbolism to the work. This does not provide a back story, therefore, you can eliminate this as an option and then solve the question. After removing this as an option you can use elimination method to eliminate those literary devices that do not imply back - story or plot.