AP English Literature and Composition Practice Quiz: Metaphor, simile, conceit, and personification
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 10 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 10
All Questions (10)
A) It gives human qualities to a nonhuman object.
B) It makes a comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.
C) It is a direct comparison stating one thing is another.
D) It can only be used to describe emotions.
Correct Answer: B
Essential knowledge 1 explicitly states, 'A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as'.'
A) A metaphor compares two similar things, while a simile compares two unlike things.
B) A metaphor is a type of personification, while a simile is not.
C) A metaphor makes a comparison without using 'like' or 'as', while a simile does.
D) A metaphor is always a single word, while a simile is a full phrase.
Correct Answer: C
Essential knowledge 2 defines a metaphor as a comparison without 'like' or 'as', directly contrasting with Essential knowledge 1, which defines a simile as a comparison that uses those specific words.
A) Simile
B) Conceit
C) Allusion
D) Metaphor
Correct Answer: D
Essential knowledge 3 begins by stating, 'Personification is a type of metaphor...', indicating that it is a subcategory of metaphor.
A) The old house groaned under the weight of the snow.
B) Her ideas were a lighthouse guiding us through the storm.
C) He ran as fast as the wind.
D) The child's laughter sounded like bells.
Correct Answer: B
This sentence makes a direct comparison between 'her ideas' and 'a lighthouse' without using 'like' or 'as', which fits the definition of a metaphor from Essential knowledge 2. Option A is personification, and options C and D are similes.
A) The world is a stage.
B) My love is like a red, red rose.
C) The angry storm pounded on the roof.
D) His mind is a steel trap.
Correct Answer: C
This line gives the nonhuman 'storm' the human quality of being 'angry' and the human action of 'pounding'. This aligns with Essential knowledge 3, which defines personification as giving human qualities to a nonhuman thing.
A) It compares two unlike things, 'promises' and a 'bridge', without using 'like' or 'as'.
B) It gives the nonhuman 'promises' the human ability to form a bridge.
C) It uses the word 'were' to imply a similarity, just as a simile uses 'as'.
D) It compares two things that are literally similar in structure.
Correct Answer: A
The analysis correctly applies the definition from Essential knowledge 2. The line compares two dissimilar things (promises, bridge) to imply a shared quality (fragility, unreliability) without using the specific comparative words 'like' or 'as'.
A) To suggest that the room was literally filled with a blanket.
B) To describe the physical weight of the air in the room.
C) To use the word 'like' to compare two objects.
D) To convey the oppressive and suffocating quality of the silence.
Correct Answer: D
The function of the simile is not just to make a comparison, but to transfer the qualities of a 'heavy blanket' (oppressive, suffocating, thick) to the abstract concept of 'silence'. This explains the effect and meaning created by the comparison.
A) Personification, because it always gives human qualities to an abstract idea.
B) Metaphor, because its core is a comparison between unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.
C) Simile, because the comparison must be explicitly stated with comparative words.
D) Both simile and metaphor, as it can use either structure.
Correct Answer: B
The definition of a conceit as a comparison between two dissimilar things builds directly on the fundamental definition of a metaphor provided in Essential knowledge 2. A conceit is essentially a metaphor that is sustained and explored in great detail.
A) ...compares the car to a living being using the word 'as'.
B) ...describes the sounds the car made in a realistic way.
C) ...attributes the human-like actions of coughing and dying to a nonhuman object.
D) ...states that the car is a sick person without using a comparative word.
Correct Answer: C
This explanation correctly applies the definition from Essential knowledge 3. The car, a nonhuman thing, is described with actions ('coughed,' 'died') typically associated with humans or living beings.
A) A metaphor is a type of simile that does not use 'like' or 'as'.
B) Personification is a type of metaphor.
C) A simile is a comparison between two things that are already alike.
D) All figures of speech must use 'like' or 'as'.
Correct Answer: B
Essential knowledge 3 directly states, 'Personification is a type of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human.' The other options misrepresent the definitions provided.