Chiasmus, zeugma, metonymy and other named devices

Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   “We did not win because we practiced; we practiced because we wanted to win.” Ari is drawing arrows in the sentence frame. Which device does the sentence use, and where do its arrows go?

   • Chiasmus: “We” returns at the start of each half, so the openings match.
   • Antithesis: the two halves set winning against losing in matching halves.
   • Chiasmus: “win … practiced” returns as “practiced … win,” so the words cross.
   • Anaphora: each clause begins with the same repeated words.
2. 2.

   “The work was hard, but the reward was easy to see.” Tala must decide whether this sentence is chiasmus or a look-alike. Which label and reason are right?

   • Chiasmus, because the second half reverses the first half's words.
   • Antithesis, because each half begins with the word “the.”
   • Antithesis, because the opposites hard and easy sit in matching halves.
   • Zeugma, because one verb serves two different subjects.
3. 3.

   “The ferry crew lost the timetable and, soon after, their patience.” Jun is drawing arrows in the sentence frame. Which device does the sentence use, and where do its arrows go?

   • Metonymy: “patience” stands for the crew's calm manner, a related idea.
   • Asyndeton: the conjunctions between the parts of the sentence are left out.
   • Zeugma: one noun, “crew,” serves as the subject of two different verbs.
   • Zeugma: one verb, “lost,” serves two objects in two senses.
4. 4.

   “By noon, forty sails were crowding the bay for the regatta.” Pia is drawing the arrow from “forty sails” to what it stands for. Where does the arrow point?

   • To forty boats, each named by one of its parts, its sail.
   • To forty sailors, the people who raised the sails that morning.
   • To forty loose pieces of canvas blowing across the water.
   • To the whole harbor town, which turned out for the regatta.
5. 5.

   “After thirty years on the stage, Ms. Lin is retiring to write.” Bo must decide whether “the stage” is metonymy or synecdoche. Which label and reason are right?

   • Metonymy, because “the stage” is a related thing that stands for acting.
   • Apostrophe, because the program speaks directly to the stage.
   • Synecdoche, because “the stage” is one part that stands for the whole theater building.
   • Metonymy, because “the stage” means the raised floor where Ms. Lin stood.
6. 6.

   “The orchard needs extra hands for the September picking.” Milo is drawing arrows in the sentence frame. Which device does the sentence use, and where does its arrow go?

   • Apostrophe: the newsletter speaks directly to the workers' hands.
   • Synecdoche: “the orchard,” a whole, stands for a single apple tree.
   • Synecdoche: “hands,” a part, stands for whole workers.
   • Metonymy: “hands” is a related idea that stands for hard work in general.
7. 7.

   “The cook took our order and, it seemed, offense at our questions.” Zee draws one arrow from “took” to each of its two objects. What does “took” mean for each?

   • It means one general idea, received, that covers both objects equally.
   • It means carried away by hand, for “our order” and for “offense” alike.
   • It means wrote down for “our order” and felt for “offense.”
   • It means wrote down for “our questions” and felt for “our order.”
8. 8.

   “This hall is for the curious, this hall is for the patient, this hall is for anyone who asks why.” Kira must decide whether this repetition is anaphora or a look-alike. Which label and reason are right?

   • Chiasmus, because the words of the first clause return in reverse order.
   • Epistrophe, because each clause ends with the same repeated words.
   • Anaphora, because the sentence lists three kinds of visitors.
   • Anaphora, because each clause begins with the same words, “this hall is for.”
9. 9.

   “Do not fit the facts to your idea; fit your idea to the facts.” Esme is drawing the crossing arrows in this chiasmus. Which words cross?

   • The whole sentence, which repeats word for word in backward order.
   • “Do not” and “fit,” which trade places in the second half.
   • “Do not fit” and “fit,” which set a wrong way against a right way.
   • “the facts” and “your idea,” which trade places in the second half.
10. 10.

    “The runners climbed, slipped, recovered, sprinted.” Noah must decide whether this list is asyndeton or polysyndeton. Which label and reason are right?

    • Anaphora, because each verb begins with the same sound.
    • Asyndeton, because the sentence has just six words in it.
    • Asyndeton, because the verbs follow one another with no “and” between them.
    • Polysyndeton, because the verbs are joined by repeated conjunctions, so the list slows down.