Chiasmus, zeugma, metonymy and other named devices
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
“City Hall announced on Monday that the library will stay open until nine.” Luz is drawing the arrow from “City Hall” to what it stands for. Where does the arrow point?
- To the city's leaders, who made and announced the decision.
- To the library staff, who will keep the doors open until nine.
- To the townspeople at large, who share in the decision.
- To the building itself, the hall on Main Street where the city meets.
“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.”
- Zeugma, because one verb serves two different subjects.
- Antithesis, because the opposites hard and easy sit in matching halves.
“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?
- Zeugma: one verb, “lost,” serves two objects in two senses.
- Zeugma: one noun, “crew,” serves as the subject of two different verbs.
- Asyndeton: the conjunctions between the parts of the sentence are left out.
- Metonymy: “patience” stands for the crew's calm manner, a related idea.
“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 the whole harbor town, which turned out for the regatta.
- To forty loose pieces of canvas blowing across the water.
“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.
- Metonymy, because “the stage” means the raised floor where Ms. Lin stood.
- Synecdoche, because “the stage” is one part that stands for the whole theater building.
- Apostrophe, because the program speaks directly to the stage.
“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 wrote down for “our questions” and felt for “our order.”
- It means wrote down for “our order” and felt for “offense.”
- It means carried away by hand, for “our order” and for “offense” alike.
“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?
- Epistrophe, because each clause ends with the same repeated words.
- Anaphora, because the sentence lists three kinds of visitors.
- Chiasmus, because the words of the first clause return in reverse order.
- Anaphora, because each clause begins with the same words, “this hall is for.”
“Old light on the point, you have outlasted every keeper who climbed your stairs.” Ren is drawing arrows in the sentence frame. Which device does the sentence use, and where does its arrow go?
- Personification: the lighthouse is given human traits but is not spoken to.
- Rhetorical question: the speaker asks the lighthouse something without wanting an answer.
- Apostrophe: the speaker speaks directly to the keepers who climbed the stairs.
- Apostrophe: the speaker turns and speaks directly to the lighthouse.
“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?
- “Do not” and “fit,” which trade places in the second half.
- The whole sentence, which repeats word for word in backward order.
- “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.
“The runners climbed, slipped, recovered, sprinted.” Noah must decide whether this list is asyndeton or polysyndeton. Which label and reason are right?
- Asyndeton, because the verbs follow one another with no “and” between them.
- Asyndeton, because the sentence has just six words in it.
- Polysyndeton, because the verbs are joined by repeated conjunctions, so the list slows down.
- Anaphora, because each verb begins with the same sound.
