Hyperbole, puns, oxymorons and sound words

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Four lines about a messy room. Ren looks for a figure of speech. Which line uses hyperbole?

   • The room was messy, and the desk had two cups on it.
   • The books hit the floor with a loud thud.
   • The toy robot on the shelf was a tiny giant.
   • The room was so messy it needed its own zip code.
2. 2.

   Four lines about a game. Jun looks for a figure of speech. Which line uses an oxymoron?

   • The ball went whoosh past the goalie.
   • The game lasted a hundred hours.
   • After the goal, the crowd let out a quiet roar.
   • The new goalie was quite a catch.
3. 3.

   Four lines about a kitchen. Esme looks for a figure of speech. Which line uses onomatopoeia?

   • The kitchen smelled so good the whole town came running.
   • The batter went plop into the pan.
   • The cook stirred the soup with a long wooden spoon.
   • The cook told a stirring story over the soup pot.
4. 4.

   Waiting for the bus took a hundred years. Luz reads the sentence. What does the figure add that plain words would not?

   • it shows how slow and boring the wait felt
   • it tells the reader the wait lasted a century
   • it lets the reader hear the bus arrive
   • it says the bus was late
5. 5.

   At the quiet library table, the friends felt alone together. Bo reads the sentence. What does the figure add that plain words would not?

   • it stretches the truth so the quiet sounds enormous
   • it says the friends were in a library
   • it says the friends sat in different rooms
   • it shows two feelings at once: close to friends yet quiet and apart
6. 6.

   The faucet went drip, drip, drip all night. Noah reads the sentence. What does the figure add that plain words would not?

   • it says the faucet was talking
   • it lets the reader hear the steady noise
   • it makes the faucet sound enormous in the night
   • it says the faucet was leaking
7. 7.

   The thermometer was a good student: it had many degrees. Tala reads the sentence. What does the figure add that plain words would not?

   • it says the thermometer measures temperature
   • it makes a joke by using two meanings of “degrees”
   • it says the thermometer went to college
   • it makes the thermometer sound enormous
8. 8.

   The popcorn went pop, pop, pop in the pot. Ari reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

   • hyperbole: the popcorn pops more than any pot could hold
   • pun: “pop” can mean a fizzy drink or a sudden sound
   • onomatopoeia: “pop” sounds like the noise popcorn makes
   • oxymoron: “pop” and “pot” are opposite words
9. 9.

   Everyone knew who won the contest, but the judges called it an open secret. Milo reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

   • pun: “open” can mean not shut or honest
   • oxymoron: “open” and “secret” are opposite words side by side
   • hyperbole: the secret was bigger than the whole school and its yard
   • onomatopoeia: “kept” sounds like a lock clicking
10. 10.

    Why did the broom win the contest? It swept the competition. Zee reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

    • oxymoron: “broom” and “contest” are opposite words
    • hyperbole: the broom beat more players than any broom could
    • pun: “swept” means cleaning with a broom and also winning easily
    • onomatopoeia: “swept” sounds like the noise of a broom