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

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

   • The cook told a stirring story over the soup pot.
   • The kitchen smelled so good the whole town came running.
   • The cook stirred the soup with a long wooden spoon.
   • The batter went plop into the pan.
3. 3.

   Four lines about a windy day. Pia looks for a figure of speech. Which line is a pun?

   • The kite flew so high it touched the moon.
   • The wind was a gentle storm.
   • Flying kites in the wind was a breeze.
   • The kite was red, and the string was long.
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 tells the reader the wait lasted a century
   • it lets the reader hear the bus arrive
   • it says the bus was late
   • it shows how slow and boring the wait felt
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 says the friends sat in different rooms
   • it says the friends were in a library
   • it stretches the truth so the quiet sounds enormous
   • it shows two feelings at once: close to friends yet quiet and apart
6. 6.

   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 makes the thermometer sound enormous
   • it says the thermometer went to college
   • it makes a joke by using two meanings of “degrees”
   • it says the thermometer measures temperature
7. 7.

   Ari looked at the cafeteria line and said, “This line goes on for a hundred miles.” Kira reads the scene. Which choice names the figure of speech and tells why?

   • hyperbole: no line is really a hundred miles long
   • oxymoron: a short wait and a long line are opposites
   • pun: “line” can mean a row of people or a phone line
   • onomatopoeia: “goes on” sounds like walking feet
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?

   • pun: “pop” can mean a fizzy drink or a sudden sound
   • onomatopoeia: “pop” sounds like the noise popcorn makes
   • hyperbole: the popcorn pops more than any pot could hold
   • 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?

   • 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
   • pun: “open” can mean not shut or honest
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?

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