Hyperbole, puns, oxymorons and sound words

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

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

   • The new goalie was quite a catch.
   • The ball went whoosh past the goalie.
   • The game lasted a hundred hours.
   • After the goal, the crowd let out a quiet roar.
2. 2.

   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 told a stirring story over the soup pot.
   • The cook stirred the soup with a long wooden spoon.
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 kite was red, and the string was long.
   • The wind was a gentle storm.
   • Flying kites in the wind was a breeze.
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 lets the reader hear the bus arrive
   • it shows how slow and boring the wait felt
   • it tells the reader the wait lasted a century
   • 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 shows two feelings at once: close to friends yet quiet and apart
   • it says the friends sat in different rooms
   • it stretches the truth so the quiet sounds enormous
   • it says the friends were in a library
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 leaking
   • it lets the reader hear the steady noise
   • it makes the faucet sound enormous in the night
   • it says the faucet was talking
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 makes a joke by using two meanings of “degrees”
   • it makes the thermometer sound enormous
   • it says the thermometer went to college
   • it says the thermometer measures temperature
8. 8.

   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?

   • onomatopoeia: “goes on” sounds like walking feet
   • oxymoron: a short wait and a long line are opposites
   • pun: “line” can mean a row of people or a phone line
   • hyperbole: no line is really a hundred miles long
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
   • pun: “open” can mean not shut or honest
   • 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?

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