Question 1
A poet writes: "She sells seashells beside the silver sea." Which sound device is most clearly created by the repeated 's' and 'sh' sounds across this line?No clue? Show me the answer
Correct answerCorrect!
IncorrectStep-by-step walkthrough
Choose a solution method
Method #1Direct reasoningStep 1: Spot the repeated sound
The line repeats soft consonant sounds 's', 'sh' and 'z'-like sounds across multiple words: sells, seashells, silver, sea.
Step 2: Match to the definition
Sibilance is specifically defined as the repetition of soft hissing consonants like s, sh, and z, which is exactly what appears here.
Step 3: Consider the felt effect
The soft hissing quality creates a whispering, gentle atmosphere rather than a harsh or grinding one.
Step 4: Confirm the answer
Since the device matches both the sound pattern and its typical soft effect, sibilance is the correct label.
Method #2Process of eliminationStep 1: Rule out assonance
Assonance concerns repeated vowel sounds within words, but the repetition here is clearly consonantal, not vowel-based.
Step 2: Rule out consonance
Consonance is a broader category for consonants repeated anywhere in words, but the specific soft hissing quality points to the more precise term sibilance.
Step 3: Rule out onomatopoeia
None of the words in the line actually imitate a real-world sound like a crash or hiss, so onomatopoeia does not apply.
Step 4: Confirm sibilance
The specific repetition of soft hissing consonants makes sibilance the most precise and correct choice.
Question 2
In a love poem, a line reads: "The kettle hissed and clattered on the stove." Which sound device is demonstrated by the words "hissed" and "clattered"?No clue? Show me the answer
Correct answerCorrect!IncorrectStep-by-step walkthrough
Choose a solution method
Method #1Direct reasoningStep 1: Examine the words
"Hissed" and "clattered" are words whose sound mimics the real noise a kettle makes.
Step 2: Apply the definition
Onomatopoeia is defined as a word imitating an actual sound, which is exactly what these two words do.
Step 3: Consider the effect
This creates immediacy, making the reader almost hear the kitchen scene as it happens.
Step 4: Confirm the answer
Because both words sonically recreate the noise described, onomatopoeia is the correct device.
Method #2Process of eliminationStep 1: Rule out alliteration
"Hissed" and "clattered" begin with different consonant sounds, h and c, so there is no repeated starting sound.
Step 2: Rule out assonance
The vowel sounds in "hissed" and "clattered" are different, so there is no shared vowel repetition here.
Step 3: Rule out rhyme
The end sounds of the two words do not match, so this is not an example of rhyme.
Step 4: Confirm onomatopoeia
Since the words imitate real sounds rather than repeating letters or matching endings, onomatopoeia is correct.
13 more questions in this topic
Pick this up in your Library: it holds the whole topic, notes, cheatsheet and questions. Your answers here are kept on this device.