Function of Metaphor: Fiction/Drama - AP English Literature and Composition

1. Which function best fits a metaphor that critiques society or power structures indirectly?

   Social or political commentary via figurative framing. Metaphors can subtly expose societal flaws.

2. Identify the metaphor in: "Time is a thief that steals our days."

   "Time is a thief.". Personifies time as actively taking from us.

3. What is the function of an extended metaphor?

   To sustain a comparison across multiple details to deepen meaning. Extended metaphors develop one comparison through multiple points.

4. What does it mean to identify the "grounds" of a metaphor?

   To state the shared qualities linking tenor and vehicle. Grounds explain why the comparison works or makes sense.

5. What is the tenor in a metaphor?

   The subject being described (the literal idea or thing). The actual concept being metaphorically transformed.

6. What is the function of a dead metaphor in most prose contexts?

   It provides familiar phrasing with little vivid imagery or interpretive force. Dead metaphors function as ordinary language, not vivid imagery.

7. Identify the vehicle in: "Her memory is a locked room."

   A locked room. The comparative image that illuminates the tenor.

8. Which option best states the function of "The city is a jungle" in context of danger? A) literal detail B) mood/atmosphere C) chronology

   B) Mood/atmosphere. Jungle metaphor creates dangerous, chaotic atmosphere.

9. Identify the vehicle in: "Time is a thief that steals our years."

   Thief. Thief is the comparison image that carries meaning.

10. Identify the tenor in: "Her memory is a locked room."

    Her memory. What's being described in metaphorical terms.

11. Identify the implied metaphor in: "He barked orders at the recruits."

    The speaker is likened to a dog (barking) to suggest aggression. Barking implies dog-like behavior without stating it directly.

12. What is the ground (shared meaning) of a metaphor?

    The common qualities linking tenor and vehicle. These shared attributes justify the metaphorical connection.

13. Choose the best function of: "Her memory is a locked room" (guarded, inaccessible).

    Characterization through emotional guardedness. Suggests repressed or protected memories.

14. Which function best fits a metaphor that creates a mood such as dread or serenity?

    Mood and atmosphere establishment. Figurative language evokes emotional atmosphere.

15. Choose the best function of: "The courtroom was a theater" in a cynical narrator's voice.

    Social commentary on performative justice. Critiques legal proceedings as artificial performances.

16. Which option is a dead metaphor: A) "the foot of the mountain" B) "grief is an ocean"?

    A) "the foot of the mountain". Dead metaphors like "foot" have lost figurative impact.

17. What is the vehicle in a metaphor?

    The image used for comparison that carries the figurative meaning. The vehicle provides the figurative comparison image.

18. What is one primary function of metaphor in developing a theme?

    It embodies an abstract idea in a concrete image that recurs or resonates. Concrete images make abstract themes tangible and memorable.

19. Which function best fits a metaphor that reveals a character's inner state indirectly?

    Characterization through implied psychology. Shows rather than tells emotional or mental states.

20. Which option is a metaphor rather than a simile: A) "Her voice is like honey." B) "Her voice is honey."?

    B) "Her voice is honey.". B uses "is" for direct equivalence; A uses "like" for simile.

21. Choose the best function of: "Time is a thief" in a reflective passage about aging.

    Theme development about loss and mortality. Reinforces themes of time's passage and inevitable loss.

22. What is the vehicle in a metaphor?

    The image used for comparison (the figurative term). Provides the imaginative lens through which we view the tenor.

23. What is one function of metaphor in shaping tone?

    It signals an attitude (admiring, bitter, ironic) through image choice. Image selection reveals speaker's emotional stance.

24. Which function best fits this metaphor: "His mind was a locked room"? Choose: secrecy, speed, abundance.

    Secrecy. Locked rooms suggest hidden or inaccessible contents.

25. Identify the metaphor in the sentence: "After the verdict, the courtroom was a furnace."

    "The courtroom was a furnace.". The courtroom equals furnace, suggesting intense heat/emotion.

26. Identify the tenor in: "Time is a thief that steals our years."

    Time. Time is the subject being described metaphorically.

27. What is the function of a controlling metaphor in a passage?

    To organize multiple images and claims around one central comparison. Controlling metaphors unify diverse elements under one comparison.

28. Identify the metaphor in this sentence: "Her memory is a locked room."

    "Her memory is a locked room.". The entire sentence creates the metaphorical comparison.

29. What is one primary function of metaphor in characterization?

    It reveals traits by linking a character to a telling image or concept. Metaphors efficiently convey personality through comparison.

30. Which function best fits a metaphor that makes an abstract idea concrete?

    Clarification through concreteness (abstract-to-concrete translation). Transforms intangible concepts into tangible images.

31. What is one primary function of metaphor in setting description?

    It shapes atmosphere by making the setting symbolically charged. Metaphors transform literal space into symbolic meaning.

32. What is a metaphor in literary analysis (as distinct from a simile)?

    An implied comparison stating one thing is another, without like/as. Unlike similes, metaphors create direct equivalence between two things.

33. What is the key difference between a metaphor and a simile?

    A metaphor asserts identity; a simile compares using "like" or "as.". Metaphors use "is" while similes use comparison words.

34. Identify the metaphor in: "The courtroom was a theater, and truth wore a mask."

    "The courtroom was a theater" and "truth wore a mask.". Two distinct metaphors work together in the sentence.

35. Which function best fits a metaphor that makes a theme recur across a text?

    Thematic reinforcement and unification. Repeated metaphors create thematic coherence.

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