Engish STAAR ( State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) Practice Test

What literary device involves giving human traits to non-living things?

1. Metaphor

2. Personification

3. Simile

4. Allegory

The correct answer is: Personification

The correct answer is personification, which is a literary device that attributes human traits, emotions, or characteristics to non-human entities or inanimate objects. This technique allows writers to create vivid imagery and forge emotional connections between the reader and the subject being described. For example, saying "the wind whispered through the trees" gives the wind a human-like ability to whisper, thereby enhancing the reader’s experience and understanding of the scene. In contrast, metaphor and simile are comparisons used in literature; a metaphor states that one thing is another (e.g., "Time is a thief"), while a simile makes a comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "As brave as a lion"). Both of these devices serve different purposes in enhancing meaning but do not specifically involve human traits. Allegory, on the other hand, is a narrative that conveys a deeper moral or political meaning through symbolic figures and actions, representing abstract ideas but not necessarily granting human traits directly to non-human elements.