Which term involves giving human qualities to nonhuman things?

• A. Personification
• B. Metaphor
• C. Simile
• D. Hyperbole

Answer: (A)

Giving human qualities to nonhuman things is personification. This figure of speech treats objects, animals, or ideas as if they could think, feel, or act like people, creating vivid imagery. For example, “The wind whispered through the trees” makes the wind seem to speak, a human trait, to help you picture the scene more clearly.

Metaphor, by contrast, makes a direct comparison where one thing is another, such as “The night was a blanket,” which describes but doesn’t imply a human action. A simile uses like or as to compare, for example, “Her smile was as bright as the sun.” Hyperbole involves an extreme exaggeration for effect, like “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”