HSPT: Figurative language: what the comparison shows
Learn to work out what a simile, metaphor or other figure of speech emphasizes, and why an author might discuss a figurative phrase so readers don't take it literally.
How do you answer questions about what a comparison means or why an author uses it?
Short answer
Name the two things being compared and find the one or two features they share in this context. The answer names that shared feature and never treats the comparison as literally true.
Know first: Vocabulary in context, Author's purpose: why a detail is included
Step 1 of 5
A comparison borrows one feature
Figurative language says something that isn't literally true to show an idea vividly. A simile uses like or as: quiet as snow. A metaphor says one thing is another: the hallway was a river of students. Personification gives human actions to things: the wind whispered.
Every comparison borrows one or two features from the second thing, not all of them. A river of students moves in one direction and keeps flowing. It isn't wet. Literary effects are among the listed HSPT Reading skills.
| Kind | How to spot it | Example and what it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | like or as | Her voice was as sharp as glass: cutting, harsh |
| Metaphor | Says one thing is another | The classroom was a zoo: loud, out of control |
| Personification | A thing acts like a person | The old stairs groaned: creaking, strained |
| Hyperbole | Huge exaggeration | I've told you a million times: very often |
Step 2 of 5
Find the shared feature
A descriptive sentence
By the last week of school, the hallway was a river of students1, flowing toward the exits2 the moment the bell rang. Lockers banged open and shut like hungry mouths3.
- A metaphor: students compared to a river.
- The shared feature: constant movement in one direction.
- A simile: lockers open and shut fast, the way mouths snap at food.
Worked example: A river of students
Using the passage above: What does the phrase a river of students emphasize?
- AThe hallway floor was wet.
- BThe crowd moves together in one steady direction.
- CThe students were calm and quiet.
- DThe school is built beside a river.
- 1
Name both sides
The crowd of students and a river.
- 2
Find the shared feature
Rivers move steadily in one direction. So does the crowd heading for the exits.
- 3
Match it
B names that feature.
- 4
See why the other choices are there
A takes the comparison literally. C borrows a feature of rivers, being calm and quiet, that clashes with the banging lockers. D treats the image as a real place.
Answer
B. The crowd moves together in one steady direction.
Wrong: The sun smiled on the picnic means the sun has a face.
Right: The sun smiled on the picnic means the day was warm and pleasant.
Personification borrows one feature, a friendly look, and leaves the rest behind. Choices that read a figure literally are always wrong.
Step 3 of 5
Read the comparisons
Check yourself · Question 1
When the coach announced the extra practice, Ray's face was a thundercloud.
What does the comparison suggest about Ray?
Answer: C
A thundercloud is dark and stormy. Compared to a face, it suggests anger right after unwelcome news.
Trap answer: He is about to cry.
Borrowing the wrong feature
- Why it looks right
- Thunderclouds bring rain, and rain can stand for tears.
- Why it's wrong
- The comparison describes his expression when he hears the news. Its strongest feature is the dark, angry look.
- The right answer
- He is angry about the news, which matches a stormy face.
Check yourself · Question 2
Textbooks often say that a plant "drinks" water through its roots. The phrase is handy, but a plant has no mouth and doesn't swallow. Water moves up through tiny tubes, pulled along as it evaporates from the leaves.
Why does the author discuss the phrase drinks water?
Answer: B
The author calls the phrase handy, then explains what actually happens. The point is that the comparison helps but isn't literally true.
Common mistake
Treating every feature of the second thing as part of the comparison.
- Why it's tempting
- If the hallway is a river, it seems fair to think of everything rivers do.
- Do this instead
- Keep only the feature that fits the scene. A comparison borrows one or two qualities, not all of them.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Name what's being described and what it's compared to.
- Keep only the shared feature that fits the scene.
- When an author discusses a figure of speech, the point is often that it helps but isn't literally true.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
In your own words
In the practice question, what two things does the author compare, and what does the author say about taking that comparison literally?