The sentence the car groaned as it started demonstrates which device?

The sentence the car groaned as it started demonstrates which device?

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

Answer: (C)

Personification. Giving human qualities to a nonhuman thing helps create a vivid image. In this sentence, the car “groaned” as it started. A groan is something people do when they feel discomfort or strain, not something a machine literally does. By using that verb, the writer suggests the car is exerting itself or feeling pain, which is exactly how personification works to bring inanimate objects to life. It's not a simile or metaphor, since there’s no like/as comparison or direct equivalence, and it isn’t alliteration, which would repeat initial sounds.

Personification. Giving human qualities to a nonhuman thing helps create a vivid image. In this sentence, the car “groaned” as it started. A groan is something people do when they feel discomfort or strain, not something a machine literally does. By using that verb, the writer suggests the car is exerting itself or feeling pain, which is exactly how personification works to bring inanimate objects to life. It's not a simile or metaphor, since there’s no like/as comparison or direct equivalence, and it isn’t alliteration, which would repeat initial sounds.