Which literary device is a direct comparison between two unrelated things?

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

Answer: (A)

A metaphor makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things by saying one thing is the other, creating a symbolic link that highlights a shared quality without using like or as. For example, “Time is a thief” treats time as if it could steal moments, emphasizing how quickly time passes. This is different from a simile, which would use like or as (e.g., “Time is like a thief”) and stops short of declaring an actual equivalence. Other devices don’t make this kind of direct identity claim: personification gives human traits to nonhuman things, and onomatopoeia consists of words that imitate sounds. So the direct, identity-based comparison is what defines a metaphor.