Which term describes addressing an abstract concept or absent person as present, as in 'O Freedom, hear my plea'?

• A. Apostrophe
• B. Metaphor
• C. Metonymy
• D. Onomatopoeia

Answer: (A)

This question tests the use of apostrophe—the rhetorical move of addressing an abstract concept or someone who is not actually present as if they could hear and respond. In the example, calling out “O Freedom” treats freedom as though it could listen and answer back, which is exactly what apostrophe does: you direct speech to something imagined as present.

This isn’t a metaphor, which would be a direct comparison between two things (for example, saying “freedom is a beacon” to symbolize its guiding light) rather than talking to freedom itself. It’s also not metonymy, which substitutes a related thing for another (like using “the White House” to mean the President or the administration). And it isn’t onomatopoeia, which involves words that imitate sounds (like “buzz” or “clang”).