Question:
"So sober sometimes serious Sam smiles on silly things" is a/an ____.
"So sober sometimes serious Sam smiles on silly things" is a/an ____.
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Read the sentence aloud and notice which sound repeats at the start of nearly every word.
Updated On: Jul 16, 2026
- hyperbole
- assonance
- anaphora
- alliteration
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Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
This question asks you to name a figure of speech based on a sentence full of repeated sounds.
- hyperbole: This is deliberate exaggeration, like "I have told you a million times." The sentence about Sam does not exaggerate anything, so this does not fit.
- assonance: This is the repetition of vowel sounds inside nearby words, such as the "ee" in "deep" and "sleep." Here the repeated sound sits at the start of the words, not hidden inside them, so it is not assonance.
- anaphora: This means repeating the same word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences, like starting several sentences with "I have a dream." This example is only one sentence with repeated single letters, not repeated phrases across sentences.
- alliteration: This is the repetition of the same starting consonant sound in words close together. Almost every word here, so, sober, sometimes, serious, Sam, smiles, silly, starts with the "s" sound.
Because the "s" sound opens nearly every word in the sentence, this is a clear case of alliteration, so option D is correct.
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