Which line is a simile?

Which line is a simile?

• A. I slept for a million hours this weekend
• B. The dictionary definition of a word
• C. Amy's hair was as long as a lion's mane
• D. My alarm clock screamed at me from the corner of the room

Answer: (C)

Similes compare two different things by using like or as. The line “Amy's hair was as long as a lion's mane” fits this pattern perfectly, because it directly compares hair length to a lion’s mane with the word as. That clear use of like/as to draw a comparison is what makes it a simile. The other lines don’t do that: one exaggerates distance with hyperbole, one states a dictionary definition without a comparison, and one gives human qualities to a clock, which is personification, not a simile.

Similes compare two different things by using like or as. The line “Amy's hair was as long as a lion's mane” fits this pattern perfectly, because it directly compares hair length to a lion’s mane with the word as. That clear use of like/as to draw a comparison is what makes it a simile. The other lines don’t do that: one exaggerates distance with hyperbole, one states a dictionary definition without a comparison, and one gives human qualities to a clock, which is personification, not a simile.