Figurative Language STAAR Practice

He always had a jawbreaker in his mouth, and when he wasn’t clacking it against his teeth he kept up a constant mutter about everything he did, as if he were a play-by-play announcer describing a game. “And now Jim is soldering the wire to the whatsits. . . .”

What does the simile suggest about Jim?

• He wishes he knew someone who shared his passion

• He approaches his work with intense focus

• He is interested in both science and sports

• He usually makes up experiments as they occur to him

“We are losing biodiversity every day,” Fowler explains. “It is kind of a drip, drip, drip—it’s also inevitable.”

The comparison in Fowler's statement helps the reader understand that —

• few people realize the consequences of losing seed varieties

• seed varieties are lost slowly, but the loss accumulates over time

• many seed varieties have been lost as a result of natural disasters

• scientists think seed varieties could be saved through improved agricultural practices

The poplar is a restless tree.

At every breeze its branches bend

And signal to the child, “Come, friend.”

Its leaves forever whispering

To thrush and robin, “Stay and sing.”

They pass. It quivers plaintively.

The poet uses personification to describe the poplar’s attempt to —

• attract visitors

• remain active

• provide directions to others

• resist being moved by the wind

Because that’s when I heard the growl. Deep, low, and gurgling, like a water heater about to blow. I knew that growl.

The figurative language in these sentences emphasizes that Kirby thinks Coach Armstrong is —

• spiteful

• intimidating

• arrogant

• mysterious

To the ordinary person, Cobble’s Knot was about as friendly as a nest of yellowjackets.

The author uses the comparison to help the reader understand —

• how impossible the task of untying the knot appears

• that trying to untie the knot is physically painful

• how dirty the knot seems to be

• that the knot is a dangerous object

He would need the touch of a surgeon, the alertness of an owl, the cunning of three foxes, and the foresight of a grand master in chess.

The author uses figurative language in this sentence most likely to —

• exaggerate the skills Maniac needs in order to accomplish the task

• demonstrate the qualities possessed by others who have attempted the task

• explain the help Maniac needs from others in order to accomplish the task

• identify the variety of people who have attempted the task

My mood’s as welcome as

incoming dog breath,

or a terminal case of split ends.

I sparkle like a dust rag,

The imagery in these lines helps the reader understand —

• the shift in the speaker's attitude

• the speaker's unpleasantness

• why the speaker has no friends

• what the speaker thinks of others

Fairies? Maybe Dad was right about Nanna’s imagination. But then I saw what Nanna meant: glistening, like strings of pearls. Like lace, the fairies’ washing hung from fences, flowers, grass. It was exactly what a fairy would wear.

The author’s use of similes creates a feeling of —

• courage

• amazement

• expectation

• pride

Pink light was making a bubble on the edge of the hill. It spread out, slowly, like jam. Bumblebees clinging to flower petals were still cold and asleep and unaware.

The figurative language helps the reader imagine the —

• smell of a field of wildflowers

• first signs that winter is approaching

• sweet taste of fresh honey in spring

• sun beginning to rise on the horizon

He attempted to work with the girls’ locks of hair but found the hair to be as slippery as a handful of wet noodles.

The author uses the simile in this sentence to show that Patrick —

• thinks the girls have gotten food in their hair

• thinks that the girls’ hair is too wet to make proper braids

• would prefer to be cooking dinner rather than braiding hair

• finds it very difficult to make braids in the girls’ hair