Which term refers to giving human qualities to non-human things?

• A. Metaphor
• B. Hyperbole
• C. Personification
• D. Alliteration

Answer: (C)

Giving human qualities to non-human things is personification. This figure of speech lets animals, objects, or ideas act, feel, or think like people, which helps readers picture the scene and connect emotionally. For example, “The wind whispered through the trees” makes the wind seem capable of whispering, a human action. “The sun smiled down on the meadow” gives the sun a human expression. These are clear signs of personification because human traits are being ascribed to something that isn’t human.

By contrast, a metaphor makes a direct comparison (Time is a thief) without personifying the thing involved, a hyperbole uses obvious exaggeration (I’m starving to death), and alliteration is about repeating sounds (Peter Piper...), not about giving human qualities to objects.