Figurative Decoders

Step 2 Sample

The cold, fresh water ran smoothly and nicely over the grey rocks.

Q12. "The snake hissed warningly from the tall grass..." Step 1: C (Onomatopoeia)

Step 2 Sample

The snake made a sharp, whistling sound from the grass to warn people to stay back.

Q13. "His words were a warm blanket on a cold, stressful day." Step 1: A (Metaphor)

Step 2 Sample

What he said made me feel extremely comforted, calm, cared for, and safe.

Q14. "The fire danced merrily in the fireplace..." Step 1: B (Personification)

Step 2 Sample

The fire burned very actively, brightly, and flickered around in a warm, cheerful way.

FIGURATIVE DECODERS TEACHER ANSWER KEY PAGE 2 OF 3

Figurative Decoders Key

Part 3 • Questions 15 – 20

FINAL SECTION

Q15. "This math problem is as tricky as a maze..." Step 1: A (Simile)

Step 2 Sample

The math problem is extremely confusing, complicated, and hard to solve.

Q16. "I'm so tired I could sleep for a whole consecutive year." Step 1: B (Hyperbole)

Step 2 Sample

I am completely exhausted, wiped out, and desperately need sleep.

Q17. "The dark, deep dungeon was damp and dusty." Step 1: A (Alliteration)

Step 2 Sample

The underground room was cold, wet, dark, and filled with dirt or dust.

Q18. "The camera clicked repeatedly as the photographer..." Step 1: B (Onomatopoeia)

Step 2 Sample

The camera made quick, sharp snapping sounds as photos were taken.

Q19. "The rumor spread like wildfire through..." Step 1: A (Simile)

Step 2 Sample

The gossip/rumor was told to everyone in school incredibly quickly.

Q20. "Her heart was a stone when she made..." Step 1: A (Metaphor)

Step 2 Sample

She acted cold, showed no feelings, or made herself feel numb to make a hard choice.

Resource Lab Accommodations & Feedback Tips

• Verbal Reading: Read quotes aloud to students with auditory processing needs.
• Step 1 Only: For lower-level learners, grade on Step 1 (MCQ) only (20 points total).
• Guided Sentence Starters: Provide verbal prompts like "This sentence means she felt..." to help with Step 2.

FIGURATIVE DECODERS TEACHER ANSWER KEY PAGE 3 OF 3

B Metaphor

C Onomatopoeia

DECODER HINT

This compares her bravery directly to a lion using the comparison word "as".

Class Discussion: Why do we compare people to lions instead of other animals like mice or frogs?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 4

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 6 OF 22

"I have a million things to do before my shift at the grocery store starts."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Metaphor

B Hyperbole

C Alliteration

DECODER HINT

This is an enormous exaggeration; no person can have exactly one million distinct tasks.

Class Discussion: Why do we exaggerate when we are stressed? How does it help us explain our feelings?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 5

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 7 OF 22

"The delicious smell of sizzling bacon summoned everyone to the kitchen."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Alliteration

B Onomatopoeia

C Simile

DECODER HINT

Notice the repeating 's' sound in "smell of sizzling bacon summoned" close together.

Class Discussion: Read this sentence fast out loud! How does the 's' sound mimic the physical sizzling on the pan?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 6

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 8 OF 22

"The heavy steel door closed with a loud bang that echoed down the hall."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Metaphor

B Onomatopoeia

C Personification

DECODER HINT

The sound-word "bang" is written to mimic and sound exactly like the physical noise of the door shutting.

Class Discussion: What are other sound-words that heavy doors or machines make in comics?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 7

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 9 OF 22

"My backpack felt like a ton of bricks on the long walk home."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Simile

B Metaphor

C Hyperbole

DECODER HINT

This compares the backpack directly to heavy bricks using the comparison word "like".

Class Discussion: If it used "as heavy as bricks", would it still be a simile? Yes!

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 8

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 10 OF 22

"The computer screen stared blankly at me as I tried to write my essay."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Alliteration

B Simile

C Personification

DECODER HINT

This gives a human behavior ("staring blankly") to a non-living object (a computer monitor).

Class Discussion: Have you ever felt like a screen was staring at you? How does this capture writer's block?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 9

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 11 OF 22

"Time is a thief that steals our moments before we even realize it."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Metaphor

B Simile

C Alliteration

DECODER HINT

This compares time directly to a sneaky thief without using the words "like" or "as".

Class Discussion: In what way does time "steal" from us? How does this help us describe getting older?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 10

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 12 OF 22

"If I don't pass this driver's test, my life is completely over."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Personification

B Hyperbole

C Onomatopoeia

DECODER HINT

An extreme exaggeration used to show massive worry. Failing a test does not literally end your physical life.

Class Discussion: Why do teenagers use so much hyperbole when discussing school, sports, or parents?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 11

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 13 OF 22

"The cool creek cascaded over the clean, grey stones."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Alliteration

B Metaphor

C Simile

DECODER HINT

Notice the repeating hard 'c' sound at the start of multiple words: "cool creek cascaded... clean".

Class Discussion: How does repeating the 'c' sound affect how we read the sentence? Does it sound smooth?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 12

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 14 OF 22

"The snake hissed warningly from the tall grass near the trail."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Personification

B Hyperbole

C Onomatopoeia

DECODER HINT

The word "hissed" mimics and sounds exactly like the real sound a snake makes in the wild.

Class Discussion: What are some other animal sounds that are onomatopoeias? (Meow, buzz, chirp)

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 13

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 15 OF 22

"His words were a warm blanket on a cold, stressful day."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Metaphor

B Simile

C Onomatopoeia

DECODER HINT

This compares comforting speech directly to a warm blanket without using "like" or "as".

Class Discussion: What kinds of things does someone say that make you feel like you are wrapped in a warm blanket?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 14

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 16 OF 22

"The fire danced merrily in the fireplace, warming our frozen toes."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Alliteration

B Personification

C Hyperbole

DECODER HINT

This gives a human behavior ("dancing merrily") to a non-living element (the flames of the fire).

Class Discussion: Why do flames look like they are dancing? How does this change the mood of a cold room?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 15

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 17 OF 22

"This math problem is as tricky as a maze with no exit."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Simile

B Metaphor

C Hyperbole

DECODER HINT

This compares the math problem to a maze using the comparison word "as".

Class Discussion: What are some other adjectives we could compare to mazes using similes? (Confusing, dark, endless)

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 16

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 18 OF 22

"I'm so tired I could sleep for a whole consecutive year."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Alliteration

B Hyperbole

C Metaphor

DECODER HINT

An extreme exaggeration—sleeping for a solid 365 consecutive days is physically impossible for humans.

Class Discussion: What's the longest amount of hours you have actually slept? Why did you feel so exhausted?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 17

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 19 OF 22

"The dark, deep dungeon was damp and dusty."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Alliteration

B Onomatopoeia

C Personification

DECODER HINT

Multiple words in a row begin with the exact same 'd' sound: "dark, deep dungeon... damp... dusty".

Class Discussion: Why do spooky sentences in books often use alliteration with cold, hard sounds like 'd'?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 18

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 20 OF 22

"The camera clicked repeatedly as the photographer captured the sunset."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Metaphor

B Onomatopoeia

C Simile

DECODER HINT

The written sound-word "clicked" perfectly represents the mechanical shutter noise that cameras physically make.

Class Discussion: What kinds of sound words do modern cell phones make when you take a photo?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 19

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 21 OF 22

"The rumor spread like wildfire through the school hallways."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Simile

B Metaphor

C Hyperbole

DECODER HINT

This compares the quick rumor to a fast fire using the comparison word "like".

Class Discussion: Why is gossip compared to "wildfire"? How are they similar in speed and destruction?

Let's translate: "What does this actually mean in normal words?" Next Slide

Question 20

FIGURATIVE DECODERS

SLIDE 22 OF 22

"Her heart was a stone when she made the difficult decision to leave."

CHOOSE THE CORRECT DEVICE:

A Metaphor

B Simile

C Personification

DECODER HINT

This compares her heart directly to a stone without using "like" or "as".

Class Discussion: What are the traits of a stone? Cold, hard, solid. How does that match emotions?

You have decoded all 20 complex problems! Amazing job! All Done!