Which term would be used to describe a comparison between two unlike things using like or as?

• A. Simile
• B. Metaphor
• C. Free verse
• D. Primary research documents

Answer: (A)

A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using like or as. This figure of speech helps readers picture or understand something by linking it to something familiar, and you can spot it when you see words like or as used to connect two different ideas, such as “bright as the sun” or “as busy as a bee.”

Metaphor would make a direct equivalence, saying one thing is another, without using like or as—think “time is a thief.” Free verse describes a poetry form without regular rhyme or meter, not a way of making comparisons. Primary research documents are original sources of information, not literary devices. So the term that fits a comparison using like or as is a simile.