Identify the device: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

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

Answer: (B)

Personification is about giving human traits or actions to something nonhuman. In this line, the wind is described as whispering. Whispering is something people do, not wind, so attributing that action to the wind makes nature act like a person and creates a gentle, intimate mood. This is why it’s the best fit. The other ideas don’t capture the intended effect—repeating initial sounds would be alliteration and isn’t the main device here, while using a word that imitates a sound would be onomatopoeia, which focuses on the sound itself rather than treating the wind as if it can perform a human action. A metaphor would state a direct equivalence, which isn’t what’s shown here; the sentence instead animates the wind with a human behavior.