Identify the literary device: 'Her smile was as bright as the sun.'

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

Answer: (B)

Using as or like to compare two different things is a simile. In the sentence, the brightness of her smile is described as as bright as the sun, which directly uses the as…as structure to draw a comparison between a smile and the sun. That explicit comparison is the hallmark of a simile.

If it were a metaphor, the line would say something like the smile is the sun—a direct claim without the comparative words. Alliteration would rely on repeating initial consonant sounds, which isn’t the main effect here. Hyperbole is an exaggerated claim; while the comparison is strong, the key feature shown is the explicit as-phrase comparison, not an exaggeration.