Questions: Skip
Which of the following is an allusion?
Asking her personal questions is like opening Pandora's box.
Aidan eats every meal like it is his last.
Her eyes are as blue as the sky.
Transcript text: Skip
Which of the following is an allusion?
Asking her personal questions is like opening Pandora's box.
Aidan eats every meal like it is his last.
Her eyes are as blue as the sky.
Solution
The answer is: Asking her personal questions is like opening Pandora's box.
Explanation for each option:
Asking her personal questions is like opening Pandora's box.
This is an allusion. An allusion is a reference to a well-known story, event, person, or object in order to make a comparison in the readers' minds. "Pandora's box" refers to a myth from Greek mythology where Pandora opened a box (or jar) that released all the evils of humanity into the world. By comparing asking personal questions to opening Pandora's box, the sentence suggests that asking her personal questions could lead to unexpected and potentially troublesome consequences.
Aidan eats every meal like it is his last.
This is a simile, not an allusion. A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things using the words "like" or "as." In this case, Aidan's way of eating is being compared to the urgency and intensity one might have if it were their last meal.
Her eyes are as blue as the sky.
This is also a simile. It compares the color of her eyes to the color of the sky using the word "as." There is no reference to a well-known story, event, person, or object, so it is not an allusion.