“Tears trickled out of his eyes… More tears streamed from both eyes, competitively…” is an example of—

Step 1: Analyze the question We are asked to identify the figure of speech in: "Tears trickled out of his eyes… More tears streamed from both eyes, competitively…"

Step 2: Key concept

• Simile: a direct comparison using "like" or "as".
• Metaphor: an implied comparison saying one thing is another.
• Hyperbole: deliberate exaggeration for effect.
• Personification: giving human qualities, actions, or emotions to non-human things or ideas.

Step 3: Work through the passage

• There is no "like" or "as", so it is not a simile.
• Nothing is said to be something else, so it is not a metaphor.
• Crying with tears trickling and streaming is not an exaggeration, so it is not hyperbole.
• The key word is "competitively". Competing is a human behaviour: people race and try to outdo one another. Here the tears are described as if they were competing with each other, as though each eye's tears were trying to win. This gives human traits to tears, which is personification.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. Personification.

Tip: In figure-of-speech questions, look for a word that is out of place for the subject. If an object, animal, or body part does something only a person would do (competing, dancing, whispering, and so on), it is almost always personification. Check for "like/as" first to rule out simile, then ask: "Can this thing really do that?" If not, think personification.