This question is based on SECOND CLASS CITIZEN. "She swallowed it all, just like a nasty pill." The literary device employed here is

Analyze the question

The line "She swallowed it all, just like a nasty pill" asks us to name the literary device. The key is the phrase "just like", which is used to compare two different things.

Explain the concept

• Simile: a direct comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as".
• Metaphor: a comparison that says one thing is another, without "like" or "as".
• Alliteration: repetition of the same starting consonant sound in nearby words (e.g., "sweet song sung").
• Apostrophe: addressing an absent person, an abstract idea, or an object directly (e.g., "O Death, where is thy sting?").

Step-by-step solution

1. The sentence compares the way she accepted everything (insults, hardship, humiliation) to swallowing a bitter, unpleasant pill.
2. The comparison is introduced by "just like", so it is stated openly.
3. Alliteration: there is no clear repetition of initial sounds. "She swallowed" has an "s" sound, but that is not a deliberate pattern. Rule it out.
4. Apostrophe: no one or nothing is being addressed. Rule it out.
5. Metaphor: a metaphor would say "She swallowed the nasty pill of her suffering" without "like". Rule it out.
6. Simile fits because it uses "like" to compare.

In Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta, Adah often endures hardship and humiliation silently. The simile shows how bitter and unpleasant it was for her to accept these things.

Answer: C. simile

Exam tip: Look for the signal words first. If you see "like" or "as" making a comparison, it is a simile. If the comparison is stated directly without them, it is a metaphor.