The family bell summoned us is an example of__________

Analyze the question: "The family bell summoned us" asks which figure of speech is shown. The key word is summoned.

Concept: Figures of speech in the options:

• Apostrophe: addressing an absent person, a dead person, or a thing as if it could hear (e.g., "O Death, where is thy sting?").
• Personification: giving human qualities or actions to non-living things or abstract ideas.
• Allusion: an indirect reference to a well-known person, event, book, or myth (e.g., "He is a Judas").
• Euphemism: a mild, polite word used in place of a harsh or unpleasant one (e.g., "passed away" for "died").

Solution:

1. A bell is a non-living object.
2. "Summoned" is a human action. Only a person with authority or a voice can summon others.
3. The sentence gives the bell this human ability, so it is personification.
4. It is not apostrophe, because nobody is addressing the bell directly.
5. It contains no reference to a famous person or event, so it is not allusion.
6. No harsh idea is being softened, so it is not euphemism.

Answer: The bell is described as doing something only a human can do, so the correct option is B. Personification.

Exam tip: When a non-living thing or an idea performs a human action (the wind whispered, the bell summoned, time marches on), think personification. Look at the verb first. If it is something only a person can do, the answer is almost always personification.