Ascribing human moods to nature, as in a playful-breeze illustrates _________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the literary device in which human feelings or moods are given to nature, as in "a playful breeze."

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Humour: writing meant to amuse. It is not a device for giving nature human feelings.
• Pathetic fallacy: giving human emotions or moods to nature or inanimate things, such as "angry sea," "weeping skies," or "a playful breeze." The term was coined by John Ruskin. It is closely related to personification, but it focuses on nature reflecting or being described with human feelings.
• Symbolism: using an object, person, or action to represent a deeper idea (a dove for peace, for example).
• Zeugma: one word governs two or more other words in different senses, as in "She broke his car and his heart."

Step 3: Apply to the example "A playful breeze" gives the breeze a human mood, playfulness. The breeze is part of nature, so this is pathetic fallacy.

Step 4: Check the other options

• Humour: the phrase is not meant to be funny.
• Symbolism: the breeze is not standing for another idea.
• Zeugma: no single word is linked to two others in different senses.

**Answer: B. Pathetic fallacy.

Exam tip: Look for nature plus human emotion, such as "angry waves," "smiling sun," or "sad rain." That points to pathetic fallacy. If the object is not part of nature, for example "the car coughed," personification is the more general term. In WASSCE, when the options include "pathetic fallacy" and the example involves nature, choose it.