. ..and he had rushed at them, scattering them as some strieked and some laughed illustrates

Analyze the question: The line is "...and he had rushed at them, scattering them as some shrieked and some laughed." We need to identify the literary device it illustrates.

Explain the concepts:

• Onomatopoeia: a word that imitates the sound it names (e.g., buzz, hiss, bang, splash).
• Climax: the highest point of tension in a plot, or a series of ideas arranged in increasing order of importance.
• Metaphor: an implied comparison between two unlike things, without "like" or "as".
• Metonymy: replacing a thing's name with something closely associated with it (e.g., "the crown" for the monarchy).

Work through it:

1. Is there a comparison between unlike things? No, so it is not a metaphor. The "as" here means "while", not a simile marker.
2. Is something being replaced by an associated term? No, so it is not metonymy.
3. Is it a peak of rising action or an ordered build-up? It is a single action with reactions, not a build-up in intensity, so it is not climax.
4. Does any word imitate a sound? "Shrieked" (a high, sharp cry) has a sound-imitating quality, and the sentence describes noisy reactions. This fits onomatopoeia best.

Honestly, the passage is weak as an example, because "shrieked" is only loosely onomatopoeic. But among the options, it is the only one that fits at all.

Answer: A. onomatopoeia

Tip: In WASSCE Literature device questions, eliminate options by testing each definition against the text. Look for sound words (shriek, crash, murmur, hiss) to spot onomatopoeia. Look for "like" or "as" for a simile, and for direct statements like "X is Y" for a metaphor.