Which term is the giving of human qualities to a nonhuman thing?

• A. Hyperbole
• B. Imagery
• C. Personification
• D. Metaphor

Answer: (C)

Personification is the act of giving human qualities or actions to something nonhuman. It brings objects or elements of nature to life by describing them as if they could think, feel, or act like people. For example, saying the wind whispered through the trees or the sun smiled down on the valley uses human actions to describe natural things, which is exactly what personification does. This differs from hyperbole, which is exaggeration for emphasis; imagery, which uses vivid sensory details to create a picture; and metaphor, which makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using human traits. So the term that matches the idea of attributing human qualities to a nonhuman thing is personification.