In the sentence "The silence in the examination hall was deafening", the figure of speech is

  • A. oxymoron
  • B. simile
  • C. metonymy
  • D. hyperbole

Explanation

Deafening silence places two contradictory ideas side by side, which is the definition of an oxymoron, as in bittersweet or living dead. A paradox is the related device applied to a whole statement rather than a phrase. The contradiction is deliberate and creates the effect.

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