Oxymoron, Tautology, Hyperbole, or Pleonasm? Quiz

Answer: Oxymoron

Oxymorons are figures of speech that combine two contradictory terms in order to create a rhetorical effect.

In this case, if something is open, how can it be a secret? And vice-versa.

Of course in the sense of this question, it may also be true that the more quizzes you play on funtrivia.com the smarter you will become.

Answer: Tautology

Tautology is the saying of the same thing twice in different words.

If something is an innovation, then it stands to reason it is new.

In the same vein, newspaper headlines that boast of "creating 100 new jobs" also contain a tautology. If you create something, then it must be new.

Answer: Pleonasm

A pleonasm is a use of a second or more words to express an idea when one, or more, of the words is redundant.

There are actually two pleonasms in the sentence: "I saw with my own eyes" and "tuna fish".

If I saw something, I didn't see it with my ears, nor did I see it with your eyes. The words I saw contain all the relevant information (There may also be a breakdown in logic in the sentence, but I don't think I'll go there on this occasion.)

Tuna fish is also a pleonasm, as Tuna is the name of a fish. After all, you would not talk of "smoked salmon fish salad" or "cod fish and chips".

Answer: Tautology

Tautology is the saying of the same thing twice in different words.

Well, if it was anything more than short, it would not have been a summary, it would have been the whole, uncondensed, thing.

Other examples of tautology include: "I need a new hot water heater" (if you get hot water from it, it must be a heater) and "in my opinion, I think he is wrong."

Answer: Hyperbole

Hyperbole is the use of exaggerated statements or claims that are not meant to be taken literally.

When I was young, my mum was never impressed when I pointed this out after she said, "I've told you a million times to clean your room."

Answer: Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combine two contradictory terms in order to create a rhetorical effect.

Other oxymorons include "act naturally", "larger half", "seriously funny" and, some allege, "Microsoft Works".

By the way. I thought I had invented the word "confuffle" but it actually exists. Don't be so lazy: look it up for yourself.

Answer: Hyperbole

Hyperbole is the use of exaggerated statements or claims that are not meant to be taken literally. Surprised I may have been, but unlikely to be felled by a blow from a feather.

The publication 'Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases', dates the idiom used here to 1796.

Other examples of hyperbole include: "It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets", "this car goes faster than the speed of light", and "he is older than the hills."

Answer: Pleonasm

A pleonasm is the use of a second or more words to express an idea when one, or more, of the words is redundant.

I suppose we can all benefit from learning new things as we make our way through life, but "free, gratis and for nothing" all mean the same thing.

While some pleonasms creep into our language by accident, some are deliberate.

For example, in "Julius Caesar", William Shakespeare deliberately uses one in the line: "This was the most unkindest cut of all...". He could have used just "unkindest cut", but the "most" adds emphasis.

By the way, other kinds of pleonasm include "ATM machine", when ATM already stands for Automatic Telling Machine and "PIN Number" when PIN already stands for Personal Identification Number.

Answer: Hyperbole

I like horses. But I couldn't eat a whole one.

Hyperbole is the use of exaggerated statements or claims that are not meant to be taken literally.

Other examples of hyperbole include "I had a ton of homework" and "she is so dumb, she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company."

Speaking of that second example, that joke is so old, the last time I heard it I was riding on a dinosaur.

Answer: Tautology

Oh dear. This is an often overused term. Can you get any kind of haven other than a safe one?

Tautology is the saying of the same thing twice in different words. To be precise, 'safe haven' is a tautologous pleonasm.