Choose the figure of speech in 'The wind howled.'

**The reasoning** "The wind howled" gives the wind a human action — howling is something people (or animals) do when they're in pain, angry, or making loud noise. Wind can't actually *howl* like a living creature, but the writer uses this human characteristic to make the wind seem alive and intense. **Personification** is when you give human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human things (objects, animals, ideas, nature). The principle: if it's not human but you're making it act/feel human, it's personification. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **A) Simile** — You'd need "like" or "as" (e.g., "The wind sounded *like* a howling wolf"). No comparison word here. - **B) Metaphor** — You'd be saying the wind *is* something else directly (e.g., "The wind was a wild beast"). This just describes what the wind did. - **D) Hyperbole** — That's exaggeration for effect (e.g., "I've told you a million times"). Nothing's being exaggerated here, just humanized. **Quick takeaway** When nature, objects, or ideas do something only humans can do (talk, dance, whisper, cry), that's personification — you're treating them like a *person*.