Identify the figure of speech in the following sentence :
He is a cheerful pessimist.

Question

Accepted Answer

Oxymoron is the correct figure of speech because it involves the juxtaposition of two contradictory terms in a single phrase to create a rhetorical effect. In the sentence "He is a cheerful pessimist," the words "cheerful" and "pessimist" are contradictory. A pessimist is someone who expects the worst, while someone cheerful is generally optimistic and happy. Combining these opposing ideas creates a surprising and thought-provoking effect, which is characteristic of an oxymoron.

Here's why the other options are incorrect:

1.  **Climax:** Climax is a figure of speech in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in ascending order of importance or intensity. The sentence "He is a cheerful pessimist" does not present a series of ideas building in intensity.

2.  **Metonymy:** Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. For example, "The crown" might refer to the monarchy. The sentence "He is a cheerful pessimist" does not use a related term to represent something else.

3.  **Metaphor:** A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as." While there's a contrast in the sentence, it's not a comparison between two different things. It's a direct combination of contradictory qualities in one person. Therefore, it's not a metaphor.