Quiz on Figures of Speech in Advertising Slogans

Since ancient times, the figures of speech have served three main purposes:

1. to instruct and entertain people through the play of language,
2. to persuade people of the truth or value of the message that a figure conveys, and
3. to help people remember both the meaning of the message and its figurative expression.

In this review quiz, we have collected 35 of the best known slogans (sometimes called taglines or straplines) introduced by advertisers over the past century. Most have been drawn from American print and television ads, though a few are British and some are practically universal. Questions 1-20 appear below; questions 21-35 are on page two.

Your job is to choose the one figure of speech (from a list of three) that each slogan most clearly illustrates. (To review a definition, simply click on the term to visit our glossary.) When you're done, compare your answers with those at the bottom of the page.

TIP:
To view this exercise without ads, click on the print icon near the top of the page.

1. "I am stuck on Band-Aid, and Band-Aid's stuck on me."
   (Band-Aid bandages)
   a. epiplexis
   b. tricolon
   c. chiasmus


2. "No bottles to break--just hearts."
   (Arpege perfume)
   a. tricolon
   b. diatyposis
   c. syllepsis


3. "Born in fire, blown by mouth, and cut by hand with heart."
   (Waterford Glass)
   a. tricolon
   b. syllepsis
   c. synathroesmus


4. "If you think asparagus has a lot of iron, you don't know beans."
   (Van Camp's Pork and Beans)
   a. pun
   b. erotesis
   c. dehortatio


5. "Don't leave home without it."
   (American Express)
   a. chiasmus
   b. epizeuxis
   c. dehortatio


6. "For a treat instead of a treatment, I recommend Old Gold cigarettes."
   (Old Gold cigarettes)
   a. hypophora
   b. polyptoton
   c. exclamation


7. "Is this any way to run an airline? You bet it is!"
   (National Airlines)
   a. hypophora
   b. tricolon
   c. dehortatio


8. "Everyday vehicles that aren't."
   (Suzuki automobiles)
   a. hypophora
   b. ellipsis
   c. synathroesmus


9. "Everything you want, nothing you don't."
   (Nissan automobiles)
   a. polyptoton
   b. diatyposis
   c. isocolon


10. "If gas pains persist, try Volkswagen."
    (Volkswagen automobiles)
    a. simile
    b. pun
    c. onomatopoeia


11. "Sleeping on a Seely is like sleeping on a cloud."
    (Seely mattresses)
    a. simile
    b. diatyposis
    c. dehortatio


12. "Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is!"
    (Alka-Seltzer)
    a. epiplexis
    b. polyptoton
    c. onomatopoeia


13. "Make mine Miller."
    (Miller beer)
    a. alliteration
    b. epizeuxis
    c. synathroesmus


14. "Wherever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think refreshment, think ice-cold Coca-Cola."
    (Coca Cola soft drink)
    a. diatyposis
    b. tricolon
    c. synathroesmus


15. "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
    (M&Ms candy)
    a. antithesis
    b. erotesis
    c. dehortatio


16. "Look Ma, no cavities!"
    (Crest toothpaste)
    a. simile
    b. tricolon
    c. exclamation


17. "Aren't you glad you use Dial? Don't you wish everybody did?"
    (Dial soap)
    a. chiasmus
    b. erotesis
    c. onomatopoeia


18. "See yourself as a king"
    (Virginia Slims cigarettes)
    a. epanalepsis
    b. syllepsis
    c. diatyposis


19. "Don't be vague. Ask for Haig."
    (Haig whisky)
    a. metaphor
    b. zeugma
    c. dehortatio


20. "The few, the proud, the Marines."
    (United States Marine Corps)
    a. assonance
    b. tricolon
    a. polyptoton

Quiz continues on page two.

ANSWERS: #1 - #20

1. c. chiasmus
2. c. syllepsis
3. a. tricolon
4. a. pun
5. c. dehortatio
6. b. polyptoton
7. a. hypophora
8. b. ellipsis
9. c. isocolon
10. b. pun
11. a. simile
12. c. onomatopoeia
13. a. alliteration
14. b. tricolon
15. a. antithesis
16. c. exclamation
17. b. erotesis
18. c. diatyposis
19. c. dehortatio
20. b. tricolon

Quiz continues on page two.

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