Which technique is used in Afternoons?

• A. Metaphor
• B. Alliteration
• C. Enjambment
• D. Onomatopoeia

Answer: (C)

The technique being tested is how line breaks carry a sentence forward into the next line, creating movement through the poem—enjambment. In Afternoons, sentences spill over from one line to the next rather than stopping at the end of a line, which gives the reading a sense of continuity and forward momentum. This mirrors the way time in the poem flows on through daily life and the routines of family life, not stopping neatly but piling up into a larger, ongoing rhythm.

That sense of flow is what makes enjambment the best choice here. Other options wouldn’t fit as well: metaphor would be a broader figure of speech comparing things, alliteration would emphasize repeated initial sounds, and onomatopoeia would rely on sound-imitating words. The defining effect in Afternoons is how the line breaks move the reader forward, capturing the relentless passage of time.