Figure of speech – which of these sentences is an example of personification?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your knowledge of figures of speech, specifically personification. In literature and everyday description, writers often give human qualities to non human objects to create vivid images. Recognising personification helps you understand poems, stories, and descriptive passages more deeply and is a favourite topic in school level English exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

Each option is a short sentence or comparison involving an object or description.
Personification means giving a human action or human quality to something that is not human, such as an object, an animal, or an abstract idea.
Other figures of speech, especially simile, also appear in the options and should not be confused with personification.

Concept / Approach:
Personification is a special type of metaphor where a non human thing is described as if it were a person. Typical verbs that signal personification include smile, whisper, dance, cry, or sing when they are applied to things like the sun, the wind, or the moon. Simile, on the other hand, compares two things using like or as, such as as white as snow. To answer the question, you must pick the sentence where the subject is not human but is performing a clearly human action without like or as.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Look at option A: The moon smiled at me. The moon is a non human object, and smiling is a human action. This is a direct example of personification. Step 2: Examine option B: This shirt is as white as snow. The structure as white as shows a simile comparing the shirt to snow, not giving human qualities to anything. Step 3: Option C: Water is as hot as the sun again uses as to compare water and the sun, which is another simile, not personification. Step 4: Option D: It is like soft butter uses like to compare something to soft butter, which is also a simile rather than personification. Step 5: Option E: Her cheeks were red like roses compares cheeks to roses using like, another classic simile used in school texts, not an example of personification.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, ask whether any non human thing is doing something that only humans normally do. In sentence A, The moon smiled at me, the moon behaves like a person who can smile and look at someone, which is exactly how personification works in poetry and imaginative writing. In the other sentences, objects or body parts are only being compared to other objects using like or as. They do not show shirts talking, water dancing, or roses whispering, which would be personification. Because The moon smiled at me clearly fits the definition, option A stands out as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is a simile that compares colour: as white as snow, with no human action involved.
Option C is a simile that compares temperature: as hot as the sun, again without human traits assigned to non human things.
Option D uses a comparison with like to show softness, which is descriptive but not personification.
Option E uses like to compare cheeks to roses, a familiar poetic image but still a simile, not a case of giving human qualities to roses or cheeks.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often confuse simile, metaphor, and personification. The key to personification is the assignment of human actions or feelings to non human subjects, such as The wind whispered or Time runs. In contrast, similes almost always include like or as and just compare one thing with another. When solving exam questions, first quickly check for like or as. If they appear in a simple comparison, the figure is probably simile, not personification.

Final Answer:
The sentence that is an example of personification is The moon smiled at me.