Excerpt from Searching for the Blue Poison Dart Frog
Kyle Ellington
The sweltering midafternoon sun beat down on us while we climbed through the lush, untamed vegetation of the forest. Our
guide masterfully chopped at the thickest undergrowth and foliage as we made our way further away from our encampment.
The air around was viscous and damp, and a cacophony of insect songs ringed in my ears. We were in the rainforests of South
America searching for the elusive Dendrobates azureus, which is better known as its common name, the Blue Poison Dart
Frog. Humans are interested in this creature-which is a vulnerable species and is scarce in the wild-because of its
magnificent coloring and its lethal poison
While they are gorgeous animals
, these frogs pack a perilous punch. The vivid blue coloring is a forewarning for predators to
stay away from the frogs. Because their skin is covered with glands that secrete small amounts of toxins, Blue Poison Dart
Frogs are capable of paralyzing or even killing their predators. These toxins are used to protect the frog, not to capture their
prey: Dendrobates azureus use their long, sticky tongues to retrieve their meals.
Which figurative language device does the author use at the beginning of the second paragraph?
A)
alliteration
B)
irony
simile
D)
symbolism