What literary device is defined as an exaggerated statement?

The correct answer is hyperbole, which is a literary device used to create emphasis or effect through exaggerated statements that are not meant to be taken literally. Hyperbole intensifies ideas and emotions, allowing the reader to grasp the significance of a situation through dramatic overstatement.

For instance, if someone says, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse," it clearly exaggerates the speaker's feelings of hunger to convey just how extreme that hunger is, rather than suggesting a literal intention to consume an entire horse. This tool can effectively engage readers and enhance their emotional responses.

In contrast, a metaphor is a comparison that implies one thing is another to illustrate a point without using "like" or "as." A simile, similarly, is a comparison that uses "like" or "as" to draw parallels between different things. Personification involves giving human qualities to non-human entities. While all these devices can be powerful in writing, they do not employ the technique of exaggeration that defines hyperbole.