I always like to think of figurative meaning as deeper meaning: what is the narrator really trying to get the reader to understand? Once you have your answer, think about the key words in that excerpt that helped you uncover the figurative meaning-- these will always be figurative devices, so you're already half way through this question. (pro tip: stick to the text to uncover it-- don't stray to far from the information you are being provided)
Lastly, you're being asked to identify literary devices here, do you notice any symbols? Something that usually stands for something else that might relate to that deeper/figurative meaning? Also, think about how the way in which the author phrased these symbols impacted the overall deeper meaning.
Answer:
Odysseus made it sound as if "nobody" stabbed Polyphemus in the eye, so the other cyclops let him go. The curse that is revealed a the end of his encounter with the Cyclops foreshadows Odysseus's difficult journey.
Explanation:
The clever word play:
Odysseus tries to outsmart and taunt the Cyclops at every turn, first by getting him drunk on wine and then by telling the Cyclops that his name is Outis, which means nobody. This is so that when the Cyclops is telling the other giants who injured him, it sounds like Polyphemus is shouting "Nobody" stabbed him in the eye. This confuses the other Cyclops who may have otherwise tried to help Polyphemus catch Odysseus.
The Curse:
Odysseus and his men sail away from the island by tricking the now blinded Cyclops that they were part of the herd of sheep that Polyphemus was tending. The curse comes when Odysseus decides to try to taunt the monster further and shouts out his real name. What this does is reveal his identity and allows the Cyclops to curse Odysseus in revenge. Polyphemus prays to his father, the great Poseidon, asking that Odysseus's journey back home to Ithaca be fraught with the loss of his friends and his ship.
The statement which best describes the mistake the writer makes in the paragraph is the following one:
The writer loses focus and shifts to another topic.
He starts off by pointing out the overall benefits of exercising, and supports his idea by also giving examples of activities people should engage in. However, focus is lost when the writer begins to address the importance of a balanced diet to the body. That would require a new paragraph.
