Concept:Identifying the figures of speech used in a given phrase from an unseen prose passage.
Explanation:"Rattling like leaves in a storm" is a simile because it compares the trembling palace guards to leaves shaking in a storm, using the word "like".
"Fear branded on their faces" is a metaphor, not personification.
It directly compares the fear visible on the guards' faces to a mark or brand pressed onto their skin, without using "like" or "as".
Personification would require fear itself to perform a human action, such as "fear gripped the guards".
Here, fear is not acting like a person; it is simply presented as a visible mark on the guards' faces.
Therefore, the two devices illustrated are a simile and a metaphor.
Answer:C. simile and metaphor