Suppose an object is in free fall the object falls each second.

Loss in amenity , biodiversity , which are most difficult to assess

The whale was a missile blasting from beneath the surface.  2.) a majestic whale leapt skyward before diving back into the sea.    these are both figurative language. this is so because the whale in sentence "1" was not actually a missile, nor was it actually blasting. now, for sentence "2", a whale can not actually "leap".