16Hit1600
Craft and StructureHardFunction of a comparison in a literary passage

Craft and Structure practice question

The following text is from a novel. Her father's letters arrived each Friday, and they were like the tide: they never said anything new, and she would have been frightened if one had failed to come.

Which choice best describes the function of the comparison to the tide?

  1. A. It conveys that the letters' value lies in their unvarying regularity rather than in their content.Correct
  2. B. It indicates that the father lives by the sea.
  3. C. It suggests that the letters are long.
  4. D. It implies that the letters are unwelcome.

Answer: A. It conveys that the letters' value lies in their unvarying regularity rather than in their content.

Nothing new, but their absence would frighten: dependable, like the tide.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It indicates that the father lives by the sea.
Where he lives is not stated.
C. It suggests that the letters are long.
Length is not the point.
D. It implies that the letters are unwelcome.
She would be frightened without them.

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