Question

review the passage. the simile is shown in bold.

oh! but he was a tight - fisted hand at the grindstone, scrooge! hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire. the cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait. a frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. he carried his own low temperature always about with him.

from charles dickens, a christmas carol

what is the effect of the simile on the passages meaning or tone?

it illustrates scrooges intelligence.

it indicates scrooges attention to detail.

it illustrates scrooges unfriendly personality.

Explanation:

The simile "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire" compares Scrooge to flint that is hard, sharp, and ungenerous (no generous fire). Flint's hardness and lack of yielding a generous fire imply a cold, ungiving, and unfriendly nature. The first option about intelligence is not supported, and attention to detail is irrelevant here. The simile emphasizes his unkind, ungenerous personality.

Answer:

It illustrates Scrooge's unfriendly personality.