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 unfriendly personality.
it illustrates scrooges intelligence.
it indicates scrooges attention to detail.

Explanation:

Similes compare two things using "as" or "like". Here, Scrooge is compared to flint. Flint is hard, sharp, and doesn't produce generous fire. This implies Scrooge is unyielding (hard), perhaps harsh (sharp), and not generous (no generous fire). These traits are related to an unfriendly personality. There is no indication in the simile about intelligence (no comparison to smart - related things) or attention to detail (no comparison to detail - oriented elements).

Answer:

It illustrates Scrooge's unfriendly personality.