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

Explanation:

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using "like" or "as". In the passage, "Hard and sharp as flint" compares Scrooge to flint. Flint is a hard, unyielding, and ungenerous material (as indicated by "no steel had ever struck out generous fire"). This comparison is used to describe Scrooge's character. Traits like being hard - hearted, unyielding, and lacking in generosity are associated with an unfriendly personality. There is no indication in the simile about attention to detail (no elements of precision or carefulness in the simile's comparison) or intelligence (no elements of mental acuity in the simile's comparison).

Answer:

It illustrates Scrooge's unfriendly personality.