Question

select the allusion in the passage. the engineer had listened to the enthusiastic sailor developing these imaginative projects. to attack this mass of granite, even by mining, was a herculean task, and it was truly vexing that nature had not helped them in their necessity. but he answered pencroft, simply by proposing to examine the wall more attentively, from the mouth of the river to the angle which ended it to the north. from jules verne, journey to the centre of the earth

Explanation:

An allusion is a reference to a well - known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. In the passage, "Herculean task" is an allusion. It refers to the labors of Hercules from Greek mythology. Hercules was known for his great strength and the difficult tasks (labors) he had to perform. Here, it is used to describe the extremely difficult task of attacking the mass of granite.

Answer:

Herculean task