Question

use the paragraph to answer the question.
blaine ushered the applicant out the door, closed it behind her, and then plopped back down on his office chair. he felt deflated, like a balloon that had lost all of its air and then had been sucked back down to earth by the magnetic pull of gravity. he desperately needed to find the right applicant to fill the role at his factory, but it seemed nearly impossible to find the candidate who could fill his previous managers very capable hands.
which best explains how the use of analogy helped to develop meaning in this paragraph?
(1 point)
the analogy helps the reader understand how many applicants have already been interviewed for the position.
the analogy helps the reader understand exactly how defeated blaine felt in the moment.
the analogy helps the reader understand why the previous manager felt it necessary to quit her job.
the analogy helps the reader understand why filling the role in the factory was so important.

Explanation:

The analogy "like a balloon that had lost all of its air and then had been sucked back down to earth by the magnetic pull of gravity" is used to describe Blaine's emotional state. Analogies are used to make abstract or complex ideas (in this case, Blaine's feelings) more concrete and understandable. By comparing Blaine's feeling of deflation to a deflated balloon, the reader can better visualize and understand how defeated Blaine felt. The other options are incorrect because the analogy does not provide information about the number of applicants interviewed (first option), the reason the previous manager quit (third option), or why filling the role was important (fourth option). The focus of the analogy is clearly on Blaine's emotional state.

Answer:

The analogy helps the reader understand exactly how defeated Blaine felt in the moment.