Question

which excerpt from \the life you save may be your own\ contains an example of a simile?

after a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of mr. shiftlets car.
\fifteen, sixteen,\ the old woman said. the girl was nearly thirty but because of her innocence it was impossible to guess.
\i was raised thataway and there aint a thing i can do about it. my old mother taught me how to do.\
\that wouldnt hardly pay for more than the gas and the hotel,\ he said. \it wouldnt feed her.\

Explanation:

Define a simile

A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things using "like" or "as".

Analyze the first option

Using the Flannery OConnor Analysis knowledge point, we examine the excerpt: "After a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiftlet's car."
This sentence compares "raindrops" to "tin-can tops" using the word "like". This is a direct simile.

Analyze the remaining options

• Option 2: "Fifteen, sixteen..." contains dialogue and narrative description without any comparative figurative language.
• Option 3: "I was raised thataway..." contains character dialogue in dialect, but no comparison.
• Option 4: "That wouldn't hardly pay..." contains dialogue discussing expenses, with no figurative comparison.

Identify the correct choice

The first option is the only excerpt containing a simile.

Answer:

• (A) After a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiftlet's car. (Correct answer)
• (B) "Fifteen, sixteen," the old woman said. The girl was nearly thirty but because of her innocence it was impossible to guess.
• (C) "I was raised thataway and there ain't a thing I can do about it. My old mother taught me how to do."
• (D) "That wouldn't hardly pay for more than the gas and the hotel," he said. "It wouldn't feed her."