Question

review the passage. the allusion is shown in bold.
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 pencroff, 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
what is the effect of the allusion on the passages meaning or tone?
it highlights the projects extreme difficulty.
it suggests that the task is a thankless one.

Explanation:

An allusion is a reference to a well - known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. Here, "Herculean task" alludes to the labors of Hercules in Greek mythology. Hercules was a demigod known for his extraordinary strength, and his labors were extremely difficult challenges. By using this allusion, the author is comparing the task of attacking the mass of granite (even by mining) to one of Hercules' difficult labors. This comparison emphasizes that the task is very hard. There is no indication in the allusion that the task is thankless (unappreciated). The focus is on the difficulty, not on whether people will be grateful for its completion.

Answer:

It highlights the project's extreme difficulty.