3. PART A:Which of the following best explains the simile Thoreau uses to critique the Maine-Texas cable?
A. Thoreau compares Maine to a foolish man attempting to
talk to a deaf woman, mocking the design of new
technology and revealing his own doubts about whether it
will really work.
B. Thoreau compares Texas to a deaf woman, commenting
on the fairly recent proclamation of Texas as a state; he is
essentially calling the cable useless, as the new state will
be unlikely to listen anyway.
C. Thoreau compares the cable to the ear trumpet because
while he thinks the cable is useful, it does not close the
distance between the two states, just as the instrument
does not change the woman's natural state of hearing.
D. Thoreau compares the cable to a man with nothing to say
to a deaf woman, supporting his idea that technology may
make communication easier but not necessarily
meaningful.