'The factory chimneys coughed grey breath over the sleeping town.' Which analysis is strongest?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. 'Coughed' personifies the chimneys and hints at pollution
- Step 1: 'Coughed' and 'breath' are human/animal actions, so the chimneys are personified.
- Step 2: A cough suggests illness, which hints that the pollution harms the sleeping town.
Answer
'Coughed' personifies the chimneys and hints at pollution.
Why not the others: 'Grey' is a colour: the verbs add meaning beyond colour. 'Sleeping' shows that the town is quiet and nobody works there: 'sleeping' contrasts with the harmful pollution, not with work. 'Over' shows the exact height of the chimneys above the town: 'over' does not give a measurement.
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