Considering I have no idea what book this is, C sounds like a Climax
Answer:
Here, you can copy off of / copy and paste this:
His mom compares the stairs to life by showing how hard it is. She shows how hard it is by comparing her tough life to splinters, tacks, boards, etc.
Answer: C
A prefix is added at the beginning of a word to change it's meaning.
Take the word "prefix" for example.
Pre- is the prefix of the word "prefix."
The answer is prefix.
Hope this helps!