It compares the hinges with something unfamiliar and scary.
Explanation:
A simile is a method for comparison of a thing with something different. It creates a realistic feeling to the situation, imagined or visualized distinctively.
Let us read the sentence from the story, as mentioned by the author.
"I pulled the heavy double doors open; the hinges squeaked like a platoon of lost ghosts."
The squeaky sound of the hinges because the door had not been used for a long time. The narrator is unfamiliar with what lies behind the door.
The hinges, compared to a platoon of lost ghosts, give a scary feeling to the sentence.
Hence, the answer is the second answer choice -
It compares the hinges with something unfamiliar and scary.
The first option of "friction and air resistance being the reason for him to slow down
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