A simile is a figurative language that uses comparisons to describe an event, someone, a place, etc., while using the words "as" and "like" to make the comparison, and similes are often used with the purpose of making the writing more colorful and interesting. The statement demonstrates a simile because it compares the way old fears cling to the way cobwebs cling while using the word "like."
The answer is the first one, A. The narrator has no knowledge of how the beast behaves, yet she's willing to go out of her way to agitate it in order learn more about the thing.
