Answer:
D. She knows that the lye she uses to make soap can also confirm whether the rock is gold.
Explanation:
In the text she says that if the rock is gold, it would not be harmed by the lye. This affects the plot because now they know that there will be a truthful possibility whether they found gold or not.
The type of speech it is, is a simile
She paused, unsure of how to correctly word how she felt. When she gathered her words she continued to write.