The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, ov
er the down, walking from Bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand. In this first sentence from the passage, the author MOST LIKELY uses the words biting and driving rather than cold and heavy
A) to explain why the stranger had arrived in the town.
B) to increase interest to the opening sentence of the passage.
C) to show how difficult it was for the stranger to walk in the snow.
D) to convey the feeling of the freezing harshness of the winter weather.
I too believe the best option to be letter D) to convey the feeling of the freezing harshness of the winter weather.
Explanation:
This excerpt was taken from "The Invisible Man", written by author H.G. Wells. It is common for writers to use figurative language instead of making direct statements when they wish to describe something or someone. In this case, Wells chose to attribute characteristics to the wind and to the snow of the wintry day. The adjective he chose to describe the wind is "biting". The author wishes us to feel the harshness of the wind, how strong and menacing it is. As for the snow, the adjective employed is "driving". That means the snow is falling rapidily and, as we know, that can be dangerous for someone who is outdoors. We may conclude that the first sentence of the excerpt intends to convey the feeling of the freezing harshness of the winter weather.
