Answer:
Twain uses hyperbole in this excerpt:
D. To emphasize that the arrival of a steamboat had a great effect on the town.
Explanation:
<u>Hyperbole is a figure of speech used to emphasize an idea by exaggerating it.</u> We use hyperbole often in our daily lives, without even noticing it. For instance, when you tell your friend you have called him a million times, you are using this figure of speech. You're exaggerating the number of times you called to emphasize the urgency of the matter.
<u>In the excerpt we are analyzing here, Twain exaggerates his description of how hectic the town gets once the steamboat arrives. The way he describes it, there are people and goods coming and going, and screams and curses - in other words, a messy frenzy. However, once the boat is gone, the town "is dead again". As we can see, he is exaggerating the description to emphasize the effect the steamboat's arrival had on the town.</u>
