Collective nouns are generally classified as A. singular
It's personification I think
Chamberlain wants to inspire the continuation of imperialism. Kipling is giving advice about imperialism. -apex
I feel that it would be claim, evidence.
A simile becomes a cliche when it is overused. Pretty much any word or sentence formation becomes a cliche when overused, not just similes. An example of this would be saying that someone is "as blind as a bat", which has already become recognizable and widely used, making it a cliche.