Political satire is the rhetorical device used in the excerpt you mentioned.
Answer:
Has just begun to develop survival skills
Explanation:
An excerpt from the story supports that: "As he went along he smelled things, as well, his distended, quivering nostrils carrying to his brain an endless series of messages from the outside world. Also, his hearing was acute, and had been so trained that it operated automatically. Without conscious effort, he heard all the slight sounds in the apparent quiet—heard, and differentiated, and classified these sounds—whether they were of the wind rustling the leaves, of the humming of bees and gnats, of the distant rumble of the sea that drifted to him only in lulls, or of the gopher, just under his foot, shoving a pouchful of earth into the entrance of his hole."
From the above excerpt, we can deduce that Edwin was actually developing his survival skills. In developing his survival skills, his smelling, feeling and hearing organs were alert and firm. When the bear came, Edwin stood firm without running away. He was able to make the bear to leave them. Edwin was building experience and skills which might be relevant.
I lean more towards (A) because the husband is talking to his wife as a child and not as an adult which tends to describe and condescending attitude. However you could make an argument for (F).
