The answer is A. it shows what kind of man he was
C.writing immortal poetry
Answer: When I felt my wings were ready, slid from our home branch as smoothly as a snake through the grass.
Explanation: This sentence is comparing two different things to each other and it uses the word as. A simile must have the word like or as in it, otherwise it is a metaphor.
Well, despite the fact that you haven't provided me with sentence 8 for review, I can -- fortunately for you -- say that option B MUST be the correct answer ... based solely on pure logic and a strong command of English.