Question

Read this excerpt from "The Great San

Francisco Fire."

More than 50 fires scorched the city like an
inferno in the three days following the
earthquake.

How does the author's use of the phrase
scorched the city like an inferno affect the
passage?

It highlights the idea that this disaster was preventable.

It helps convey the disastrous nature of the event.

It gives the passage its incredulous
tone.

It stresses the pessimistic attitude
of the writer.

Answer 1

It shifts the tone from intense to absurd.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

It conveys the disastrous nature of the event.

Step-by-step explanation:

When describing the fires as an inferno, the author is saying that they were absolutely devastating. There were fifty fires spread across the city, which leads the reader to understand that they were probably out of control.

The sweltering heat emanating from the flames and the nights lit orange by the blaze probably made the city feel like hell, especially when the fires finally burned out and San Francisco was reduced to ashes.