Answer: A) mock the facts-only method of teaching.
Step-by-step explanation: In the given excerpt from "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens we can see Mr. Gradgrind given numerous facts about horses, the number and type of teeth, the type of food that they eat, how to determine their age by marks in their mouth, and other various facts. Charles Dickens purpose in this passage is to mock the facts-only method of teaching, because after Mr. Gradgrind says all those facts, it is not yet clear what is a horse.