Answer:
D). Holmes deduces the distance the coach traveled by the physical attributes of the horses.
Step-by-step explanation:
'The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb' by Arthur Canon Doyle adopts a typical red herring fallacy and a slow narrative to add suspense and mystery to be unfolded in the plot. When he describes Holmes as deducing the coach traveled by physical appearances of the horses similar to Edgar Allan Poe's creation of unintended effect. These kinds of settings and physical attributes are employed to mislead the readers that enhances the mysterious mood of the novel. Thus, option D is the correct answer.