Is "he had the key to her heart" a metaphor?

What is the meaning of the word checking as it is used in this sentence from the second paragraph of the passage?

Read the stanza below from the poem “tattoo” by gregg shapiro and answer the question that follows. if i could trade places with him i would pad the rest of his days wrap him in gauze and velvet absorb the shocks and treat his wounds i would scrub the numbers from his flesh extinguish the fire and give him back his life what does shapiro use to create the conceit in the lines above? a) he carries one line of poetry onto the next. b) he paints vivid word pictures that trigger the imagination by appealing to the five senses. c) he directly expresses a metaphor using like, as, or than. d) he uses physical protection to represent emotional protection.

The basketball crashed against the backboard, and point guard sheena lunged for it. as she snatched the ball out of mid-air, the crowd cheered, chanting encouragement for her team, the monarchs. so far, the game had been a disaster. with 15 seconds left to go in the final quarter, the monarchs were 2 points shy of victory. what main idea do the details in the passage suggest? the point guard sheena was not a very good player. the monarchs had never lost a basketball game. the monarchs were worried about losing. the crowd was not supporting the monarchs.