"i had five dogs," he said, casting about for the easiest way to temper his refusal. this statement from the passage signals a/an a) irony. b) analogy. c) flashback. d) extended metaphor.

C) flashback.

Explanation:

This statement most likely signals a flashback. A flashback is a scene that appears in a narrative in which a story moves back in time. Most of the time, the reason for a flashback to appear in the story is the fact that the author wants to expand on a particular piece of information. In this case, the author will introduce a flashback, based on his inclusion of a scene from the past.

that a few simple words can whet the mind's appetite to further explore.

since it is asking for her reaction to elnora's trouble at school you can rule out any answers with a positive response (b). then you can rule out (d), this is because it does not show the mother's reaction but the daughter's response. that leaves you with two options (a) and (c), by looking at the options you can rule out (c) because it isn't referring back to elnora's issues at school.