He took a sip of milk and felt the burning diminishing, dying away. which best explains how this passage demonstrate the use of metaphor in the story?
a. the author illustrates the idea of starvation with the glass of milk
b. the author uses metaphor to illustrate the flavor of the milk
c. the author illustrates the use of greed through the milk
d. the author shows that the milk is like life to the boy

The correct answer is:

The interpretation the best explains how the passage demonstrates the use of metaphor in the story is:

A. The author illustrates the idea of starvation with the glass of milk.

Writers use metaphor to create a range of meanings, so, the more we read the better we can interpret the meaning in a certain narrative text. By interpreting that figurative language we can discover our own understanding, this is why a text could have a different meaning to different readers. The task of understanding differs depending on the context; even literary critics spend long periods of time trying to decipher what metaphors mean.

In this case in particular I have chosen option A, because that is to me the best interpretation. When a person suffers from starvation usually feels a burning pain which may be relieved by eating, and milk is supposed to provide relief.  So, our character was facing a threat of hunger and feeling such pain that with just a sip of milk (which could have been a bite of bread) felt that the pain began to disappear.