According to this dictionary entry, what is the origin of the word skeptic? skep-tic (skep'tik) [Lat. skepticus < Gk. skeptikos, thoughtful, inquiring, going back to IndoEur. base spek-, to peer, to watch closely] n. 1. [S-] a member of a Greek school of philosophers that expressed doubt about generally accepted ideas 2. a person who typically doubts or questions matters that are generally accepted.

Read the following excerpt from "the city without us" by alan weisman: almost every other compound in nature contracts when frozen, but h20 (water) molecules do the opposite, organizing themselves into elegant hexagonal crystals that take up about 9 percent more space than they did when sloshing around in a liquid state. pretty six-sided crystals suggest snowflakes so gossamer it's hard to conceive of them pushing apart slabs of sidewalk. which statement best describes the effect of the metaphor on the excerpt's meaning? o a. it likens h2o molecules to hexagonal crystals, which are actually larger than people imagine. o b. it makes the frozen crystals seem like friends to the city to contrast with what a deceitful foe they are. o c. it compares the sloshing liquid to a river of water able to push apart the sidewalk o d. it compares the frozen crystals to delicately lacy snowflakes having an unexpected strength (apex)