Question

Read the story.
Looking at his phone, Elliott groaned. He was part of a group text thread with last season's baseball team, and the thread was poison. Sure, most of the guys stayed silent, but the few who did participate either had a terrible attitude about the new coach's feedback or complained about practice taking too long. Elliott deleted the group from his phone and then started a new thread with the players who had positive attitudes, played hard, and were excited about the upcoming season.

How does the metaphor in bold contribute to the story's overall meaning or tone?
A. It suggests Elliott's dislike for what is said in the group text.
B. It suggests Elliott's anger about the new baseball coach.
C. It suggests excitement about the ongoing changes with the team.
D. It suggests danger about what might happen in the new season.

Answer 1

A. The metaphor "the thread was poison" conveys that Elliott finds the group text toxic and harmful — it shows his strong dislike for the negative messages, which explains why he deletes it and starts a new, positive thread.