We are all composed of trillions of infinitesimal and very complicated cells, each of
which, in a way, operates just like a city. A city has a council that governs what happens
within the boundaries of the city (the cell's council is the nucleus). The city gets the
power it needs to function from the electricity grid (in a cell, those power sources are
called mitochondria). Construction crews put up a city's buildings (ribosomes make the
proteins in a cell). Warehouses store a city's food, and factories make things to export
(cells have plastids and Golgi bodies to do those things).
How does comparing cells to cities contribute to or detract from the author's purpose?
1
The analogy raises more questions than it answers, rendering it
counterproductive and a detriment to understanding cell function.
2.
The analogy entertains and draws attention to the subject, but doesn't
further understanding of cellular functions.
3
The analogy appropriate for the general audience that the passage
was intended for because it helps visualize cellular functions.
