Question

select the passage that has a more comical tone. boys going to sea immediately become nautical in their speech. they walk as if they already had their sea legs, and shiver their timbers on all possible occasions. so, i turned military at once, called my dinner my
ations,\ and saluted everyone in sight. making his way to nashville, he enlisted in the first organization that he found—a kentucky regiment of cavalry—and eventually passed through all the stages of military evolution from raw recruit to experienced trooper. adapted from louisa may alcott, hospital sketches and ambrose bierce, three and one are one

Explanation:

The first passage uses playful language like "nautical in their speech", "shiver their timbers" and the author's humorous military - like behavior such as calling dinner "rations" and saluting everyone. The second passage is a straightforward account of someone enlisting and progressing in the military without such comical elements.

Answer:

The first passage: Boys going to sea immediately become nautical in their speech. They walk as if they already had their sea legs, and shiver their timbers on all possible occasions. So, I turned military at once, called my dinner my "rations," and saluted everyone in sight.