Read the passage from The Red Badge of Courage. Answer the question that follows.
Presently the army again sat down to think. The odor of the peaceful pines was in the men's nostrils. The sound of monotonous axe blows rang through the forest, and the insects, nodding upon their perches, crooned like old women.
In this passage, the author compares the sound of the insects to old women singing. Which of the following similes would change the connotation of this sentence from positive to negative?
The insects, nodding upon their perches, were like an orchestra of out-of-tune violins.
The insects, nodding upon their perches, sang a song that sounded like a sweet lullaby.
The insects, nodding upon their perches, were as graceful as a ballet dancer's movements.
The insects, nodding upon their perches, sounded like a gentle rain on a cool spring night.