What is the dictionary (denotative) meaning of “puttering”

Read the excerpt and answer the question. the boards themselves seemed to remain upright not from being nailed together but rather from leaning together, like a house that a child might have constructed from cards. what best describes the figurative language in the sentence above? idiom simile onomatopoeia personification

The essay sea stars by barbara hurd. what point is the author making by comparing a sea star missing an arm to a human losing a limb?

Based on the dialect in the passage what can you infer about the character huckleberry finn