What are the Simonists doing as part of their punishment in Circle 8, Bolgia 3?

In Circle 8, Bolgia 3 of Dante's Inferno, the Simonists are depicted as being punished by being upside down in holes, resembling baptismal fonts, with their feet set ablaze. This punishment reflects their corrupt actions in the Church, particularly their practice of simony, which is the buying or selling of ecclesiastical privileges and positions. The upside-down position symbolizes the perversion of the holy sacrament of baptism, which they misused for personal gain. The flames consuming their feet serve as a physical manifestation of their greed and the consequences of their sinful behavior, illustrating a divine retribution for their acts of hypocrisy and corruption.

The other choices do not accurately represent the specific punishments assigned to the Simonists in this section of the Inferno. Walking on burning coals or being submerged in a lake of fire would suggest different kinds of torments more fitting for other categories of sinners, while eating human excrement does not connect to the established themes and punishments that Dante describes for the Simonists.