Use the items in the Display > NURBS, Display > Polygons, and Display > Subdiv Surfaces submenus, as well as the Display > Hide and Display > Show menus submenus.
When you are in component selection mode, Maya automatically shows the components on the selected objects.
| To... | Do this | 
|---|---|
| Show or hide geometry components on the selected objects. | Use the Display > NURBS, Display > Polygons, and Display > Subdiv Surfacessubmenus. | 
| Show CVs on all NURBS surfaces. | Select Display > Show > All Surface CVs. | 
| Show or hide backfaces (polygon faces hidden behind other faces) on the selected polygons. | Select Display > Polygons > Backface Culling. |