The dock was soon covered with the usual crowd of curious onlookers, as the arrival of a ship is always a great event in the town of Marseilles. This was especially true when, like the Pharaon, it has been built in the city and belongs to a local shipowner. Meanwhile the vessel was approaching the harbor, but so slowly and with such an air of melancholy that the onlookers, sensing misfortune, began to wonder if an accident happened on board. However, the experienced seamen among them saw that if there had been an accident, it could not have happened to the ship herself, for she had every appearance of being under perfect control. Standing beside the pilot, who was preparing to steer the ship through the narrow harbor, was a young man. With vigilant eyes and rapid gestures, he watched every movement of the ship and repeated each of the pilot's orders. The vague anxiety hovering over the crowd affected one man so much that he could not wait until the ship entered the harbor. This man leaped into a small boat and ordered the boatman to row him out to meet the Pharaon.

What is the mood of the passage?
A. tranquil
B. angry
C. mysterious
D. confident
E. critical

What is the message of “your laughter”

Match the audience to the description of each speech

Read the quotation from "an occurrence at owl creek bridge." and now he became conscious of a new disturbance. striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil; it had the same ringing quality. he wondered what it was, and whether immeasurably distant or near by—it seemed both. its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell. he awaited each stroke with impatience and—he knew not why—apprehension. the intervals of silence grew progressively longer, the delays became maddening. with their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness. they hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. what he heard was the ticking of his watch. which best describes the effect of the narration in the excerpt? it suggests that the man being executed feels tranquil and at peace. it suggests that the narrator is sympathetic to the man being executed. it suggests that the plot will become less tense as the story continues. it suggests that the story will become more intense and mysterious.