Read the excerpt from “The Scarlet Ibis.” Daddy, Mama, and I went back to the dining-room table, but we watched Doodle through the open door. He took out a piece of string from his pocket and, without touching the ibis, looped one end around its neck. Slowly, while singing softly “Shall We Gather at the River,” he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petunia bed. Now we were watching him through the front window, but he didn’t know it. His awkwardness at digging the hole with a shovel whose handle was twice as long as he was made us laugh, and we covered our mouths with our hands so he wouldn’t hear. When Doodle came into the dining room, he found us seriously eating our cobbler. He was pale and lingered just inside the screen door. “Did you get the scarlet ibis buried?” asked Daddy. Doodle didn’t speak but just nodded his head. Which example of sensory imagery from the excerpt best shows that Doodle is upset about the death of the scarlet ibis?

This question is missing the options. I've found them online. They are the following:

Which example of sensory imagery from the excerpt best shows that Doodle is upset about the death of the scarlet ibis?

A. He took out a piece of string from his pocket and, without touching the ibis, looped one end around its neck.

B. Slowly, while singing softly "Shall We Gather at the River,"  he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petunia bed.

C. When Doodle came into the dining room, he found us seriously eating our cobbler.

D. He was pale and lingered just inside the screen door.

The sensory imagery that best shows that Doodle is upset about the death of the scarlet ibis is:

D. He was pale and lingered just inside the screen door.

Explanation:

The first two options show how Doodle handled and buried the bird. However, if we focus on these details, there is nothing that tells us he is upset. He could very well just be doing it because he was asked to or because he thought it was the right thing to do. The third option also does not reveal anything about Doodle's feelings. It is the fourth option that unveils how upset he is. We can visualize, due to sensory word choice, a sad Doodle. He looks pale. He lingers at the door. There seems to be something wrong, as if he does not wish to come inside, as if he is not ready to let go of the bird just yet. Doodle clearly cares about the ibis. Its death has upset him to the point of affecting his appearance and behavior.