3. Read these sentences from paragraph 16 of the selection.
"We gathered in the official reception area and held our breaths as the aliens'
vessel docked with our station, gentle as a butterfly landing on a flower. The
hatch portal unfolded like the delicate wings of an insect emerging from a
cocoon."
What mood does the figurative language in these sentences most clearly create?
A anticipation and wonder
B Confusion and mistrust
C Anxiety and regret
D joy and pride