Which best explains the "sickly silence" that falls on the mudville fans in the first stanza

Read this excerpt from leah missbach day's foreword to wheels of change. bicycles have long played a role in my life. as a young woman, i rode one year-round before i had a car. but it was later in adulthood that the bicycle became more than a source of transportation for me. the bicycle actually began to truly shape the way i saw the world. what is the author's purpose for including this in the foreword?

The moutain stood shoulder to shoulder and glared down at the pasture below, daring anyone to approach. what is the most likely the intent of the author's word choice in this sentence?

How would the play the still alarm have been different if it was not a parody and the characters reacted normally to the fire in the hotel?