Answer:
Hey there!
A place can affect someone's mood and motivation. For example, a person living in a bad neighborhood, where the crime rate is high is more likely to be stressed, where a person living in a good neighborhood is likely to feel better, and have a better mood.
Let me know if this helps :)
The kind of mood created in the opening of The Lottery is indeed cheerful, despite of how the plot develops later.
You're asked to describe the opening, not the whole story. Maybe the writer chose to set a cheerful mood in the opening in order to contrast it with the rest of the events or the characters in the story, and you're asked this specific question in order to notice this writing strategy.
