Answer:
Suddenly we felt the rope slack from the opposite end.
Explanation:
This is the rising point of the story, the cliff hanger. This is the point where you question what will happen next.
The text is a bit blurry so I tried by best in interpreting the passage:
Ashley's attitude changes throughout the passage through the course of the story, for at first she seems uncertain at the interview if she could handle the grandiose scale of animals. Yet, she ponders for a moment, and realization strikes that the space exploration and observatory which compelled her to agree. Therefore, through Ashley's field of interest, her attitude amends from uncertainty to confidence.