HELP!!!!

I peered inside the luminous tent and instantly recognized numerous people from the town. They gazed toward the top of the tent at a courageous trapeze artist who swung perilously above them. I took a seat beside the door and held my breath waiting for the next act. Crack! I almost jumped out of my seat when I heard the ringmaster’s whip splinter the air. Throughout the night, the entertainers kept the crowd engaged with a variety of wild and crazy events. Then, the carnival characters took their bows and ended their performance. Afterward, the townspeople walked wearily, but jubilantly, home.

"[W]hen I heard the ringmaster's whip splinter the air" is an example of which literary device?
A) alliteration
B) symbol
C) auditory imagery
D) rhyme