Based on the context of this excerpt from w. w. jacobs's "the monkey's paw," what does the word placidly mean?

without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of laburnam villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly. father and son were at chess, the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical changes, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire.

a completing a task in a frantic manner
b having a particular motive for an action
c appearing to be calm and relaxed
d acting harshly or stubbornly

explanation:

related words: : : : : : :

administration noun

the government of a country

affairs

events and activities relating to the government, politics, economy, etc. of a country, region, or the world

the corridors (of power)

the places where people use their political influence and major political decisions are made

government

the process, method, or effects of governing

play politics

to use politics for your own reasons, without caring about the effects on other people

political

relating to politics

political

interested or involved in politics

politically

in a political way

politicize

to bring an issue, organization, way of doing something, etc. to the attention of the public so that it can be discussed

politicize

to make someone more interested and involved in politics

politicking

political activity by someone who is only interested in doing things for their own advantage, not in other people

politics

the ideas and activities involved in getting power in a country or over a particular area of the world

politics

the profession of being a politician

politics

the ideas and activities used by people within a particular group to try to get power

public affairs

political issues that affect most people

public life

work that involves being known to a lot of people, especially in politics, but also in religion and education

public office

a job in the government that you have because you were chosen or elected

public service

work or important positions in the government, or in organizations controlled by the government

representation

in politics, the job of officially people and making decisions for them

sociopolitical

involving a combination of social and political matters

state

the government of a country

the price of our current war is high; it costs money and it costs lives.

but it does not cost our pride. it does not cost the guilt that would arise from knowing that we did nothing to intervene while our neighboring nations fell to despotic leaders.

it does not cost the terror of knowing that our allies are unstable. it does not cost the fear that we, too, will be next to fall.

which sentence most accurately explains why the speaker's use of the parallel structure is effective in this passage?

a. it underscores that disagreement will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly.

b. it makes the speaker seem like a decisive and capable leader.

c. it emphasizes reasons to fight and inspires listeners to aid the war effort.

d. it establishes the speaker's credibility by acknowledging the difficulties of war.