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

C) appearing to be calm and relaxed.

Explanation:

This is the best definition of the word "placidly." In this passage, we learn of a woman who was knitting "placidly." This means that she was knitting in a way that seemed relaxed and calm, and that she appeared to be enjoying her task. When you are unable to look up the meaning of a word in a dictionary, it is useful to look at the context that surrounds the word, as this can give you an indication of the most likely meaning of the word.

the support that the author, uses in the article facing our fears is a): a definition of the part of the brain called the amygdala.

he takes neuroscientist joseph ledoux's words by telling that by falling to distinguish between evolutionary old systems located in the amygdala and newer systems, centered in the prefrontal cortex, doctors have conflated non conscious threat circuits in the brain with circuits that underlie the conscious experience of fear. that, the author says, "leads ledoux to the jarring conclusion that the amygdala, a decades-old centerpiece of the brain's fear circuit, does not underlie the conscious feeling of fear".

despite this, the author points out in the article that that is a controversial notion and that evidence, in animal and humans, supports the idea that core emotions can exist outside of conscious awareness.