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.

hey how are you doing today

free time is when all my homework and chores have been done for the day and i am "free" to do things that i enjoy doing.

usually i spend time watching television. as my favorite tv shows come on at specific times, i make sure that i finish my homework and chores well before the shows. otherwise i will have to miss them. mostly i manage to watch the shows but sometimes extra homework or chores may cause me to miss a show or two, but it is rare. anyhow if i know that i am definitely not able to catch a show in time, i will just set the video recorder to tape the show sothe evening when the weather is fine, i sometimes go for a stroll around the neighborhood with my friends. this is the time when most the neighbors have come home from work or school. we say hello to those whom we know. they are mostly friendly people and they acknowledge our greetings. once in a while we come upon unfriendly neighbors but we just ignore them and carry on. that i can watch it later.