There is the passage

The weather was a powerful force in the lives of the Norse

Explanation:

'at the mercy of' suggests that they had so control over it, it was something that affected them no matter what they could've done against it. It shows that they had to either stay and let it make they lives a great deal harder or leave and look for a safer area to live out their lives.

the question concerns exactly this part of the speech:

i am not now thinking of the loss of property involved, immense and serious as that is, but only of the wanton and wholesale destruction of the lives of non-combatants, men, women, and children, engaged in pursuits which have always, even in the darkest periods of modern history, been deemed innocent and legitimate. property can be paid for; the lives of the peaceful and innocent people cannot be.

president wilson talks about the lives of people destroyed by german army. but these people are not americans, they are the local people living in europe. the president mentions the barbarity of germans, considering that he is not targeting the nation, instead it is said about german army. the correct answer is the last one.

i think the answer is either c or d

im thinking d might make more sense though

sorry if im wrong