Question

passage 1
passage 2
what is competition from the point of view of the workman? it is work put up to auction. a contractor wants a workman; three present themselves.—how much for your work?—half-a-crown; i have a wife and children.—well; and how much for yours?—two shillings; i have no children, but i have a wife.—very well; and now how much for you?—one and eightpence are enough for me; i am single.—then you shall have the work. it is done; the bargain is struck. and what are the other two workmen to do? it is to be hoped they will die quietly of hunger....

according to the political economists of the school of adam smith and leon say, cheapness is the word in which may be summed up the advantages of unlimited

in passage 2, what does blanc mean in the last paragraph, on pages 3–4, when he compares cheapness to a hammer?

the development of new technology makes manufacturing too expensive for small producers.

the promise of low prices is used to justify a system that destroys small businesses.

the construction of large factories attracts workers to leave home for unskilled jobs at low pay.

the labor of underpaid workers is used to build up the wealth of the business owners.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context. The passage (Passage 1) shows how competition drives down workers' wages, and the political economists (like Adam Smith's school) view "cheapness" as an advantage. The comparison of cheapness to a hammer implies that the promise of low prices (cheapness) is a tool (like a hammer) to justify a system that harms small businesses (similar to how competition harms workers as seen in Passage 1).

• The first option is about new technology and small producers' costs, which is not related to the "cheapness - hammer" analogy.
• The third option is about factory construction and workers' migration, which is off - topic.
• The fourth option is about underpaid workers building business owners' wealth, but the analogy is about justifying a system with the promise of cheapness, not directly about workers' labor building wealth.
• The second option, "The promise of low prices is used to justify a system that destroys small businesses", fits as the "hammer" (a tool) here is the promise of cheapness (low prices) used to justify a system that has negative impacts (like destroying small businesses, similar to how competition harms workers in Passage 1).

Answer:

B. The promise of low prices is used to justify a system that destroys small businesses.