Question

passage 1
this brief essay by author and college professor charles augustus eggert was published in california in 1913 as part of the collection why i am opposed to socialism: original papers by leading men and women. socialism was a popular and controversial theory at that time, four years before the russian revolution. no government had yet tried to put the theory of socialism into practice.
why i am opposed to socialism
by charles augustus eggert
i am opposed to socialism, first, because it is not an inductively obtained system, but an “ism” that postulates qualities in the individuality of a nation which no nation, or community even, has yet developed to a sufficiently high state to make this “ism” fit to be seriously tried.
passage 2
in passage 2, what does blanc mean in the last paragraph, on pages 3–4, when he compares cheapness to a hammer?
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.
the promise of low prices is used to justify a system that destroys small businesses.
the development of new technology makes manufacturing too expensive for small producers.

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of Blanc's comparison of cheapness to a hammer, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Talks about factory construction attracting workers, not related to cheapness as a hammer. Eliminate.
• Option 2: Focuses on underpaid workers' labor for business owners, not about cheapness. Eliminate.
• Option 3: The promise of low prices (cheapness) being used to justify a system that harms small businesses. A hammer can be a tool used to "break" (destroy) small businesses, so this matches the comparison.
• Option 4: Discusses technology making manufacturing expensive for small producers, opposite of cheapness. Eliminate.

Answer:

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