How do malachy's thoughts in paragraphs 6 and 7 establish the conflict in the excerpt?

Plz asap read this sentence from paragraph 3 of the article. the boys and girls are merely asked to obtain the signatures of ten friends or relatives. how does the word "merely" affect the meaning of the sentence? a- it suggests that asking people to subscribe to the washington times is something negative. b- it implies that obtaining ten signatures is not a requirement for receiving a prize. c- it downplays the fact that to win the prize, children must ask people to subscribe to the washington times. d- it emphasizes that children receive the prize only if they obtain ten signatures.

In the song mallam sile sings in lines 113 through 130 the knife probably represents

Which statement best provides an objective summary of "annamaria's integration? "