Help me ASAP with this one

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.

Why did orson welles change the beginning of the war of the worlds for his radio broadcast? a. to capture the attention of his listeners, who may have been doing other things b. to get around copyright laws associated with using material from a published book c. to ask members of the audience to call family and friends and encourage them to listen d. to remind listeners to call police for more information

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