Thinking his company had too many rules, an office worker decided to do something
about it. So he posted an official-looking notice next to the pencil sharpener. Next
to that, he posted a log sheet. For each use of the sharpener, the notice said,
everyone must write on the log the date, her or his name, and the number of pencils
sharpened. After two weeks, seventeen people had signed the log. The worker who
had thought it up had also signed it - twice. "Everyone else was doing it, so I
thought I should sign it, too," he explained.

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.