Question
The description of the clocks' "loose and overlapping democracy" (lines 6 to 12) primarily serves to
Aestablish the commercial decline of the shop
Bcharacterize Sale's resistance to conformity and absolutes
Cemphasize the disorder caused by Sale's failing eyesight
Dcreate a nostalgic portrait of a vanished craft
Why this answer works
B. characterize Sale's resistance to conformity and absolutes
The clocks are filtered through what Sale "preferred," "thought," and "liked": he sets their disagreement against "tyranny" and the single hour against a "verdict," revealing a temperament that distrusts imposed absolutes. A — no commercial detail is present. C — eyesight is never mentioned. D — the register is wry, not sentimental; "primarily" it characterizes Sale.