Ancient Athens had strict controls on the price of wheat, and punishment for violation of the price control was death. The speech by a politician imploring a jury to convict an alleged violator of the law survives to this day: “And consider that in consequence of this vocation, very many have already stood trial for their lives; and so great the [earnings] which they are able to derive from it that they prefer to risk their life every day, rather than cease to draw from, the public, their improper profits.” Which of the following is the MOST likely reason merchants were willing to risk their lives to charge more than the legal price?
Merchants could not stay in business if they didn't raise prices. Merchants were not aware of the law, since it was not publicly declared. Merchants did not like the general public, who approved of these laws, and this is how some chose their revenge. Merchants were irrationally blinded by greed.
The MOST likely reason merchants were willing to risk their lives to charge more than the legal price is:
Merchants could not stay in business if they didn't raise prices.
This option suggests that the economic pressures and the need to maintain profitability in a competitive market could drive merchants to violate the law, even at the risk of severe punishment. The context of the speech indicates that the potential earnings from violating the price control were significant enough to outweigh the risks involved.