Final answer:
The correct option to complete the sentence about young men working in quarries and coal mines is 'C. compelled,' indicating they were forced to work. C. is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct option to fill in the blank in the sentence 'All the young men in the area were _________ to work in the quarries and coal mines' is C. compelled.
This means that they were forced or required to work, which fits the context of the sentence. Examples throughout history and literature support the use of 'compelled' in such situations, such as the use of child labor in coal mines in the early 20th century, the conscription of farm laborers to produce low-quality steel, or the conscription of African American men into menial jobs during the Great Migration.
The other options, 'composed,' 'construed,' and 'confessed,' do not make sense in this context.