Final answer:
The phrase "Arbeit macht frei" translates to 'Work sets you free' and was a deceitful Nazi slogan placed at concentration camp entrances, symbolizing false hope while obscuring the harsh reality of the camps being sites of forced labor and extermination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrase "Arbeit macht frei," meaning 'Work sets you free,' is historically infamous for its placement at the entrances of several Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz. This expression became a cruel and ironic emblem of the Nazi deception, falsely implying that prisoners could earn their freedom through labor. In reality, the camps were sites of forced labor, inhumane treatment, and mass murder. The correct answer to the student's question regarding the meaning of the phrase in labor camps is (a) Work will set you free.
The use of this phrase was part of the broader psychological manipulation and propaganda used by the Nazis to give prisoners a false sense of hope and to disguise the true nature of the camps. The slogan obscures the brutality and the fact that these were primarily death camps rather than just labor camps. It is crucial to recognize that this phrase was part of a larger strategy to dehumanize and exploit prisoners under the guise of labor and productivity.