When will debt be considered a tool of exploitation in bonded labour?

Correct answer: When debt is used to stop the worker from leaving work

The direct answer is A: debt is a tool of exploitation when it is used to stop a worker from leaving the work. In ordinary borrowing, a person may repay money according to agreed rules and remains free to change jobs. In bonded labour, the employer or lender uses a debt, advance, or alleged unpaid amount to control the worker. The person may be forced to continue working, receive little or no wage, and be told that the debt has not ended. Option A is correct because debt becomes exploitative when it removes the worker’s freedom to leave. Option B is not automatically exploitation: a lawful bank loan does not normally bind a person to one employer. Option C describes a debt that can be repaid normally and gives no sign of coercion. Option D says the debt is unrelated to labour, so it does not explain bonded labour. The key exam chain is debt plus control plus inability to leave. Poverty alone is serious, but the controlling use of debt is the important feature here.