Like inclined planes, pulleys are used to gain a mechanical advantage: objects are easier to lift using a pulley system than by using your own two hands.
No misunderstanding. I've learned what that request actually means, and I don't want to be joined to another object by an inclined plane wrapped helically around an axis.
Helpful when you're trying to lift heavy objects, the inclined plane offers a mechanical advantage: the force required to move an object up the incline is less than the weight being lifted.