Explanation -

Up to the comma in this sentence, several answer choices would seem to fit; would businesses have thrived because of the elimination of governmental influence? That’s certainly possible as less red tape and more blue ocean often signal more opportunity for businesses. Could they have benefited from the utilization of government influence? Sure, if they were taking advantage of subsidies, tax abatements, etc. Could they have benefitted from the prescience of government influence? Perhaps, if the government had seen far into the future to set up productive new-age business climates.
But the word “but” after the comma shows the importance of the second half of the sentence. The “but” says that the first half disagrees with maintaining regulatory standards, leading directly to the opposite of “maintaining”: “elimination.” The transition “but” also helps in process of elimination (no pun intended). For example, because the second half of the sentence prescribes centralized government and the first half must disagree with the second, “centralization” can’t be correct.


Correct Answer is Choice B