Mercantilism is best characterized by which combination of features?

• A. State-controlled trade, wealth accumulation, and colonial resources
• B. Local land-based obligations and subsistence agriculture
• C. Emphasis on religious uniformity and isolation
• D. Decentralized, free-market policies

Answer: (A)

Mercantilism centers on strengthening the power of the state through the economy: the government actively regulates trade, seeks to build national wealth, and relies on colonies to supply resources and markets. That combination—state-controlled trade, an emphasis on accumulating wealth (often measured in precious metals), and using colonial resources to fuel domestic industries and exports—best captures how mercantilist policies operated. Governments imposed tariffs, granted monopolies, and backed navigation acts to ensure a favorable balance of trade, aiming to export more than they import and to enrich the homeland.

The other options miss the mark because subsistence agriculture and local obligations describe more basic, non-trade-driven agrarian systems; an emphasis on religious uniformity and isolation points to cultural or political aims rather than economic policy; and decentralized, free-market policies contradict mercantilism’s characteristic centralized, protectionist approach.