Digital SAT Reading and Writing Practice Question #423

Text 1: Historian A argues that the rapid industrialization of the late 19th century was primarily driven by relaxed government regulations. These laissez-faire policies allowed monopolistic enterprises to amass unprecedented capital, which they then invested heavily in the infrastructural expansion necessary to scale emerging technologies. Text 2: Historian B contends that the technological leaps of the Second Industrial Revolution would have occurred regardless of regulatory frameworks or massive capital consolidation. The true catalyst was the synergistic network of inventors and machinists who freely shared iterative improvements on steam and electrical technologies across informal, grassroots channels. Based on the texts, how would Historian B most likely respond to the primary argument presented by Historian A?