Final answer:
The weakness of the Articles of Confederation that prevented the U.S. government from dealing with Shays' Rebellion was the lack of power to tax, leading to a lack of funds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The weakness of the Articles of Confederation that prevented the U.S. government from dealing with Shays' Rebellion was that the central government had no power to tax, which meant that there was no money.
Without the power to tax, the national government could not raise an army to assist in suppressing the rebellion. It had to rely on the states to provide soldiers, but if the states chose not to honor the government's request, there would be no adequate defense.
Therefore, the answer to your question is A. The central government had no power to tax, which meant that there was no money.