Final answer:
Money is what is acceptable as payment for goods and services. Assets include items of value like money, and shareholders' equity represents the value of an entity's assets minus its debts. Money acts as a medium of exchange to facilitate transactions, not as productive capital.
Step-by-step explanation:
The item that is acceptable as payment for goods and services is money. This could include coins, currency, and various forms of financial capital. However, financial capital, like money, stocks, and bonds, aren't directly used as capital in the production process; they are used to acquire production factors or to buy goods and services. An asset is what a firm or individual owns, which could potentially include money. On the other hand, shareholders' equity refers to the monetary value that would exist after selling assets and repaying debts and is distinct from money, which is a medium of exchange.
Capital refers to goods that have been produced for the purpose of producing other goods, such as office buildings, machinery, and tools. Money is used as a medium to exchange these assets but isn't considered capital in the productive sense. A debit card, for example, is an instrument that facilitates the transfer of money and thus represents a means to enable transactions.
Answer: d. Money