Answer: B. restricted the ability of competitors to engage in cooperative agreements
Explanation: The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was an antitrust law that was passed to address oppressive business practices, regulate competition among enterprises, and prohibiting contract, trust, or conspiracy of any kind in hindrance of interstate or foreign trade. The act therefore, restricted the ability of competitors to engage in cooperative agreements. By outlawing trusts, the act helped to increase economic competitiveness while curbing concentrations of power that often interfere with trade thereby greatly reducing economic competition.