Question

which of the following helped fuel economic growth by encouraging people to buy american goods?

Answer 1

Where are the multiple choices?

Answer 2

i think protective tariffs, because that's the only thing that "encourages people to buy American goods," because it makes foreign goods more expensive (you have to pay the tariff in addition to the cost of the good).

But tariffs never fuel economic growth, and in fact usually stifle it. So that's probably the answer that's wanted, and the question contains a faulty assumption.

Of the choices given, only laissez-faire policies fuel economic growth for sure. It's widely and universely observed that, past the basics of ensuring the rule of law and enforcing contracts, the least possible government gives you the greatest possible economic growth.

A case could possibly be made for patents, too, although this kind of comes under the heading of "ensuring the rule of law." A patent is just a way to encourage people to share details of their inventions publically (in a patent description), in exchange for which they gain the legal right to say how their invention is used (which usually means they want a cut of any profits made).