The correct answer is B) the advent of mass production.
The United States status of first place among industrial nations was a result of the advent of mass production.
Mass production in the United States represented the change of production with the use of interchangeable parts that allowed large scale production in a high volume in the line of assembly. This technology represented a modernization of the manufacturing process that allowed industries to produce more, at low costs in a rapid way. These factors helped the United States to get a status of first place among industrial nations due to the advent of mass production.