Detailed Answer
(d) The requirement is to identify the type of merger.
Answer (d) is correct because a conglomerate merger is a merger
of companies in totally different industries. A shoe manufacturer
and brokerage house are in totally different industries. Answer
(a) is incorrect because a horizontal merger is a combination
of two firms producing the same type of good or service.
Answer (b) is incorrect because a vertical merger is a merger
between a firm and one of its suppliers or customers. Answer (c)
is incorrect because a congeneric merger is a merger of firms in
the same industry, but the two firms do not have a customer or
supplier relationship (as in vertical merger).