Agovernment agency that promotes competition in the marketplace is the

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Explanation:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was established by the US federal government in 1914 to safeguard consumers and businesses. It was created to promote healthy competition among businesses in the marketplace by putting a stop to anticompetitive practices. It also keeps consumers safe against illegal business transaction by providing information to them about how to recognise and avoid fraudulent business deals.  Thus, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) educates consumers and businesses through the establishment of programs which are educative and beneficial to them.

answercombination of ability and experience of the partners;

answer(b); ; ; the quantitative or qualitative variable for which the experimenter wishes to determine how its value is affected by the explanatory variable;