Answer: B. Because of its location outside Europe, the United States was able to avoid widespread damage to its infrastructure.
History/context:
Initially, in regard to the Great War which broke out in Europe, The United States had adopted an isolationist view. That meant not wanting to be involved in affairs across the ocean that were not directly related to our national security.
The US declaration of war by Congress finally did occur on April 6, 1917. In January of 1917, Germany had resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic This put American passengers and American ships at risk. Also, in February, 1917, the "Zimmerman Telegram" was intercepted by British intelligence and shared with the US. Germany's foreign minister, Arthur Zimmerman, had telegraphed an offer to Mexico's ambassador seeking Mexico's support in war vs. the United States in exchange for getting land back from the US. So the US entered the war and sent troops to go to the battlefront in Europe.
The location of the United States, far from where the battles of the war were fought, also made for different outlooks on the peace treaty following the war. The peace settlement, signed at Versailles in 1919, imposed very harsh terms against Germany. Germany was blamed for causing the war, and France had been a primary victim, with much of the war's battlefront being fought on French soil. So France was looking for protections against future aggression. American president Woodrow Wilson had wanted a resolution to the conflict that would be more focused on building future peace between nations. France, however, felt deeply wronged and vulnerable, and wanted Germany to be punished as an aggressor. Great Britain tended to support France's position.
