Answer:
b. protects the current shareholders against a dilution of their ownership interests.
Explanation:
Shares are ownership interests that are owned by business owners and measures the degree to which an individual has a stake in a company.
Preemtive right occurs when a shareholder has a right to purchase a particular portion of newly issued shares.
For example if an individual has 40,000 shares and additional 250,000 shares are issued, he can have the right to purchase an additional 30,000 of the new shares.
The preemtive right prevents dilution of ownership interests by ensuring old stockholders have a stake in newly issued shares.