in addition to patronage, merchant families during the renaissance began to\no educate their sons.\no…

Brief Explanations:

During the Renaissance, merchant - class families, in addition to patronage, emphasized education for their sons to improve social and economic standing. They were interested in humanist learning which could open up new opportunities. They did not primarily focus on practicing new religions as a main activity (religious changes were more complex and not a main family - driven activity for merchants in this context), establishing new businesses was not a new development specific to the Renaissance in the sense described here, and hiding wealth was contrary to their desire to show status.

Answer:

educate their sons.