A company which acquires more than 50% voting shares of another company is called?

This question tests knowledge of the different ways businesses combine or control one another, and the specific terms used for each arrangement.

A company that buys more than half of the voting shares of another company gains control over that company's decisions, including the appointment of directors and major policy choices, while the controlled company still keeps its own legal identity. This controlling company is called a holding company, and the company it controls is referred to as a subsidiary.

The other terms describe different kinds of business combination. A consortium is a temporary joint arrangement between independent businesses, usually formed to carry out a specific large project, without one business taking ownership of another. A cartel is an agreement among independent producers of similar goods to control output or fix prices; ownership of shares is not involved. A trust is an arrangement, often associated with monopolistic control in a market, where firms combine to eliminate competition, but it does not specifically describe majority share ownership of one company by another.

The key distinguishing detail in this question is the phrase "more than 50% voting shares"; whenever share ownership crosses that threshold, think holding company and subsidiary.