_____, according to Weber, is a large group of people who rank close to one another in property, power, and prestige.

• A. caste
• B. status group
• C. ethnic group
• D. social class

Answer: (D)

Weber’s view of social stratification includes three distinct dimensions: class (economic life chances), status (prestige), and power (political influence). The line described—“a large group of people who rank close to one another in property, power, and prestige” emphasizes shared position in the economic sphere (property) and the related opportunities that come with it, which in Weber’s framework form a broad, influential group: the social class. This captures the idea of a large, economically defined cluster whose members have similar life chances and, consequently, similar potential to command power and prestige.

Caste would be rigid and hereditary, ethnic group focuses on shared culture or identity, and a status group centers primarily on prestige without necessarily the accompanying property and life chances Weber ties to class.