C. Wright Mills called the top people in U.S. corporations, the military, and politics who make the nation's major decisions the

• A. Power elite
• B. Upper class
• C. Elite circle
• D. Bureaucracy

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that a small group of leaders from business, the military, and government hold the real influence in national decisions. C. Wright Mills called this group the Power elite, arguing that these top figures across key institutions form an interconnected ruling class that shapes major policy and events. They move in overlapping networks, share similar backgrounds, and coordinate their interests, which lets them steer the country more than any single sector could on its own.

Why this term fits best: it specifically names the cross‑institutional concentration of power Mills described, not just wealth or a generic social circle, and not the administrative machinery of government. The other options don’t capture that cross-sectored authority: the upper class emphasizes wealth, an “elite circle” isn’t the standard sociological label Mills used, and bureaucracy refers to the administrative system rather than a unified minority of decision-makers across sectors.