Consider the following statements regarding 'class as a social group'…

The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (D), (E) only

(A) It is open in nature and allows mobility. Correct. A class is a group of people with a similar economic position — similar income, property and occupation. Its boundaries are open: a person can move up or down from one class to another through education, a new job or a change in income. This is social mobility. Caste is the opposite case: one can never change one’s caste, leave it or choose not to join it.

(B) It is permanent in nature. Incorrect. Since people can move between classes, a person’s class position can change within a lifetime or from one generation to the next. Class is not fixed for ever, as membership of a caste is.

(C) It is only found in feudal society. Incorrect. Classes are found in many kinds of society, and above all in modern industrial and capitalist societies, where owners of capital, managers, professionals and workers form different classes. Feudal society, built on landlords and serfs, is only one of them.

(D) It is based upon achieved status. Correct. Achieved status is a position a person gains by his or her own effort and ability, such as education, skill and occupation. Ascribed status is given by birth: in a caste system, children assume the social positions of their parents. Class rests mainly on what one achieves.

(E) It is also based upon life chances and market situation. Correct. In Max Weber’s view, a person’s class depends on his or her market situation — what he or she can offer in the market, such as property, skills or qualifications. The market situation in turn shapes life chances, the chances of getting the good things of life such as education, good health, a secure job and a good income.