Which of the following pairs is correctly matched with Bernier's desc…

The correct answer is Option (2) → Masses of people - undifferentiated and impoverished

Option (1) Ruling class - a broad group of middle-rank landholders — Incorrect. For Bernier the ruling class was a small minority of the very rich and powerful.

Option (2) Masses of people - undifferentiated and impoverished — Correct. Bernier saw Indian society as undifferentiated masses of poor people, ruled by a small, very rich and powerful class.

Option (3) Middle state - a social group worth the name — Incorrect. Bernier said there was no group worth the name between the poorest and the richest: no middle state in India.

Option (4) Rural society - considerable social and economic differentiation — Incorrect. This is the real picture of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century rural society, which goes against Bernier's view.