Final answer:
The answer to the student's question is 'a. Achieved status; Ascribed status', distinguishing between the statuses we can control, reflecting personal efforts, and those we are born with and cannot control. The correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sociologists distinguish between two types of status; achieved status and ascribed status. Achieved status are those we can control and they reflect hard work, talent, and motivation while ascribed statuses are those we have no control over. Therefore, the answer to the student's question is a. Achieved status; Ascribed status.
Achieved status refers to the status a person chooses, such as a level of education or income, that can be changed or influenced by the individual's actions. Ascribed status is the status outside of an individual's control, such as sex or race, and is typically assigned at birth without regard to an individual's abilities or efforts.