Final answer:
The correct answer to the question is (c) Absolute poverty, which refers to the lack of basic necessities needed to maintain a minimum standard of living.
Step-by-step explanation:
A state of living where people lack even the basic necessities, such as adequate food, clean water, safe housing, and access to healthcare, is known as absolute poverty. This condition is characterized by an inability to secure the essential resources needed to maintain a minimum standard of living, a situation that is much more severe than relative poverty. Relative poverty refers to circumstances where individuals may be able to afford their basic necessities but cannot meet their society's average standard of living, while absolute poverty is about the lack of those very necessities themselves. In contrast, affluence refers to an abundance of wealth and resources, social stratification refers to the ranking of individuals and groups in any given society, and relative poverty involves an individual or group falling behind the average standard of living within a society. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is (c) Absolute poverty.