Final answer:
Second-class accommodations historically included townspeople, artisans, and clerks—those who were non-elite workers. Skilled members of this group, which can be considered as the emerging middle class, were able to afford decent housing, although not as luxurious as the upper class.
Step-by-step explanation:
Characteristics of Second-Class Accommodations
The second-class accommodations on ships and in social settings during historical periods typically housed townspeople, artisans, clerks, and other non-elite workers.
These individuals were considered non-elite partly because they could not trace their lineage to high-status groups, as the Shirazi Muslims. Within the towns, many non-elites were non-Muslims, occupying a slightly lower social standing, involved in vocations such as servitude or manual labor.
When considering living arrangements, the emerging middle class often found housing solutions that reflected their social and economic status.
For example, skilled workers might afford better-quality housing with more space and amenities like a small garden, as opposed to the working class that occupied tenement houses or crowded apartments.
This emerging middle class included professionals such as managers, engineers, and doctors, delineating a distinct step above the lower class but below the upper echelons of society.