Final answer:
Material signs that indicate a specific status are referred to as symbols. These include items like gold rings, traffic signs, and police badges, each carrying specific cultural meanings beyond their material form.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Symbols in Material Culture
Material signs that inform others of a specific status are best categorized as symbols. These are objects or items that represent broader concepts and play a crucial role in communicating ideas in a culture. One everyday example of a symbol is a gold ring, which often signifies marriage in various cultures. Other examples include traffic signs, like stop signs, which provide instructions but also are part of the material culture and convey nonmaterial cultural meanings. Similarly, a police officer's badge and uniform have material utility but simultaneously symbolize authority and law enforcement, impacting how they are perceived by different people.
In contrast to symbols, values reflect a society's principles or standards of behavior; norms are the informal rules that govern behavior in a group or society; and roles are the parts people play as members of a social group which come with specific expectations called norms. Hence, the answer to the question, 'What are material signs informing others of a specific status?' is A) Symbols.