Final answer:
The perspective that sees social stratification as a result of competition for scarce resources and the maintenance of power by the elite is known as conflict theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
The view that social stratification and inequalities in a state result from competition for scarce goods and services, and that the elite classes attempt to maintain control over the state apparatus is most accurately described by c) conflict theory. Conflict theory is a sociological perspective that sees society as a competition for limited resources, where different social classes compete for social, material, and political resources. Developed by Karl Marx, it argues that social institutions reflect this competition and help maintain an unequal social structure, with those in power using their resources to perpetuate their advantage.