One status tends to take rank above all others. The status that plays the greatest role in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her social identity is called a

One status tends to take rank above all others. The status that plays the greatest role in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her social identity is called a master status.

Explanation:

Someone's master status is the social position a person holds that identifies him or her, shaping that person's entire life. For instance, when we think of Michael Jordan, we immediately associate him with the idea of a great basketball player. That is his master status. Of course he has other statuses - he was even a baseball player for some time - but none has the same power on determining his identity, at least not for the general audience.

C. master status.

Explanation:

Master status is known to be the position which a person is identified and recognized with. It is a status which a person earns due to the characteristics exhibited by him or her and which affect how people relate with him or her. It is of great significance in the existence of an individual because it makes him or her to be aware, conscious and understand the society in which he or she lives. Furthermore, it has great impact on the social identity of an individual. Thus, master status can be based on sex, religion, race, education, age, position and so on.