Sociologists often point out that systems of stratification in the United States systematically favor white men. Sometimes people contest this, pointing to wealthy and powerful black women like Oprah Winfrey or Toni Morrison. A valid counterpoint to this argument is that:

A) black women are often the exception to this tendency. B) Winfrey and Morrison have higher social statuses because of other markers of class that they inherited, such as regional accents. C) stratification is a characteristic of a society rather than a reflection of individual differences. D) Winfrey and Morrison must have inherited a high social status from their parents.