Interpreting the phrase 'poverty of a life'

The author defines the term directly: "Poverty of a life, in our view, lies not merely in the impoverished state in which the person actually lives, but also in the lack of real opportunity given by social constraints as well as personal circumstances..." This combines both the material condition (lack of income/impoverished state) and the structural condition (lack of real opportunities). Option (a) perfectly paraphrases this exact dual definition. Option (d) incorrectly inserts the word "permanently," establishing a rigid timeline the author never claims.

Answer: (a).