Which of the Following Statements Correctly Describes the "Middling Sort

Which of the following statements correctly describes the "middling sort" of the eighteenth century?

A) They fell in number from 1740-1780 due to the distress of the European economy.
B) They were members of the aristocracy who had less power than those with royal blood.
C) They had been a fundamental, prominent part of the social order since the Middle Ages.
D) They consisted of a discrete group who did not work with their hands but were not wealthy.
E) They rarely had a primary education and had few physical comforts.