The correct option is D) political entity.
As used in line 4, "state" most nearly refers to a political entity.
What is political entity/state?
The state is the political structure of society or even the body politic, or, more specifically, the institutions of governance.
Some key features regarding political entity/state are-
- The state is a type of human association that is distinguished from those other social groups by its goal, the development of order and security; its means, laws and their execution; its territory, the region of jurisdiction or geographic limits; and, finally, its sovereignty.
- The state is, in general terms, the agreement of persons on the means by which disagreements are resolved in the form of legislation.
- The term state (or a cognate) sometimes refers to political units that aren't sovereign themselves but are subject to the authority of the bigger state, or federal union, in countries like the United States, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil.
Therefore, the word "state" used in line 4 referred to a political entity.
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