In the south, social prestige and influence were determined by a. the amount of land one owned. b. the ownership of slaves. c. the region of the south where one lived. d. ties to prominent, english families. e. birth order and family heritage

Answer is b. the ownership of slaves.
Owning slaves on large scale is a privilege the rich and powerful people enjoys, giving them large benefits of enjoying their slaves’ rewards of labor. Slave owning indicates not just the wealth one has, even the political influence and social prestige.