Answer:
a. retreatists
Explanation:
Merton's strain theory states that a society has certain culturally-valued goals, as well as culturally-valued means. These indicate to people what is considered success in that particular society. However, certain groups can experience an imbalance between the goals or the means, which is called strain. One of the ways in which a person can react to strain is retreatism. This involves rejecting both the goals and the means of the society. This is the case of the sect in this example.