As the Church became more involved with political affairs, many devoted themselves to the service of God by staying outside of the clergy. They would become any of the following except a. abbots c. monks b. friars d. nuns

Answer;

A. Abbots.

As the Church became more involved with political affairs, many devoted themselves to the service of God by staying outside of the clergy. They would become monks, friars, nuns, etc. but they never became abbots.

Monks are men who, for the most part, live in communities called monasteries.

Monks and nuns inhabit the lowest rung of the hierarchy in the Catholic Church

The answer is A, abbots.