Question

which statement explains why sulfur is classified as a group 16 element

Answer 1

Looking at the periodic table, you can see that it is in the group 16.
Also, Sulfur has 6 e- on the last electronic layer.

Answer 2

Sulfur has 6 valence electrons, and all of the elements in group 16 have 6 electrons. Therefore, all of the elements in that group have the same properties.