Which term describes the total ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and customs of a group?

• A. Culture
• B. Ethnocentrism
• C. Discrimination
• D. Stereotyping

Answer: (A)

Culture refers to the total ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and customs shared by a group. It includes language, values, norms, rituals, arts, and everyday practices that give a group its identity and shape how members think and behave. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own culture is superior to others, which is a bias rather than the whole system. Discrimination is unfair treatment based on group membership, an action rather than the entire cultural framework. Stereotyping is applying oversimplified beliefs about a group, a biased generalization rather than the shared patterns that define culture. Because culture encompasses all of these shared patterns and practices, it best fits the description.