What is ethnicity?

• A. A social category constructed by society
• B. The cultural heritage of a group
• C. Any group that is not "white"
• D. A belief in the superiority of one group over another

Answer: (B)

Ethnicity is about a group’s cultural heritage—the shared language, traditions, customs, beliefs, and historical experiences that people identify with and pass down through generations. It centers on culture and ancestry, giving a sense of belonging tied to that heritage. This differs from race, which relies on physical characteristics used to classify people, and from nationality, which is about legal belonging to a country. It also isn’t about judging one group as superior—that describes racism, not ethnicity. It’s also not just “not white,” since many white groups have distinct ethnic heritages as well. So the best description is that ethnicity is the cultural heritage of a group.