What term describes the shared set of beliefs and behaviors shaped by history, religion, politics, and resources?

• A. Subculture
• B. Norms
• C. Culture
• D. Ethnicity

Answer: (C)

Culture is the shared system of beliefs, values, and behaviors that a group holds and passes down through generations. It’s shaped by history, religion, politics, and the resources available to a society, because these factors influence what people value, how they interact, and the practices they adopt. This broad framework includes language, customs, rituals, family roles, and everyday conduct, giving a group its distinctive way of life. A subculture is a smaller group within the larger culture with its own specific norms, not the entire system. Norms are the expressed rules of behavior within a culture, while ethnicity focuses on ancestry and heritage rather than the whole pattern of beliefs and behaviors across a society.