Public Health Nursing Practice Exam

What characteristic of a group identifies them based on their cultural background such as race, religion, or national origin?

1. Multiculturalism

2. Ethnicity

3. Race

4. Culture

The correct answer is: Ethnicity

The characteristic that identifies a group based on cultural background, including aspects such as race, religion, or national origin, is ethnicity. Ethnicity encompasses shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart one group from another. It is not solely based on physical characteristics or biological factors, but rather on the social and cultural heritage of a group, including language, traditions, and specific historical experiences. Multiculturalism refers to the existence of multiple cultures within a society and promotes respect for diversity, but it does not specifically define any one group's cultural background. Race, while often used to categorize people based on physical traits, does not encompass the broader aspects of shared cultural identity that ethnicity does. Culture itself is a broad term that includes the beliefs, practices, norms, and values of a group but does not specifically focus on the identification of groups based on cultural backgrounds like ethnicity does.