Question

In the United States, __________ often creates distinctions and identities within _____________. For instance, four people may be considered white, yet they may each have ancestry and cultural traditions originating from different countries, including Poland, Ireland, England, and Norway.
a. ethnicity; racial groups
b. racial groups; cultures
c. racial identity; ethnic groups
d. culture; ethnic groups

Answer 1

The correct answer is letter A

The distinctions between the concepts of race and ethnicity involve the erroneous notion of biological distinction and the cultural differentiation of diverse groups.

The concept of race is still widely used by the vast majority of people, especially when referring to skin color.  However, the idea that there are biologically distinct races among humans is a mistake. Scientific theories of the 18th and early 19th centuries, such as those of Joseph Arthur de Gobineau (1816-1882), devoted themselves to the creation of methods to differentiate races between human groups through, mainly, phenotypic traits (skin color , hair, skull shape).

Ethnicity is an essentially social phenomenon, as it is a continuous process of cultural transmission between different generations based on contact and participation in the social environment in which ethnicity is configured. Therefore, the idea of ​​innate ethnic traits, such as the notion of value that defines indigenous ethnic groups as “lazy”, is nothing but a mistake anchored to ignorance and common sense.