Which term describes the intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group?

• A. Ethnic cleansing
• B. War crimes
• C. Genocide
• D. Crimes against humanity

Answer: (C)

The main idea tested here is the specific aim of destroying a group. Genocide is defined in international law as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. This includes killing members of the group, causing serious harm to the group’s physical or mental well-being, deliberately making living conditions that destroy the group, imposing measures intended to prevent births, or forcibly transferring children to another group. The emphasis on intent to wipe out the group as such is what makes genocide the correct term for describing intentional destruction of such a group.

Ethnic cleansing describes forcibly removing a group from a territory, which can involve violence but is about expulsion from land rather than destruction of the group itself. War crimes are serious violations of the laws of war, and crimes against humanity refer to widespread or systematic attacks on civilians; neither term requires the explicit aim of destroying the group itself.