A culture's standard for discerning what is good and just in society is called?

• A. Values
• B. Beliefs
• C. Culture Shock
• D. Cultural Imperialism

Answer: (A)

Values are a culture's standard for discerning what is good and just in society. They are the broad, enduring ideals that a community holds as worthwhile—principles like honesty, justice, equality, and respect. These values guide norms—what people expect others to do—and help shape laws and social practices, since what a society considers fair or desirable flows from its values. Beliefs are about what people think is true or real, and while they support values, they aren’t the standard used to judge goodness itself. Culture shock is the experience of disorientation when faced with unfamiliar norms, not a criterion for judging what’s good. Cultural imperialism refers to one culture imposing its values on others, rather than describing the internal standard used to evaluate right and wrong.