Which term describes the deliberate destruction of a group by killing its members?

• A. Homicide
• B. Ethnic Cleansing
• C. Genocide
• D. Massacre

Answer: (C)

Genocide is the deliberate destruction of a group by killing its members. It centers on the intent to destroy a protected group—national, ethnic, racial, or religious—either in whole or in part. This specific aim to eliminate the group as such is what sets genocide apart. Homicide is simply the act of killing a person, without the targeted, group-destroying purpose. A massacre is a large killing, often in a single event, but it doesn’t inherently require the intent to annihilate the group as a whole. Ethnic cleansing focuses on removing a group from a territory, sometimes through violence, but the emphasis is on expulsion or displacement rather than the systematic destruction of the group itself. Because it captures both the scale and the intentional aim to destroy a group, genocide is the best answer.