Which term means the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially because of race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality?

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

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is recognizing when a mass killing is driven by an explicit intent to destroy a protected group because of who they are. That deliberate effort to annihilate a group—based on race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality—defines genocide. It involves planning and executing violence on a large scale aimed at destroying the group, not just harming individuals.

Homicide is simply the act of killing another person, without the broader goal of eradicating a group. Ethnic cleansing centers on removing a group from a territory, often through expulsion and violence, with the aim of cleansing a area of that population—even if killings occur, the goal isn’t necessarily to destroy the group as such. A pogrom is an organized mob attack against a minority, typically intended to terrorize or drive them out, not to annihilate the group entirely. Because of the emphasis on systematic, targeted destruction of a group based on identity, genocide is the best term.