Race is defined as:

• A. Classification based on political status
• B. Classification based on physical or biological characteristics such as skin color, hair, eyes, facial features, blood type, and bone structure
• C. A social role
• D. An economic class

Answer: (B)

Race is defined as a classification based on physical or biological characteristics such as skin color, hair, eyes, facial features, blood type, and bone structure. This reflects how race has been historically used to group people by observable traits that are inherited from ancestry. It’s important to recognize that while these physical differences exist, race is not a precise biological category—there is more genetic variation within so-called racial groups than between them. In healthcare, this concept matters because race can influence experiences, access to care, and social determinants of health, even as clinicians aim to treat individuals without assuming biological differences beyond each person’s unique health needs. The other options refer to political status, social roles, or economic class, which describe different ways society organizes people, not race.