The collective effect of many personal sins over time, which corrupts society and its institutions by creating 'structures of sin'.

• A. Original Sin
• B. Social Sin
• C. Venial Sin
• D. Mortal Sin

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how many individual wrong choices, repeated over time, can harden into patterns that shape the whole community. This is social sin: when the sins of individuals accumulate and become structures that distort laws, economies, and social practices, leading to injustice and harming the common good. It’s distinct from Original Sin, which describes the human condition inherited by all people, and from personal acts of venial or mortal sin, which concern the gravity of an individual action rather than enduring societal patterns. So the concept best captured here is social sin because it emphasizes how collective wrongdoing creates lasting, systemic effects—structures of sin—that affect society and its institutions.