What term refers to general agreement across a society on a set of values?

• A. Social conformity
• B. Value consensus
• C. Formal social control
• D. Agencies of socialisation

Answer: (B)

Value consensus describes broad agreement across a society on a set of shared values. When most people hold similar beliefs about what is right and important, these shared values guide behavior and help maintain social order, which is why this term best fits the idea of general agreement across a society.

Social conformity is about individuals adjusting their behavior to fit norms, which can happen even without everyone sharing the same values. Formal social control refers to the ways a society enforces norms—laws, sanctions, and police action—not the presence of widespread value agreement. Agencies of socialisation are the institutions that teach people the values and norms, such as family or school, rather than the existence of that consensus itself.