Final answer:
The moral foundations of a culture that embody a community's most important values are called mores. These are different from folkways, which are norms of everyday behavior. Mores can result in formal sanctions like laws, or informal societal pressure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The moral foundations of a culture, or norms that represent a community's most important values, are called mores. Mores are norms that embody the moral views and principles of a group and often have a significant impact on the conduct of individuals within a society. They can sometimes be formalized into laws, and in other cases, they operate through informal societal pressure. For instance, murder is regarded as immoral and is punishable by law, making it a formal norm in this context. On the other hand, expectations such as academic integrity, exemplified by norms against plagiarism, are enforced by community and institutional standards rather than legal statutes, showcasing the role of mores in guiding behavior through informal norms.
In contrast, folkways are norms related to everyday behavior that, while important for social cohesion, do not carry the same moral significance as mores. Culture, therefore, is shaped and maintained by these sets of norms, among other elements. The correct answer to the student's question is a) Mores.