Which doctrine states that Mary was conceived without Original Sin?

• A. Assumption
• B. Immaculate Conception
• C. Perpetual Virginity
• D. Divine motherhood

Answer: (B)

The main point here is Mary’s beginning of life being without Original Sin. The Immaculate Conception is the teaching that from the very moment of her own conception, Mary was preserved by grace from the stain of Original Sin, so she is holy from the start. This differs from other Marian beliefs: the Assumption describes her being taken up body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life; Perpetual Virginity claims she remained a virgin before, during, and after Jesus’s birth; Divine motherhood refers to her role as the mother of Jesus, often called Theotokos. So when the question asks about being conceived without Original Sin, the Immaculate Conception is the correct term.