Deck 7: Deviance and Crime

Question 1

According to the conflict perspective,the poor commit street crimes in order to survive;they find that they cannot afford the essentials such as food,clothing,shelter,and health care.Thus,some crime represents a rational response by the poor to the unequal distribution of resources in society.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Expanding on Merton's theory,sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin suggested that,for
deviance to occur,people must have access to illegitimate opportunity structures.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

According to sociologist Edwin Sutherland's rational choice theory of deviance,people learn the necessary techniques and motives,drives,rationalizations,and attitudes of deviant behavior from people with whom they affiliate.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Based on sociologist Robert Merton's strain theory,innovation occurs when people accept culturally-approved goals and pursue them through approved means.Persons who want to achieve success through innovation work hard and save their money.

Question 5

A person shoplifts an item of clothing from a department store and is apprehended and labeled as a "thief." The person subsequently accepts the label,and continues to shoplift items from other stores on numerous occasions.This example illustrates the tertiary deviance stage of the labeling theory.

Question 6

Labeling theories suggest that the probability of delinquency increases when a person's social
bonds are weak and when peers promote antisocial values and violent behavior.

Question 7

According to the text,occupational (white-collar)crime comprises illegal activities committed by people in the course of their employment or financial affairs.

Question 8

A major strength of the rational choice theory of deviance is that it explains why high-risk youths do not constantly engage in delinquent acts.They have learned to balance risk against the potential for criminal gain in each situation.

Question 9

Terrorism is the calculated,unlawful use of physical force or threats of violence against persons or property in order to intimidate or coerce a government,organization,or individual for the purpose of gaining some political,religious,economic,or social objective.

Question 10

Emile Durkheim believed that deviance is rooted in societal factors such as rapid social change and the lack of social integration among people.

Question 11

Functionalist theorists focus on how power relations in society influence the law and the criminal justice system,often to the detriment of people who are at the bottom of the social structure hierarchy.

Question 12

Sociologist Walter Reckless stated that society produces pushes and pulls that move people toward criminal behavior;however,many people do not resort to deviance because of inner containments-such as supportive family and friends,reasonable social expectations,and supervision by others.

Question 13

Deviance is relative-that is,an act becomes deviant when it is socially defined as such.
Definitions of deviance vary widely from place to place,from time to time,and from group to group.

Question 14

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)is the major source of information on crimes reported in the United States.The (NCVS)is compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and focuses on eight major crimes,called index crimes.

Question 15

Deviance can be based on a person's belief,actions or even a characteristic.

Question 16

In contemporary societies,the criminal justice system,which includes the police,the courts,and the prisons,is the primary mechanism of internal social control.

Question 17

Some postmodern theorists emphasize that the study of deviance reveals how the powerful exert control over the powerless by taking away their free will to think and act as they might choose.

Question 18

Conventional (street)crimes include burglary,motor vehicle theft,larceny-theft,and arson.

Question 19

All deviance is against the law and punishable.

Question 20

The Marxist/critical theory views deviance and crime as a function of the capitalist economic system.

Question 21

Sometimes,the stigma associated with deviance may be as a result of a______________such as being obese or having excessive tattoos.

A)behavior
B)belief
C)condition
D)subculture

Question 22

A______________is a behavior that violates criminal law and is punishable with fines,jail terms,and/or other negative sanctions.

A)stigma
B)deviant act
C)crime
D)cultural strain

Question 23

______________ is any behavior,belief,or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs.

A)Deviance
B)Crime
C)Stigma
D)Violence

Question 24

______________ refers to a violation of law or the commission of a status offense (such as cutting school or running away from home)by young people.

A)Juvenile delinquency
B)Truancy
C)Youthful misconduct
D)Crime

Question 25

In contemporary societies,the criminal justice system,which includes the police,the courts,and the prisons,is the primary mechanism of______________social control.

A)external
B)interior
C)internal
D)exterior

Question 26

Incapacitation is punishment that a person receives for infringing on the rights of others.It imposes a penalty on the offender and is based on the premise that the punishment should fit the crime.The greater the degree of social harm,the more the offender should be punished.

Question 27

Men have higher arrest rates than females for prostitution,embezzlement,and runaways,but in all other categories,women have higher rates.

Question 28

When individuals internalize societal norms and values that prescribe how people should behave and then follow those norms and values in their everyday lives,this is referred to as______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ social control.

A)external
B)interior
C)exterior
D)internal

Question 29

Deviance based on person's actions is referred to as______________deviance.

A)belief system
B)behavioral
C)criminal
D)active

Question 30

According to official statistics,Latinos/as are the most overrepresented racial minority group in arrest data.

Question 31

According to the functionalist perspective,deviance is universal because it serves all of the following important functions EXCEPT:

A)clarifying rules
B)preventing social chaos
C)promoting social change
D)uniting a group

Question 32

Sociologist______________believed that deviance is rooted in societal factors,such as rapid social change and the lack of social integration among people.As social integration (bonding and community involvement)decreases,deviance and crime increases.

A)Robert Merton
B)Edwin Sutherland
C)Walter Reckless
D)Emile Durkheim

Question 33

Societies also have various mechanisms to regulate people's behavior.______________refers to the systematic practices that social groups develop in order to encourage conformity to norms,rules,and laws and to discourage deviance.

A)Social retaliation
B)Social emphasis
C)Social control
D)Social deviance

Question 34

Suppose that a bully comes into town and the residents band together in order to oppose the threat.This illustrates which function of deviance?

A)Deviance clarifies rules.
B)Deviance unites a group.
C)Deviance promotes social change.
D)Deviance prevents social chaos.

Question 35

______________ is the systematic study of crime and the criminal justice system,including the police,courts,and prison.

A)Sociology
B)Ecology
C)Criminology
D)Ethnomethodology

Question 36

In 1972,the United States Supreme Court ruled (in Furman v.Georgia)that arbitrary application of the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution,but that the death penalty itself is not unconstitutional.In other words,capital punishment is legal if it is fairly imposed.

Question 37

Community-oriented policing is an approach to law enforcement in which officers maintain a presence in the area,walking up and down the streets or riding bicycles getting to know people,and holding public service meetings at schools,churches,and other neighborhood settings.

Question 38

The use of negative sanctions that proscribe certain behaviors and set forth the punishments for rule breakers and nonconformists is an example of:

A)external social control
B)exterior social control
C)interior social control
D)internal social control

Question 39

Deviant behavior varies in its______________,ranging from mild transgressions of folkways,to more serious infringements of mores,to quite serious violations of the law.

A)degree of stigma
B)degree of criminality
C)degree of delinquency
D)degree of seriousness

Question 40

New legislation being passed as a result of a criminal trial illustrates which function of deviance?

A)Deviance clarifies rules.
B)Deviance unites a group.
C)Deviance promotes social change.
D)Deviance prevents social chaos.

Question 41

According to sociologist Robert Merton's______________theory,people feel tension when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they do not have access to culturally-approved means of achieving those goals.The goals may be material possessions and money;the approved means may include an education and/or job.

A)opportunity
B)conflict
C)developmental
D)strain

Question 42

Based on their research,sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin identified three basic gang types.The______________is devoted to theft,extortion,and other illegal means of securing an income.

A)retreatist gang
B)criminal gang
C)conflict gang
D)rebellist gang

Question 43

According to Robert Merton's strain theory,______________refers to when people challenge both the approved goals and the approved means for achieving them and advocate an alternative set of goals or means.

A)retreatism
B)rebellion
C)innovation
D)ritualism

Question 44

According to Robert Merton's strain theory,______________refers to when people accept society's goals but adopt disapproved means for achieving them.

A)innovation
B)conformity
C)rebellion
D)ritualism

Question 45

A socioeconomically disadvantaged teenager decides that she must resort to crime in order to buy some clothes she wants.This illustrates:

A)innovation
B)retreatism
C)rebellion
D)ritualism

Question 46

Sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin stated that______________gangs are unable to gain success through legitimate means and are unwilling to do so through illegal ones.As a result,the consumption of drugs is stressed,and addiction is prevalent.

A)retreatist
B)conflict
C)rebellist
D)criminal

Question 47

According to functionalists,acts of civil disobedience (including lunch counter sit-ins and bus boycotts)exemplify which function of deviance?

A)Deviance clarifies rules.
B)Deviance unites a group.
C)Deviance promotes social change.
D)Deviance prevents social chaos.

Question 48

A bureaucrat pays so much attention to the rules that he loses sight of what the organization he works for is trying to accomplish.This illustrates:

A)innovation
B)retreatism
C)rebellion
D)ritualism

Question 49

According to Robert Merton's strain theory,______________refers to when people abandon both the approved goals and the approved means of achieving them.

A)rebellion
B)ritualism
C)retreatism
D)conformity

Question 50

Research shows young,single,urban males are more likely to be perceived as______________and receive stricter sentences in criminal courts.

A)outcast groups
B)criminals
C)the dregs of society
D)stigmatized groups

Question 51

According to research conducted by sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin,______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ gangs emerge in communities that do not provide either legitimate or illegitimate opportunities.

A)conflict
B)retreatist
C)criminal
D)rebellist

Question 52

Sociologists______________suggested that for deviance to occur,people must have access to illegitimate opportunity structures-circumstances that provide an opportunity for people to acquire through illegitimate activities what they cannot achieve through legitimate channels.

A)Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales
B)Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin
C)Carl Taylor and Anne Campbell
D)Herbert Spencer and Auguste Comte

Question 53

According to Robert Merton's strain theory,______________refers to when people give up on societal goals but still adhere to the socially approved means of achieving them.

A)innovation
B)retreatism
C)conformity
D)ritualism

Question 54

A young woman graduates from high school with honors and attends a prestigious university,where she completes her degree.She gets a good job,she marries,and starts planning for the future.This woman's behavior illustrates:

A)rebellion
B)innovation
C)conformity
D)rejection

Question 55

A youngster living in the ghetto is unlikely to become wealthy through a Harvard education,but some of his desires may be met through behaviors like theft,drug dealing,and robbery.This illustrates:

A)deviance management
B)criminal careers
C)illegitimate opportunity structures
D)differential opportunity theory

Question 56

A minister who is opposed to war conducts a nonviolent protest at a local military installation,thus committing a trespassing violation.This person has engaged in:

A)retreatism
B)ritualism
C)rebellion
D)innovation

Question 57

Based on sociologist Robert Merton's strain theory,skid­row alcoholics and drug addicts reflect a pattern of:

A)rebellion
B)ritualism
C)retreatism
D)innovation

Question 58

Members of______________seek to acquire a "rep" (reputation)by fighting over "turf" (territory)and adopting a value system of toughness,courage,and similar qualities.

A)rebellist gangs
B)criminal gangs
C)conflict gangs
D)retreatist gangs

Question 59

When people accept culturally approved goals and pursue them through the approved means, occurs.

A)rebellion
B)innovation
C)rejection
D)conformity

Question 60

For young men who grow up in a______________,running drug houses and selling drugs on street corners make it possible for them to support themselves and their families as well as purchase material possessions to impress others.

A)conflict gang
B)rebellist gang
C)retreatist gang
D)criminal gang

Question 61

According to sociologist Howard Becker,______________are often the ones who create the rules about what constitutes deviant or conventional behavior.Becker believes that these individuals use their own perspectives on "right" and "wrong" to establish the rules by which they expect other people to live.

A)professional labelers
B)moral entrepreneurs
C)modern prophets
D)ethical brokers

Question 62

The______________theory of deviance states that deviant behavior occurs when a person weighs the costs and benefits of nonconventional or criminal behavior and determines that the benefits will outweigh the risks involved in such actions.

A)differential association
B)differential reinforcement
C)social bonding
D)rational choice

Question 63

The______________feminist approach is based on the assumption that women are exploited by both capitalism and patriarchy.From this approach,women's criminal behavior is linked to gender conflict created by the economic and social struggle that often takes place in postindustrial societies.

A)liberal
B)radical
C)Marxist (socialist)
D)conservative

Question 64

Power differentials are evident in how criminals are pursued.When the suspects are young,single,urban males,law enforcement officials are______________to perceive the suspect as a criminal and give him a stricter sentence.

A)more likely
B)less likely
C)statistically unlikely
D)not likely

Question 65

Based on the symbolic interaction theory of sociologists Charles.H.Cooley and George H.Mead,the______________theory states that deviance is a socially constructed process in which social control agencies designate certain people as deviants and they,in turn,come to accept the marker placed upon them and begin to act accordingly.

A)strain
B)labeling
C)differential association
D)social control

Question 66

The______________views the cause of women's crime as originating in patriarchy (male domination over females).This approach focuses on social forces that shape women's lives and experiences and shows how exploitation may trigger deviant behavior and criminal activities.

A)radical feminist approach
B)conservative feminist approach
C)liberal feminist approach
D)Marxist (socialist)feminist approach

Question 67

According to sociologist______________,people with economic and political power define as criminal any behavior that threatens their own interests.The powerful use law to control those who are without power.

A)Auguste Comte
B)Emile Durkheim
C)Karl Marx
D)Richard Quinney

Question 68

Prostitution might be explained as a reflection of society's double standard,whereby it is acceptable for a man to pay for sex but unacceptable for a woman to accept money for such services.This explanation reflects a______________feminist approach.

A)liberal
B)radical
C)Marxist (socialist)
D)conservative

Question 69

According to sociologist Walter Reckless'______________theory,society produces pushes and pulls that move people toward criminal behavior;however,some people "insulate" themselves from such pressures by having positive self-esteem and good group cohesion.

A)social bond
B)containment
C)illegitimate opportunity
D)differential association

Question 70

Instead of freeing women from their problems,prostitution institutionalizes women's dependence on men and results in a form of female sexual slavery.This reflects a______________feminist approach.

A)liberal
B)radical
C)conservative
D)Marxist (socialist)

Question 71

The______________suggests that most people who commit crimes do not engage in random acts of antisocial behavior.Instead,they make careful decisions based on weighing the available information regarding situational factors (such as the place of the crime)and personal factors (such as what rewards they may gain from their criminal behavior).

A)labeling theory
B)differential association theory
C)rational choice theory
D)social bonding theory

Question 72

From the______________,lower-income and minority women typically have fewer opportunities not only for education and good jobs,but also for "high end" criminal endeavors.

A)conservative feminist approach
B)Marxist (socialist)feminist approach
C)radical feminist approach
D)liberal feminist approach

Question 73

The______________feminist approach explains women's deviance and crime as a rational response to the gender discrimination that women experience in families and the workplace.

A)radical
B)liberal
C)Marxist (socialist)
D)conservative

Question 74

Criminologist Ronald Akers created the______________theory,which combines differential association theory with elements of psychological learning theory,suggesting that both deviant behavior and conventional behavior are learned through the same social processes.

A)strain
B)illegitimate opportunity
C)differential reinforcement
D)social bonding

Question 75

Many people do not resort to deviance because of______________such as supportive family and friends,reasonable social expectations,and supervision by others.

A)outer containments
B)internal containments
C)external containments
D)formal containments

Question 76

Which of the following is NOT a component of sociologist Travis Hirschi's social bonding theory?

A)attachment to other people
B)commitment to conformity
C)involvement in conventional activities
D)willingness to rebel against authority

Question 77

The______________theory views deviance and crime as a function of the capitalist economic system.It is based on the assumption that the laws and the criminal justice system protect the power and privilege of the capitalist class.

A)functionalist
B)Marxist/critical
C)postmodern
D)feminist

Question 78

Many people do not resort to deviance because of______________containments such as self-control,a sense of responsibility,and resistance to diversions.

A)informal
B)external
C)outer
D)inner

Question 79

Sociologist Travis Hirschi's______________theory holds that the probability of deviant behavior increases when a person's ties to society are weakened or broken.

A)social bond
B)containment
C)illegitimate opportunity
D)differential association

Question 80

Sociologist Edwin Sutherland's______________theory states that people have a greater tendency to deviate from societal norms when they frequently affiliate with individuals who are more favorable toward deviance than conformity.

A)illegitimate opportunity
B)differential association
C)strain
D)status frustration