Deck 1: Criminology and the Sociological Perspective

Question 1

_____ stressed that social forces influence our behavior and attitudes.

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Cesare Beccaria
C) Adam Smith
D) Sigmund Freud

Answer 1

A

Question 2

How might Durkheim describe crime?

A) It is purely a product of free will.
B) It is a normal part of a healthy society.
C) It is always a reflection of a society in decline.
D) It prohibits social change.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

_____ refers to how a society is organized in terms of social relationships and social interactions.

A) Social learning
B) Social deviance
C) Social structure
D) Social construct

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Behaviors that violate norms and arouse negative social reactions are called _____.

A) vertical
B) horizontal
C) felonious
D) deviant

Question 5

Which of the following best reflects what Peter Berger referred to as the "debunking motif"?

A) Sociological research often exposes false claims about reality and taken-for-granted assumptions.
B) Sociological research often shows that conventional wisdom is correct rather than false.
C) Sociologists tend to seek justice rather than wisdom when conducting research.
D) Sociologists prefer to research "urban legends" and show that they are largely true.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes vertical social structure?

A) It is how society ranks different groups of people.
B) It is the basis of understanding the biological workings of the brain.
C) It is rooted in psychological theory.
D) It is the social and physical characteristics of communities and the networks of social relationships to which an individual belongs.

Question 7

In his study of suicide,Durkheim found that:

A) people in groups with high social integration had higher suicide rates.
B) people in groups with high social integration had lower suicide rates.
C) social integration did not play a role in suicide rates.
D) Jews had higher rates of suicides than Protestants.

Question 8

In 1899,W.E.B.Dubois disputed a biological link to crime and attributed the relatively high rates of African-Americans to ____.

A) excessive television viewing
B) a lack of positive role models
C) negative social conditions
D) poor nutrition

Question 9

The sociological perspective stresses that:

A) crime is largely the result of personality defects.
B) people make decisions based on free will.
C) people are social beings more than mere individuals.
D) crime can be traced to biological abnormalities.

Question 10

Which of the following is not vying for prominence in the study of crime?

A) Biology
B) Psychology
C) Sociology
D) Phrenology

Question 11

C.Wright Mills emphasized that:

A) personality is developed through vertical social structure.
B) social structure lies at the root of private troubles.
C) private troubles are best analyzed through biological theories.
D) the social imagination limits one's ability to understand and change the social forces underlying one's troubles.

Question 12

The classical school would suggest which of the following regarding legal punishment for a crime?

A) The focus should be on rehabilitation.
B) It should reflect community standards.
C) Its basis should be rooted in religious texts such as the Koran.
D) It should be severe enough to deter potential criminals from offending.

Question 13

The text suggests:

A) research in psychology is driven by sociological methodology.
B) criminology illuminates the privileges of those at the top of the social hierarchy.
C) income does not play a role in understanding criminal behavior.
D) most white-collar crime is committed by minorities.

Question 14

Which of the following best describes horizontal social structure?

A) It is how society ranks different groups of people.
B) It is the basis of understanding the biological workings of the brain.
C) It is rooted in psychological theory.
D) It is the social and physical characteristics of communities and the networks of social relationships to which an individual belongs.

Question 15

All societies have standards of behaviors called _____.

A) individual phenomenon
B) national ideals
C) social norms
D) communal spirit

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Crime is not only an individual phenomenon but also a social one.
B) Crime can only be studied from a classical perspective.
C) The structure of society does not play a significant role in how crime is rooted.
D) Popular sources of our knowledge of crime focus on its social roots.

Question 17

Which of the following ideas was advanced at the University of Chicago?

A) They attributed high crime rates to certain social and physical conditions.
B) They attributed high crime rates to the race and ethnicity of immigrants.
C) They attributed high crime rates to the increase in social programs such as welfare and food stamps.
D) They attributed high crime rates to poor nutrition in the public schools.

Question 18

Edwin Sutherland defined _____ as the study of making laws,breaking laws and society's reaction to the breaking of laws.

A) sociology
B) psychology
C) criminology
D) philosophy

Question 19

According to Mills,people are better able to understand and change the social forces that underlie their troubles when they acquire a/an _____.

A) horizontal social life
B) vertical social life
C) social imagination
D) public issues

Question 20

Which of the following group of theorist is most critical of male bias in traditional sociological theories?

A) Marxists
B) Feminists
C) Anomie
D) Freudian

Question 21

People who acquire a social imagination are better able to understand and change the social forces underlying their private troubles.

Question 22

Retribution is a goal of the American criminal justice system.

Question 23

Crime is one of our most important social problems.

Question 24

Inequality and gender do not have important consequences for criminality and victimization.

Question 25

Crime is solely an individual problem.

Question 26

Which of the following would be considered a mala prohibita crime?

A) Public intoxication
B) Murder
C) Rape
D) Burglary

Question 27

In which of the following states is smoking marijuana least likely to be considered deviant?

A) New Hampshire
B) Texas
C) Colorado
D) Utah

Question 28

Criminologists have observed police as well as criminals.

Question 29

Much of the work of Durkheim,Marx and Weber was historical.

Question 30

Experiments are as common in criminology and sociology as they are in psychology.

Question 31

All behavior considered deviant is also considered criminal.

Question 32

Above all else,the sociological perspective stresses that people are social beings more than individuals.

Question 33

Sigmund Freud developed the anomie theory.

Question 34

A ____ study involves studying the same group of participants over time.

A) occasional
B) occupational
C) latitudinal
D) longitudinal

Question 35

Someone who was induced to commit a crime by police would likely utilize an insanity defense.

Question 36

Because deviance is relative concept,:

A) all countries have the same laws.
B) what is considered criminal may vary over time and from place to place.
C) behaviors considered deviant are similar regardless of country.
D) religious beliefs are the driving force behind criminal laws.

Question 37

Marx and Engels are considered the early creators of which theory?

A) Feminist
B) Conflict
C) Consensus
D) Rational Choice

Question 38

Structural criminology takes into account the social and physical characteristics of communities.

Question 39

One of the major goals of the criminal law is to suppress the rights of minorities.

Question 40

Vertical social structure refers to the social and physical characteristics of a community.

Question 41

_____ theory originated in the work of Durkheim.

Question 42

Durkheim expresses how crime can sometimes push societal boundaries and even lead to positive social change.Can you think of any examples from US history where this has been the case? Discuss the process of how that changed occurred.

Question 43

_____ study the role of gender and criminal behavior.

Question 44

The ____ perspective stresses that people are social beings more than mere individuals.

Question 45

Behavior that violates norms is described as _____.

Question 46

Despite the attention it receives,the ___ defense is rarely used.

Question 47

Explain the three major goals of the criminal law.

Question 48

Labeling and ____ theories emphasize bias and discrimination.

Question 49

Explain the differences between mens rea and actus reus.

Question 50

Your text discusses the terms mala in se and mala prohibita.Can you think of any behaviors that are currently considered mala in se but better fit the mala prohibita definition? Why?

Question 51

_____ social structure refers to how a society ranks different groups of people.

Question 52

Observational studies are also known as ____ studies.

Question 53

Discuss the mutual relevance of sociology and criminology

Question 54

To protect the rights and freedoms of the nation's citizenry is a goal of the _____.

Question 55

_____ social structure refers to the social and physical characteristics of communities.