Deck 3: Causes of Crime

Question 1

Adopted children are most likely to grow up to be criminals if their:

A)adoptive parents are criminals.
B)biological parents are not criminals.
C)adoptive and biological parents are not criminals.
D)biological parents are criminals.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The male sex hormone ________ has long been associated with aggressive behavioral tendencies such as competitiveness and dominance.

A)testosterone
B)endomorphine
C)estrogen
D)serotonin

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Identify an accurate statement about genetic factors that influence crime.

A)With regard to criminal behavior,when one identical twin is criminal,the other twin is more likely to be criminal as well,and this occurs more frequently than with other siblings.
B)In a pair of identical twins,each twin has stretches of DNA that uniquely identify them and has broad application in criminal investigations.
C)Criminal behavior does not run in families.
D)In a research on adoptees,the influence of the parents who raised the children,whether these parents were criminal or not,was found to outweigh the influence of the adoptees' genetic parents.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

________ is the belief that criminals are evolutionally primitive or subhuman people characterized by certain "inferior" identifiable physical and mental characteristics.

A)Classism
B)Atavism
C)Determinism
D)Rationalism

Question 5

Jeremy Bentham proposed that people acted in a way that brought them the greatest pleasure and the least pain and that they would not commit crime if the pain of punishment was greater than what might be gained from carrying out the crime.This idea was known as Bentham's ________.

A)liberalism factionalism
B)hedonistic calculus
C)ethnocentrism differentiation
D)utilitarianism integration

Question 6

Assume that Jack,Eric,and Kurt are fraternal triplets.Kim,Eric,and Jack are about to be sent to adoption homes.Kim and Kate are identical twins.If Kim grows up to be a criminal,who among the following is most likely to grow up to be a criminal?

A)Kate
B)Kurt
C)Jack
D)Eric

Question 7

How is the neoclassical school different from the classical school?

A)The neoclassical school assumes that some people are hedonistic.
B)The neoclassical school argues that some people (e.g. ,males aged 50 and disabled)believe that the causes of crime are external in nature.
C)The neoclassical school argues that some people (e.g. ,millennials and Generation Xers)use rational thinking to commit crime.
D)The neoclassical school assumes that some people (e.g. ,children and the insane)cannot reason.

Question 8

________ is the capacity to learn or comprehend,manifested by the ability to solve problems and adapt to life's everyday experiences.

A)Motivation
B)Intelligence
C)Social conflict
D)Supervision

Question 9

The ________ school of criminology viewed the criminal as having free will,the freedom of individual choice to choose a criminal path deliberately.

A)classical
B)natural
C)positivist
D)environmental

Question 10

Bill and Tom were adopted by different families as infants.Tom's biological father is currently incarcerated for a violent offense.This is not the first time he has been incarcerated.Tom's adopted parents have never committed a crime.Bill's biological parents are not criminals,but his adoptive father went to prison when Bill was eighteen and is a seasoned criminal.Given the research on genetics and crime,which of the following is the most likely result?

A)Both Bill and Tom are equally likely to commit a crime.
B)Bill is more likely than Tom to commit a crime.
C)Tom is more likely than Bill to commit a crime.
D)Genetics cannot be used to predict criminal behavior.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true about the neurobiological factors of brain function?

A)The immature prefrontal cortex area of the brain is capable of maintaining control over impulses in teenagers.
B)The scans of those who plan their series of killings reveal lower than normal levels of activity in the prefrontal cortex during such cognitive tasks.
C)The scan of an impulsive murderer shows shades of blue and green in the prefrontal cortex,reflecting reduced activity in this region.
D)The brain scan of a control subject with no psychiatric or criminal history produces an image in which much of the prefrontal cortex is blue and green,indicating its deactivation.

Question 12

________ assumes that criminals choose to commit crime because they believe that the benefits they will derive will overshadow the risks of getting caught.

A)Culture-conflict theory
B)Strain theory
C)Biological theory
D)Rational choice theory

Question 13

Which of the following is the best predictor of criminal behavior?

A)Past history of depression
B)Past history of hysteria
C)Past history of psychoses
D)Past criminal behavior

Question 14

________ is an ethical philosophy of social control that focused on imposing punishments that were believed best for the majority of people in society.

A)Utilitarianism
B)Hedonism
C)Ethnocentrism
D)Materialism

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT one of Cesare Beccaria's criteria for punishment?

A)Severity
B)Proportionality
C)Certainty
D)Swiftness

Question 16

Who is known as the father of modern criminology?

A)Cesare Lombroso
B)Cesare Beccaria
C)Émile Zola
D)Émile Durkheim

Question 17

Determinism is the idea that:

A)all humans are in total control of their actions.
B)punishments,which are believed to be the best for the majority of people in society,should be imposed on criminals
C)criminal behavior is the result of offenders weighing the risks and benefits of crime.
D)criminal behavior is a product of biological,psychological,and social forces that are beyond a person's control.

Question 18

Serious mental disorders that cause individuals to be out of touch with reality and thus unable to cope with the demands of everyday living are called ________.

A)psychoses
B)anomies
C)atavists
D)recidivists

Question 19

Greg walks into a convenience store with a gun.He points the gun at the cashier and demands that she empties the money from the register into his bag.During the robbery,Greg is calm and collected.Once he gets the money,he calmly walks out of the store.Greg's ability to stay calm is the result of:

A)low levels of testosterone in his body.
B)high levels of estrogen in his body.
C)low levels of cortisol in his body.
D)high levels of serotonin in his body.

Question 20

Criminologists recognize two major schools of thought or belief systems as among the first attempts to organize a view of crime causation: ________ schools of criminology.

A)the classical and the biological
B)the classical and the positivist
C)the natural and the biological
D)the natural and the environmental

Question 21

What percentage of U.S.adults suffer from schizophrenia?

A)4%
B)10%
C)1%
D)24%

Question 22

A person rejects society's cultural goals but decides to continue working in a minimum-wage job without looking for opportunities to improve his skills or standing in the society.According to Merton's strain theory,the person's response to the strain falls under the category of ________.

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

Question 23

A person accepts society's cultural goals and decides to continue working in his current job to achieve the goals.According to Merton's strain theory,the person's response to the strain falls under the category of ________.

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

Question 24

A person rejects society's cultural goals,lacks the means to achieve them,and responds to the resulting strain by basically dropping out of the race and ceasing to try to succeed.According to Merton's strain theory,this person falls under the response category of ________.

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

Question 25

A person accepts society's cultural goals but lacks the institutional means to achieve them.Hence,he devises a new way to achieve the goals.According to Merton's strain theory,the person's response to the strain falls under the category of ________.

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

Question 26

Kate has her first child.Although Kate does not have a history of mental illness,she begins to feel very depressed after having the baby.As the depression worsens,she gets paranoid and starts believing that the devil has possessed her baby.She begins to believe that she must do something drastic to stop the devil from taking her baby's soul to hell.In this scenario,Kate is suffering from ________.

A)schizophrenia
B)bipolarity
C)pyschopathy
D)postpartum psychosis

Question 27

Martha accidently breaks a plate while doing the dishes.The last time this happened,her husband,Ryan,had abused her and thrown a plate on her face.Martha gets scared that Ryan might kill her this time even though he is actually sleeping in the other room and is unaware of the incident.Martha is most likely suffering from:

A)schizophreniA.
B)depression.
C)posttraumatic stress disorder.
D)psychopathy.

Question 28

According to Freud,which of the following is NOT a part of the human brain?

A)Ego
B)Id
C)Superid
D)Superego

Question 29

What percentage of U.S.adults suffer from a major depressive disorder that is marked with feelings like guilt and worthlessness?

A)1%
B)6%
C)10%
D)4%

Question 30

According to Freud,which part of the human brain constitutes the moral aspect of personality,or conscience,and internally judges one's actions based on principles of right and wrong?

A)Id
B)Ego
C)Superid
D)Superego

Question 31

When Alex turned 14,he started hanging out with a new group of kids.These kids were on drugs most of the time and stole money from the stores in the neighborhood.Alex noticed that they never seemed to get caught or face any negative consequences for these actions.After gaining enough confidence,Alex shoplifted some items from a store.Which of the following theories best explains Alex's behavior?

A)The social learning theory
B)The looking-self theory
C)The strain theory
D)The biological theory

Question 32

Andre lives in an impoverished neighborhood and wants to be successful,powerful,and wealthy.He does not have the means to go to college,and no one in his family has been to college.He is struggling in his high school and does not have anyone to help him with his school work.He finally begins to sell drugs in the neighborhood.In 6 months,he earns enough to buy a house and a car.Which of the following concepts best explains the reasons why Andre commits the crime mentioned above?

A)Goals-means disjunction
B)Routine activities sterilization
C)Atavism
D)Biological confirmation

Question 33

According to Freud,which part of the brain is associated with unconscious drives that demand pleasure and instant gratification?

A)Superid
B)Id
C)Superego
D)Ego

Question 34

A young boy who has never committed a crime is often called "criminal" because of his looks,attitude,and lack of interpersonal skills.His classmates and teachers consider him to be a bad seed who is more likely to commit serious crimes.As a result of this societal condemnation,the boy begins to commit minor offenses and slowly moves toward committing serious crimes.The boy has experienced a process called:

A)tagging.
B)innovation.
C)labeling.
D)conformism.

Question 35

According to Freud,which part of the brain incorporates conscious thoughts that cope with the demands of reality?

A)Superid
B)Superego
C)Ego
D)Id

Question 36

Sally is a good student and does not get into trouble.After her father gets killed in a car accident,she gets upset and starts exhibiting patterns of violent behavior.Which of the following theories best explains Sally's shift in behavior?

A)Strain theory
B)Social learning theory
C)Biological theory
D)Moral reasoning theory

Question 37

Albert is a spiritual man and believes in leading a crime-free life.After losing his day job,he is unable to pay his bills or support his family.After a few days,he gets frustrated and robs a store at gunpoint.Which of the following theories best explains Albert's shift in behavior?

A)Social learning theory
B)Routine activities theory
C)Strain theory
D)Biological theory

Question 38

Fred gets arrested for an aggravated assault he commits in a fit of anger.He is first considered a defendant,found guilty by a jury,and then labeled a criminal in the system.After this,Fred accepts his act as being wrong and begins to think of himself as an evil person.In this scenario,Fred has experienced a phenomenon called:

A)moral rationalizing.
B)containment.
C)conformity.
D)tagging.

Question 39

Which of the following is a disorder of personality revealed by a lifelong pattern of antisocial behavior about which the individual has no remorse?

A)Postpartum psychosis
B)Psychopathy
C)Depression
D)Schizophrenia

Question 40

Émile Durkheim's term to describe feelings of alienation or a condition that renders a person hopeless,rootless,cut off,alienated,disillusioned,and frustrated is:

A)frustration.
B)anomie.
C)stress.
D)strain.

Question 41

Mark usually shoplifts small household items and sells them on the street.He argues that his actions are not wrong because he is not hurting anyone with his actions.Which of the following neutralization techniques is Mark using to support his actions?

A)Denial of injury
B)Denial of victim
C)Denial of responsibility
D)Condemnation of the condemners

Question 42

Mark often steals items from Walmart and sells them for cash on the street.He argues that his actions are not wrong because he depends on the money to pay for his friends' basic necessities.Which of the following techniques is Mark using to support his actions?

A)Denial of responsibility
B)Appeal to higher loyalties
C)Denial of injury
D)Denial of victim

Question 43

According to the life course perspective,offenders who start committing crimes during adolescence and continue to commit crimes for the rest of their lives are called:

A)adolescence-limited offenders.
B)disadvantaged offenders.
C)strained offenders.
D)life course persistent offenders.

Question 44

Merton argued that crime would be most prevalent in:

A)the lower class.
B)the white-collar class.
C)the upper class.
D)the middle class.

Question 45

Mark often steals items from Walmart and sells them for cash on the street.He argues that his actions are not wrong because judges in courts,who pass judgement on people committing crimes,commit more serious crimes.Which of the following neutralization techniques is Mark using to support his actions?

A)Condemnation of the condemners
B)Denial of victim
C)Denial of injury
D)Denial of responsibility

Question 46

________ emerged in the United States following the turbulent 1960s,a period characterized by a range of social movements that sought to improve the civil rights of various subgroups in American society.

A)Social learning theory
B)Social conflict theory
C)Differential association theory
D)Life course theory

Question 47

According to critical theory,the people:

A)living in a patriarchal society are treated fairly and believe in living in peace and harmony.
B)who break the law overcome their feelings of responsibility through rationalizations.
C)in power strive to maintain their social status by dictating laws and policies to reinforce their control over people of lesser advantages.
D)who can influence the criminal justice system keep a check on their ambitions using personal factors,such as self-concept,self-control,goal directedness,conscience,tolerance for frustration,and many others.

Question 48

Carlos was raised in a low-socioeconomic urban family.His mother was a drug addict,and his father was in jail when Carlos was growing up.Carlos was labeled a difficult child in school as he used to steal pencils from his classmates when he was 7.Now aged 35,Carlos is a regular offender who shoplifts small household items from the stores in his neighborhood.He has been caught red-handed many times and tagged as a habitual offender.Based on all of this information,Carlos would be best classified as a(n):

A)life course persistent offender.
B)postpartum offender.
C)homogeneous offender.
D)adolescence-limited offender.

Question 49

Which of the following is a characteristic of small communities?

A)The members live closely together frequently and have tight bonds to one another.
B)Each member tends to tolerate most types of deviances.
C)The members usually remain indifferent to the effects of the events that occur out of the ordinary.
D)Each member follows a different norm and a different tradition.

Question 50

Based on Travis Hirschi's social bond theory,which of the following is NOT one of the four facets of the social bond people have with society?

A)Involvement
B)Containment
C)Attachment
D)Commitment

Question 51

Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi propose that individuals with ________ exhibit certain characteristics that make them more likely to engage in crime.

A)high self-esteem
B)low self-control
C)high objectivity
D)low levels of narcissm

Question 52

Mark often steals household items from Walmart and sells them for cash on the street.He argues that his actions are not wrong because anyone else would have done the same thing in his situation.The neutralization technique Mark is using to support his actions is ________.

A)denial of victim
B)denial of responsibility
C)appeal to higher loyalties
D)denial of injury

Question 53

According to the life course delinquency perspective,offending behavior tends to peak around age ________.

A)17 to 18
B)20 to 21
C)25 to 26
D)15 to 16

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT one of Merton's modes of adaptation?

A)Criminalism
B)Retreatism
C)Ritualism
D)Conformity

Question 55

According to Travis Hirschi's social bond theory,________ is the act of pledging and promising to people and institutions.

A)belief
B)commitment
C)attachment
D)involvement

Question 56

According to the neutralization theory,the technique that deals with rejecting blame and claiming oneself as the real victim is ________.

A)denial of victim
B)condemnation of the condemners
C)denial of injury
D)denial of responsibility

Question 57

According to Travis Hirschi's social bond theory,which of the following terms refers to time spent engaged in conventional activities with others?

A)Belief
B)Commitment
C)Involvement
D)Attachment

Question 58

According to Travis Hirschi's social bond theory,________ is holding society's values and opinions as true for oneself.

A)commitment
B)involvement
C)belief
D)attachment

Question 59

Which of the following theories is a branch of the social conflict theory and is concerned with the ways in which structural conditions and social inequalities influence crime?

A)Differential association theory
B)Routine activities theory
C)Critical theory
D)Social learning theory

Question 60

According to Travis Hirschi's social bond theory,________ is the development of an emotional connection with and affection for people and institutions that make up society.

A)involvement
B)commitment
C)belief
D)attachment

Question 61

Which of the following theories suggests that criminal behavior is learned during normal social interactions and the same learning principles are involved in reinforcing criminal and law-abiding behavior?

A)Conflict-association theory
B)Differential association theory
C)Routine activities theory
D)Strain theory

Question 62

Which of the following theories believes that the adoption of negative and antisocial values learned in neighborhoods and subcultures produces criminal behavior?

A)Social disorganization theory
B)Social conflict theory
C)Cultural deviance theory
D)Peacemaking criminology theory

Question 63

Walter Reckless's ________ argues that some factors that keep behavior in check are personal,such as self-concept,self-control,goal-directedness,conscience,tolerance for frustration,sense of responsibility,realistic levels of aspiration,and identification with lawful norms.

A)containment theory
B)social bond theory
C)neutralization theory
D)looking-glass self theory

Question 64

According to critical theory,who is most adversely affected by the structure of the society?

A)The lower class
B)The ruling class
C)All of society
D)The legislature

Question 65

Which of the following is true of the sociological factors that affect crime?

A)Social control theory focuses primarily on laws or formal rules that hold people to disciplinary standards by putting limits on their actions.
B)Feminist criminology argues that women's inequality is partly explained by the power differences between men and women and by social expectations of both.
C)Anomie is a feeling of belonging that leaves people happy,satisfied,motivated,engaged,and objective.
D)High self-esteem is frequently cited as a cause of delinquency.

Question 66

A child of a battered woman witnesses violence in his house and lives for years in a stressful environment.He is later moved to a foster home where he is abused daily.In the scenario,the child is a(n):

A)superego victim.
B)disabled victim.
C)id victim.
D)recidivist victim.

Question 67

Which of the following is a branch of criminology that views crime as a form of violence and urges criminology to advocate a nonviolent society?

A)Peacemaking criminology
B)Social conflict criminology
C)Atavism criminology
D)Social disorganization criminology

Question 68

The idea that we come to define ourselves by the way we perceive that others see us is called the:

A)looking-glass self.
B)opposite view.
C)social-conflict self.
D)self-conscious view.

Question 69

The scientific study of victims,which includes their behaviors,injuries,assistance,legal rights,and recovery is called:

A)the victim theory.
B)victimology.
C)victimization.
D)the victim survey.

Question 70

Reuben visits a small-time restaurant every day at 2:00 PM.He notices that the cashier leaves the billing counter unattended every day at 2:10 PM for a coffee break.On one such day when the cashier left the counter unattended,Reuben steals all the money from the cash register and leaves the restaurant undetected.Which of the following theories best describes Reuben's behavior?

A)The biological theory
B)The recidivist victim theory
C)The strain theory
D)The routine activities theory