Deck 7: Deviance and Crime

Question 1

According to research by Laub and Sampson, a lack of social control during childhood socialization is a key cause of:

A) juvenile delinquency
B) rule innovation
C) delinquent behavior as an adult
D) nonconformist behavior as an adult

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The theory that says people perceive urban disorder-the state of disrepair to buildings in a neighborhood, or the presence of deviant people such as panhandlers or prostitutes-is called:

A) the broken neighborhood theory
B) the disordered neighborhood theory
C) the broken windows theory
D) the urban chaos theory

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Smoking cigarettes is:

A) considered the norm but not very healthy
B) considered normal in the United States but deviant in China
C) considered deviant in the United States but normal in China
D) a good example of something that always has been and always will be deviant

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to the reading, deviance:

A) always starts with malicious intent
B) is an action, belief, or human characteristic that violates group norms
C) is the same everywhere across the globe
D) varies across time from one era to another

Question 5

In recent developments to strain theory, Robert Agnew developed a theory that was more focused on:

A) crime
B) what happens to the person who experiences strain
C) globalization effects of strain theory
D) why some people fail to commit deviant acts under strain

Question 6

The strain theory suggests that:

A) there is a disparity between what is considered valuable and what is available, limiting the number of people who can access what is considered valuable
B) people feel strained when labels are put on them, and it compels them toward deviance
C) when controls are weakened, deviant behavior is more likely to occur
D) the playing field starts out level but is soon strained and becomes uneven

Question 7

According to the structural-functionalist theoretical perspective, deviance is:

A) socially constructed through our interactions with others
B) defined by those who have power
C) used to define and clarify a group's norms and values
D) always considered to be an issue in society

Question 8

Theorists who propose that deviant behavior is genetically inherited are utilizing __________________ theories.

A) predictable
B) constructionist
C) empirical
D) explanatory

Question 9

Many conditions that were once considered deviant have shifted over time to be ____________________.

A) stigmatized
B) normal
C) evil
D) crimes

Question 10

Sociology professor Dr. Miller studies criminal behavior in gangs. He is going to focus on how each of the gang members defines their behaviors and how they interact with each other. Dr. Miller is using __________________ theories as the basis for his study.

A) constructionist
B) strain
C) explanatory
D) collective

Question 11

Mary downloaded some music from a site on the Internet and didn't pay for it. She thought her actions weren't illegal since many friends of hers had done the same. Mary is an example of a:

A) nondeviant customer
B) deviant consumer
C) rebellionist

Question 12

__________________ was one of the creators of the structural/functionalist theoretical perspective.

A) George Homans
B) Howard Becker
C) Max Weber
D) Émile Durkheim

Question 13

Tattoos are an example of:

A) something that has always been and always will be deviant
B) something that used to be considered deviant but is now commonplace
C) something that used to be illegal but is now just stigmatized
D) something that used to be accepted for men but is now accepted for all.

Question 14

When someone commits murder they go to jail, and when someone walks around nude they receive strange looks. These are both examples of how societies use ______________________ to enforce conformity.

A) social control
B) social agents
C) group action
D) moral panic

Question 15

The ___________________________ focuses on how deviance is created by the capitalist economic system.

A) structural-functionalist perspective
B) interactionist perspective
C) conflict-critical theorist
D) functionalist perspective

Question 16

Hoarders, people who fill their homes with items from the ceiling to the floor, are examples of:

A) dangerous consumers
B) medicalized view of overconsumption
C) deviant consumers
D) mentally ill consumers

Question 17

The creator of the social control theory is __________________________.

A) William Chambliss
B) Robert Merton
C) Travis Hirschi
D) Erving Goffman

Question 18

Joe wants to go out this weekend, but he has no money. He thinks about stealing some money from a coworker but he doesn't, because he knows it would be morally wrong. This is an example of which theory as it relates to deviance?

A) Strain theory
B) Social control theory
C) Labeling theory
D) Primary deviance theory

Question 19

John is a drug dealer who wants to make quick money. According to the strain theory, John is an example of a(n):

A) rebellionist
B) innovator
C) conformist
D) retreatist

Question 20

When control/critical theorists look at deviant behavior, they focus on:

A) how people interact and define the world around them
B) how deviance fulfills certain purposes from the macro view of society
C) how inequality causes the less powerful to engage in deviant and criminal acts because they have few ways of succeeding in society
D) how individuals learn deviant behavior from family members and friends

Question 21

The Elephant Man is an example of a __________________ because he was defined as deviant by others due to his appearance.

A) discredited stigma
B) stigmata
C) discreditable stigma
D) master stigma

Question 22

Recently, criminology shifted from its early focus to a greater concern with _________________.

A) the social context of crime and its effect on larger society
B) the social context of controlling crime and its effect on individual criminals
C) the best ways to rehabilitate criminals
D) the role of mental illness in the criminal psychology

Question 23

Some people lead campaigns or social movements to define something as deviant. For instance, someone might want cigarette smoking on campus to be defined as a deviant act and enforced by a campus-wide no smoking policy. These people are examples of:

A) immoral entrepreneurs
B) virtuous entrepreneurs
C) moral entrepreneurs
D) honorable entrepreneurs

Question 24

Labeling theory is one variety of _______________ that is useful for thinking about deviance.

A) conflict/critical theory
B) symbolic interactionism
C) rational choice theory
D) structural-functionalism

Question 25

The main point in differential association theory is:

A) criminals are genetically predisposed to maladaptive behaviors
B) people learn criminal behavior from others
C) people are associated with crime in different ways depending on stigma
D) people only commit crimes when they are not able to access other opportunities

Question 26

____________________ is the term for a widespread but disproportionate reaction to the form of deviance in question.

A) Stigma
B) Witch hunt
C) Secondary deviance
D) Moral panic

Question 27

A researcher who studies organized crime and utilizes the interactionist perspective would focus on:

A) Large-scale societal institutions that are affected by organized crime
B) how elites and nonelites are punished differently for participation in organized crime
C) How a person involved in organized crime chooses to display or hide this association across different settings
D) The purposes fulfilled by organized crime in various societies

Question 28

What did early criminology focus on?

A) Which criminals get caught and which criminals go free
B) How social institutions encourage or discourage crime
C) What physical or psychological characteristics are unique to criminals
D) Why some people commit crimes when others in the same circumstances do not

Question 29

John is an ex-con who moves to a rural town after being let out of prison. He has moved there so that no one will know his identity and what he has done in the past. John is an example of a person with a(n) _____________________________.

A) discredited stigma
B) discreditable stigma
C) criminal stigma
D) invisible stigma

Question 30

John is at a fraternity party and drinks excessively for the first time in his life. This is an example of:

A) secondary deviance
B) primary deviance
C) situational deviance
D) solitary deviance

Question 31

A key figure in criminology, _________________ created the differential association theory and helped to influence the use of a symbolic interaction approach to criminology.

A) Erving Goffman
B) Cesare Lombroso
C) Edwin Sutherland
D) Talcott Parsons

Question 32

Harold Garfinkel studied Agnes, a male-to-female transgendered person, in a classic ___________ study.

A) ethnomethodological
B) social control theory
C) ethnographical
D) sociolinguistic

Question 33

Conflict-critical theorists argue that when it comes to deviant and criminal behavior, members of the elite:

A) have the ability to commit deviant acts and escape penalties
B) often receive harsher punishment than everyone else
C) have to pay steeper fines in the court system
D) people pay much more attention to these crimes and hold the elite to higher standards

Question 34

Sue has been struggling with prescription drug abuse for years. Her coworkers consider her behavior to be extremely disruptive to her work performance and want her to get help for her addiction. Sue's coworkers are examples of:

A) labeling agents
B) deviant agents
C) social control agents
D) strain agents

Question 35

When companies have misleading advertisements and distribute goods that they know are harmful to the public, all in the name of making a profit, this is an example of a ______________________.

A) political crime
B) organized crime
C) corporate crime
D) property crime

Question 36

Which of the following does the text identify as an important built-in characteristic of the criminal justice system in the United States?

A) Standardization-treating all people the same way
B) Discretion-deciding each case on its own merits
C) Thoroughness-everyone who commits a crime should be charged
D) Deterrence-basing all actions on deterring more crime

Question 37

When a person has internalized a deviant label that is placed on them, this is referred to as:

A) primary deviance
B) entrenched deviance
C) secondary deviance
D) tertiary deviance

Question 38

Burglary and motor vehicle theft are types of __________________________.

A) violent crimes
B) organized crimes
C) white-collar crimes
D) property crimes

Question 39

Which of these are people who are more likely to be socially defined as deviant according to labeling theory?

A) poor people
B) middle-class people
C) people with white collar jobs
D) rich people

Question 40

When it was revealed that golfer Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife with many women, his reputation suffered. This is an example of:

A) being labeled according to labeling theory
B) being socially controlled according to social control theory
C) being dysfunctional according to functionalism
D) being irrational according to rational choice theory

Question 41

The USA PATRIOT Act and European Union laws to control global crime have some downsides. Which of these does the text discuss?

A) Civil rights are in some cases compromised
B) More people die using riskier methods to try to cross borders
C) Efforts for global crime control divert money from funds for domestic problems
D) These crime control efforts often increase rather than decrease trafficking of people

Question 42

Deviance is defined as an action, belief, or human characteristic that is inherently against human nature.

Question 43

If the punishment of crimes makes it less likely that individuals are less likely to commit crimes, it is called:

A) specific deterrence
B) recidivism
C) general deterrence
D) public deterrence

Question 44

What are the principle factors in the rise of global crime largely traceable to?

A) Economic insecurity
B) Corporate globalization
C) Drugs
D) Terrorism

Question 45

The ability of prisons to rehabilitate prisoners has:

A) improved a great deal
B) improved slightly
C) stayed roughly the same over time
D) decreased

Question 46

Crimes are a form of deviance that are negatively sanctioned by law.

Question 47

The supervised early release of a prisoner for good behavior is called:

A) parole
B) probation
C) recidivism
D) supervision

Question 48

Prisons are expensive, but their cost might be justified if they help teach people that "crime doesn't pay." Do prisons deter those who end up incarcerated from committing more crimes after they are released from prison?

A) Yes, prisons greatly deter most who have been imprisoned from committing additional crimes
B) Yes, prisons deter some prisoners from additional crime but only a small proportion
C) No, prisons have little effect on the rates of additional crime committed by those who have been previously imprisoned
D) No, prisons have a criminogenic effect leading to more rather than less crimes by those who have been previously imprisoned

Question 49

According to strain theory, which of these adaptations is considered to be a deviant response?

A) Innovator
B) Retreatist
C) Conformist
D) Rebellionist

Question 50

An example of a __________________________ is someone who is able to access one's personal information which is stored on their laptop in order to steal one's identity.

A) cybercrime
B) violent crime
C) white-collar crime
D) blue-collar crime

Question 51

Deviance:

A) can be found in all groups, in all parts of the world, and in all times
B) is defined the same way for all groups in all parts of the world and in all times
C) helps groups specify the limits of acceptable behavior for their members
D) helps to place more of a group's norms and values in a gray area

Question 52

Global flows of illegal goods are affected by:

A) the decline of the nation-state
B) the decline of international criminal cartels
C) the global decrease in hard drug use
D) the development of communication technology

Question 53

Which country has the highest rate of incarceration in the world?

A) United States
B) China
C) Russia
D) Mexico

Question 54

Which of these aspects of cross-border drug crime help to account for why efforts to counter it have been unsuccessful?

A) Drug criminals do not need many resources
B) Drug criminals need expertise to commit crimes
C) Drug crimes are hard to conceal
D) Crimes are underreported to the police

Question 55

An example of ______________________ is Bernie Madoff, who was convicted of being the leader of a Ponzi scheme.

A) blue-collar crime
B) organized crime
C) white-collar crime
D) property crime

Question 56

A _________________ is a more serious crime which is punishable by a year or more in prison.

A) misdemeanor
B) felony
C) infraction
D) violation

Question 57

The USA PATRIOT Act has played a major role in:

A) eroding the distinction between law enforcement and national security
B) increasing border controls between the United States and Mexico
C) increasing border controls between the United States and Canada
D) the creation of detention at Guantanamo Bay

Question 58

______________ is the repetition of a criminal act by someone who has been convicted of a prior offense.

A) Specific deterrence
B) Recidivism
C) Recriminalization
D) General deterrence

Question 59

Premarital sex, homosexuality, and cohabitation before marriage are:

A) more normative than they were in the past
B) still deviant in mainstream society
C) considered deviant or normative depending on geographic location
D) considered deviant or normative depending on which group of people you ask

Question 60

According to the text, tattoos were once considered an indication that a person belonged to a deviant group, but now Americans consider tattoos normal.

Question 61

The strain theory is part of the structural-functional approach in explaining deviant behavior.

Question 62

Moral entrepreneurs lead campaigns to define certain acts as deviant and illegal, and therefore subject to law enforcement.

Question 63

Conflict/critical theorists focus on how inequalities cause some of the less powerful individuals in society to engage in deviant and criminal acts because they have few, if any, other ways of succeeding in society.

Question 64

Deviance may vary greatly from one geographic area to another.

Question 65

Major property crimes include offenses that involve gaining or destroying property.

Question 66

Travis Hirschi's social control theory focuses on why people do not commit deviant acts.

Question 67

Part of the interactionist perspective, as it pertains to deviance, is the interpretation of symbols and the interactions between people.

Question 68

Something is considered "deviant" in all groups across all societies.

Question 69

Explanatory theories of deviance mostly focus on upbringing as the factor responsible for deviance.

Question 70

Constructionist theories of deviance focus on those who create and enforce moral order.

Question 71

Research by Sampson and Laub has shown that informal social control is key and the lack of such control is an important cause of juvenile delinquency.

Question 72

A white-collar crime is a crime committed by a person of responsibility and high social status in the course of his occupation.

Question 73

Deviance can be seen as a global flow because people who are defined as deviant can move around the world quickly and easily.

Question 74

Deviant consumers include those who consume too much or do not consume enough conventional goods.

Question 75

In labeling theory, secondary deviance involves early random acts of deviant behavior.

Question 76

One concern with the "broken windows" approach to social control is the fear that police will use it to target people in these neighborhoods even when they have done nothing.

Question 77

Labeling theory is concerned with the reactions, actions, and interactions of social control agents who label the person as deviant.

Question 78

In strain theory, "innovators" reject both cultural goals and the traditional routes to their attainment.

Question 79

According to Sampson and Laub, delinquent behavior as a youth is a key indicator for whether someone will engage in criminal behavior as an adult.

Question 80

In strain theory, rebels are similar to retreatists because they both reject traditional means and goals.