Question 1

In his book Streetwise,Elijah Anderson argues that young African American men are more likely to be arrested because:

Accepted Answer

A)  they commit more flagrant crimes. 
B)  they are more likely to engage in deviant behavior. 
C)  they are more likely to be poor. 
D)  both police and community members perceive them as more criminal than others.

Question 2

Asian American students are more likely to be placed in Advanced Placement classes,score higher on exams,and be expected to excel in education.This is called the:

Accepted Answer

A)  stereotype promise. 
B)  self-fulfilling prophecy. 
C)  tertiary deviance. 
D)  stereotype threat.

Question 3

An individual who works at a bookstore routinely takes home ballpoint pens and Post-it notes,uses the copy machine to make personal copies,and makes long-distance phone calls on the store's line.However,he would never consider stealing money from the cash register,even if he knew he could get away with it.What is this behavior called?

Accepted Answer

A)  business nonconformity 
B)  pilfering 
C)  partial deviance 
D)  misdemeanor deviance

Question 4

What is one reason imprisonment was such a rare type of punishment before the nineteenth century?

Accepted Answer

A)  Earlier societies did not have sufficient resources to operate prisons. 
B)  Earlier societies believed that physical punishments like branding were more likely to deter future crime. 
C)  Earlier societies were crueler and therefore more accepting of harsh physical punishment. 
D)  Earlier societies believed that punishments like shunning and banishment were more humane.

Question 5

Which of the following might make sociologists doubt that higher crime rates in urban areas,as reported by the Uniform Crime Report,actually reflect higher levels of criminal activity?

Accepted Answer

A)  Police are more likely to concentrate their efforts in such areas. 
B)  Poor people are more likely to be the victims of crime. 
C)  Police tend to be less suspicious of poor people. 
D)  Poor areas tend to lack jobs and receive less funding for their schools.

Question 6

Osama bin Laden was probably the most reviled figure in American culture for a decade.How does the sociological idea of deviance help us understand why,in some cultures,he was celebrated as a hero?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Osama bin Laden was probably the most...

Question 7

Which of the following describes how deviance can be explained from the functionalist perspective?

Accepted Answer

A)  Deviance breaks down social cohesion and leads to revolution. 
B)  Deviance makes it easier for the upper class to control the poor. 
C)  Deviance helps the upper class maintain its power and influence in society. 
D)  Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms.

Question 8

Sociologists can say that deviance is relative because whether a behavior is considered deviant depends upon the historical,cultural,and/or situational context in which it occurs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

What is positive deviance? How does its existence support functionalist thought?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is positive deviance? How does its...

Question 10

Some light-skinned African Americans have dealt with stigma by passing as white.But many African Americans could not pass,and others refused to do so;consequently,when they attempted to deal with stigma,they were much more likely to do so via in-group orientation.Which of the following actions would be an example of in-group orientation?

Accepted Answer

A)  using chemical products to straighten curly hair or lighten skin 
B)  joining a radical group that advocated black separatism and wanted most African Americans to leave the United States 
C)  focusing attention on athletics or other areas where African Americans were more likely to experience success 
D)  embracing James Brown's song, "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud"

Question 11

Samantha believes that our criminal law excuses big corporations for polluting the planet,manufacturing unsafe products,and manipulating prices.At the same time,she sees homeless people imprisoned for stealing food,which she believes we should all have access to regardless of wealth.Samantha has taken a ________ perspective to explain the way deviance is viewed in society.

Accepted Answer

A)  structural functionalist 
B)  symbolic interactionist 
C)  conflict theory 
D)  retreatist

Question 12

According to Howard Becker,there are no inherently deviant acts,only societal reactions to acts that make them deviant.Describe an instance where one person could be seen as a hero and another person could be labeled a criminal,even though they are engaging in the same behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Howard Becker,there are no inherently...

Question 13

Which of the following statements helps explain how Jack Katz's book Seductions of Crime explained deviance in a new way?

Accepted Answer

A)  Conflict theorists have frequently argued that differences in economic resources give elites the ability to control the coercive apparatus of the state. Pronounced economic differences also provide elites with a need to maintain order. 
B)  Three decades ago, criminologists widely decried the failure of rehabilitative efforts to reduce recidivism. This "nothing works" attitude permeated the field of criminal justice, and a period of punitive justice was ushered in. 
C)  The social science literature contains only scattered evidence of what it means, feels, sounds, tastes, or looks like to commit a particular crime. 
D)  Society should be considered as a cross between the cultural "goals" it believes its members should strive for and the "means" that are believed, legally or morally, to be legitimate ways in which individuals should attain these goals.

Question 14

When David Rosenhan designed the experiment he described in "On Being Sane in Insane Places," he gave very specific instructions to his research assistants to be honest and truthful about everything except in claiming they were hearing voices and giving a fake name.Why was it important that they NOT use their real identities?

Accepted Answer

A)  What they were doing was illegal, and they needed to have cover identities. 
B)  They could walk away from their assumed identities, and in so doing walk away from their labels as well. 
C)  They could keep doctors from finding their medical records and exposing them as fakes. 
D)  They did not want to be recognized by acquaintances.

Question 15

Imagine that a powerful and influential person decided to heavily tattoo her own face with symbols and images that told parts of her life story.Would she be treated as a deviant?

Accepted Answer

A)  No, powerful people are often allowed to do things others find strange. 
B)  Yes, any culture would consider that to be a deviant act. 
C)  No, there are several cultures where this sort of behavior is very common. 
D)  Yes, it would be in the United States, though there are other cultures that would consider it normal or desirable.

Question 16

The fact that many individuals who engage in deviant behaviors have NEVER associated with other deviants is evidence against which theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  self-fulfilling prophecy 
B)  differential association 
C)  conflict 
D)  structural strain

Question 17

Which of the following is a strategy for someone with a stigmatized identity to blend in with a group that does NOT experience stigmatization?

Accepted Answer

A)  retreat 
B)  escapism 
C)  interactionism 
D)  passing

Question 18

According to labeling theory,the labels people are given affect their own and others' perceptions of them.How does this process lead to more deviant behaviors? Provide an example to explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to labeling theory,the labels people are...

Question 19

According to Jack Katz,aside from material objects,what do muggers gain from their crimes?

Accepted Answer

A)  He argues that they are often trying to return to prison, where they feel more secure. 
B)  He argues that they seek power and control over their victims. 
C)  He argues that they mug for a sense of satisfaction and excitement. 
D)  He argues that they mug for a steady living that allows them to eventually move up in social status.

Question 20

In what ways might a man experience the stereotype promise in the nursing field?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In what ways might a man experience...

Exam 6: Deviance