Question 1

The FBI's definition of terrorism includes any crime against persons intended to achieve a political end.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Sutherland's differential association theory argues that deviant behavior is learned.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Which of these statements about the functionalist approach to deviance is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  It focuses on the social structure, not individual action. 
B)  It argues that some things that are seen as dysfunctional are actually functional for society. 
C)  It explains how social norms first become established in society. 
D)  It sees deviance as having a stabilizing influence on society.

Question 4

Why would Merton predict that working-class individuals would be more likely to engage in criminal activity than would middle-class or wealthier individuals?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why would Merton predict that working-class individuals...

Question 5

A soldier who shoots and kills an enemy combatant in battle is typically not considered deviant. An individual who shoots and kills a neighbor for playing loud music is typically considered deviant. This illustrates the point that

Accepted Answer

A)  killing is not morally deviant. 
B)  whether or not behavior is considered deviant depends on the context. 
C)  soldiers are not judged as harshly as others in the general population when it comes to how they behave. 
D)  military law supersedes civil law.

Question 6

Identify two major sources of data on crime in the United States. Discuss their methodologies and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify two major sources of data on...

Question 7

Which of the following questions would a sociologist be least likely to ask about deviance?

Accepted Answer

A)  Why are some behaviors defined as deviant while others are not? 
B)  Why is deviance more common in some social groups than others? 
C)  Why do some personality types act more deviantly than other personality types? 
D)  How does the criminal justice system reflect social inequality?

Question 8

From the perspective of the social control theory of deviance, most people internalize social norms because they care what other people think of them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Members of higher socioeconomic classes are the least likely to be victimized by crime.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Functionalist theories of deviance

Accepted Answer

A)  fear that deviance creates the breakdown of society. 
B)  view deviance as necessary in order to create social cohesion. 
C)  believe that punishment of deviance is dysfunctional because it prevents the deviance that is necessary for society. 
D)  assume that norms are largely meaningless.

Question 11

Although the marriage of young girls to markedly older men used to be acceptable, it is now, for the most part, no longer accepted in Western nations, illustrating that previously accepted behaviors can come to be viewed as deviant.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

A high school student acts bored in class, and the teacher decides she is a bad student. This teacher discusses the student with other teachers who then treat that student as if she were a bad student. This describes the process of

Accepted Answer

A)  differential association. 
B)  cultural transmission. 
C)  labeling. 
D)  weakening social bonds.

Question 13

How do labeling theory and conflict theory, when linked, account for higher rates of incarceration and institutionalization among members of oppressed groups?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do labeling theory and conflict theory,...

Question 14

Which of the following is true regarding violent crime?

Accepted Answer

A)  Violent crime is increasing and is random in terms of who is victimized. 
B)  Violent crime is decreasing and is random in terms of who is victimized. 
C)  Violent crime is increasing and is not random in terms of who is victimized. 
D)  Violent crime is decreasing and is not random in terms of who is victimized.

Question 15

From a labeling perspective, which of these statements about deviant identity is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  A deviant identity usually emerges over time. 
B)  A deviant identity is developed through a process of interaction with others. 
C)  Deviant identity involves how other people view the target of the deviant label. 
D)  A deviant identity is simple to change.

Question 16

Stigmatizing some people

Accepted Answer

A)  helps elevate their social status. 
B)  leads to their becoming more interesting. 
C)  serves to reinforce "normalness" in others. 
D)  has little impact on their overall identity.

Question 17

A legislator wants to change laws so that individuals arrested for possession of small amounts of illegal drugs will be sent to drug courts that will ensure that they participate in substance abuse treatment. Which of the following is the legislator advocating?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mass incarceration 
B)  Medicalization of deviance 
C)  That deviance is functional for society 
D)  The idea that street criminals are an exploited class

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of egotistic suicide?

Accepted Answer

A)  Suicide by an individual who has just been sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence and sees no other way out 
B)  Suicide bombers who kill to further their cause and die in the attack 
C)  The suicide of an elderly person whose family and friends are dead and who is struggling with poverty 
D)  Mass suicides of religious cults that are carried out under the orders of the leader

Question 19

A significant difference between the functionalist and conflict theories of deviance is that

Accepted Answer

A)  functionalist theory assumes the system works for the good of the whole, and conflict theory assumes it works for the good of those in power. 
B)  functionalist theory focuses on social structure, and conflict theory focuses on social control. 
C)  functionalist theory focuses on the individual, and conflict theory focuses on society as a whole. 
D)  functionalist theory ignores the role of deviance in society, and conflict theory focuses on the role of deviance in society.

Question 20

Thomas, age thirty-seven, grew up in an extremely impoverished neighborhood of a city that was, itself, struggling to survive after most of its factories closed and no new industries moved in to take their place. Thomas did get a high school diploma but has been periodically unemployed and, when employed, often works part-time and earns only minimum wage. He would love to get job training and make more of himself, maybe even own his own home someday, but he simply does not have the resources needed to make that happen. Merton's structural strain theory would predict that Thomas might turn to crime because of

Accepted Answer

A)  the amount of anomie he experiences. 
B)  the emotional stress caused by his situation. 
C)  the tension between desired cultural goals and the means of achieving them. 
D)  the lack of any commitment to cultural goals.

Exam 7: Deviance and Crime

The FBI's definition of terrorism includes any crime against persons intended to achieve a political end.

Sutherland's differential association theory argues that deviant behavior is learned.

Which of these statements about the functionalist approach to deviance is false?

Why would Merton predict that working-class individuals would be more likely to engage in criminal activity than would middle-class or wealthier individuals?

A soldier who shoots and kills an enemy combatant in battle is typically not considered deviant. An individual who shoots and kills a neighbor for playing loud music is typically considered deviant. This illustrates the point that

Identify two major sources of data on crime in the United States. Discuss their methodologies and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Which of the following questions would a sociologist be least likely to ask about deviance?

From the perspective of the social control theory of deviance, most people internalize social norms because they care what other people think of them.

Members of higher socioeconomic classes are the least likely to be victimized by crime.

Functionalist theories of deviance

Although the marriage of young girls to markedly older men used to be acceptable, it is now, for the most part, no longer accepted in Western nations, illustrating that previously accepted behaviors can come to be viewed as deviant.

A high school student acts bored in class, and the teacher decides she is a bad student. This teacher discusses the student with other teachers who then treat that student as if she were a bad student. This describes the process of

How do labeling theory and conflict theory, when linked, account for higher rates of incarceration and institutionalization among members of oppressed groups?

Which of the following is true regarding violent crime?

From a labeling perspective, which of these statements about deviant identity is false?

Stigmatizing some people

A legislator wants to change laws so that individuals arrested for possession of small amounts of illegal drugs will be sent to drug courts that will ensure that they participate in substance abuse treatment. Which of the following is the legislator advocating?

Which of the following is an example of egotistic suicide?

A significant difference between the functionalist and conflict theories of deviance is that