Thomas, Age Thirty-Seven, Grew Up in an Extremely Impoverished Neighborhood

Multiple Choice

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

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.