Deck 6: Conformity,deviance,and Crime

Question 1

In Robert Merton's typology,drug dealers would be considered

A) conformists.
B) innovators.
C) ritualists.
D) retreatists.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following sociological theories views deviance as necessary for society and contributing to its overall stability?

A) conflict theory
B) functionalist theory
C) interactionist theory
D) control theory

Answer 2

B

Question 3

______,a concept Émile Durkheim brought into wide usage in sociology,refers to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior.

A) Innovation
B) Ritualism
C) Retreatism
D) Anomie

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A subculture whose members hold values that differ substantially from those of the majority is called

A) a social control group.
B) a deviant subculture.
C) an anomic subculture.
D) a normative subculture.

Question 5

Which statement concerning deviance is most accurate?

A) All lawbreakers are deviants.
B) Everyone participates to some degree in the creation of rules.
C) All deviant behaviors are illegal.
D) Everyone commits deviant crimes sometimes.

Question 6

What do contemporary sociological theories about crime emphasize in their definitions of conformity and deviance?

A) Crime is a personal choice.
B) Definitions of deviance vary based on social context.
C) Crime depends on a genetic tendency toward violence.
D) Crime results from untreated mental illness.

Question 7

According to Robert Merton,at a time when society as a whole is becoming more affluent,why do crime rates continue to rise?

A) a sense of relative deprivation among those at the bottom
B) inadequate socialization of the poor
C) the rise of deviant subcultures
D) the ability of communities to afford more police officers

Question 8

What do the Heaven's Gate cult and the computer hacker community have in common?

A) Both are religious groups.
B) Both groups are considered deviant subcultures.
C) Both groups struggled financially.
D) Both groups restricted their membership to men.

Question 9

The term that describes a rule or expectation for behavior is a

A) value.
B) ritual.
C) sanction.
D) norm.

Question 10

_______ are norms governments define as principles that their citizens must follow;_______ are any type of behavior that violates these norms.

A) Laws;crimes
B) Mores;folkways
C) Primary deviations;secondary deviations
D) Ectomorphs;mesomorphs

Question 11

A veteran police officer's criticism of a rookie police officer for not acting aggressively enough during an altercation with a suspect is an example of a

A) positive formal sanction.
B) negative formal sanction.
C) positive informal sanction.
D) negative informal sanction.

Question 12

In Robert Merton's typology,the majority of people in society are

A) conformists.
B) innovators.
C) ritualists.
D) retreatists.

Question 13

Which of the following statements related to the biological view of deviance is true?

A) Some of the first attempts to explain crime emphasized biological factors.
B) Cesare Lombroso's claims have been supported by a large body of subsequent research.
C) Nearly all studies claiming a relationship between body type and delinquency have used samples that are representative of the general population.
D) A correlation between body type and delinquency shows that one's body type causes criminal behavior.

Question 14

Theorizing that terrorists have a certain personality profile is an example of which view of deviance?

A) biological view
B) psychological view
C) sociological view
D) evolutionary view

Question 15

Comparing biological and psychological approaches to criminality,a sociologist would argue that they both

A) tend to focus more on violent crimes than any other type of crime.
B) view crime and deviance as an individual,not societal,problem.
C) are inadequate to explain deviance caused by mental illness.
D) view crime and deviance as a result of societal forces.

Question 16

A reward or punishment that reinforces socially expected behavior is called a

A) folkway.
B) more.
C) sanction.
D) norm.

Question 17

What is the goal of a sanction?

A) to punish noncomformists
B) to demonstrate appropriate behavior
C) to promote conformity to social norms and protect against nonconformity
D) to prevent and punish illegal behavior

Question 18

The term used to describe modes of action that do not conform to the norms or values most members of a group or society hold is

A) anomie.
B) alienation.
C) conformity.
D) deviance.

Question 19

Which of the following statements most accurately compares a crime to a deviant act?

A) A crime breaks a law and a deviant act does not.
B) Deviant acts are more serious than crimes.
C) A crime is a particular type of deviant act that breaks the law.
D) Deviant acts involve social situations and crimes do not.

Question 20

Based on the recent New Zealand study that investigated whether a child's propensity for aggression was linked to biological factors present at birth,with which statement would researchers most likely agree?

A) There is no such thing as a genetic predisposition.
B) There are genetic predispositions,but they have no impact on human behavior.
C) A baby with a genetic predisposition for alcoholism would not likely become a problem drinker if his or her social environment provided few opportunities to drink.
D) There is a genetic predisposition for alcoholism that will cause those with that predisposition to become alcoholics,with little regard to their environment.

Question 21

The National Crime Victimization Survey has found that crime rates are

A) social constructions.
B) actually higher than those reported by official agencies.
C) actually lower than those reported by official agencies.
D) about the same as those reported by official agencies,confirming the accuracy of those reports.

Question 22

Fifteen-year-old Diego is arrested and spends thirty days in juvenile detention.He begins to see himself as a delinquent while there.When he is released,he commits more crimes.Edwin Lemert would consider the crimes Diego commits after being released

A) primary deviance.
B) secondary deviance.
C) tertiary deviance.
D) anomic deviance.

Question 23

Conflict theorists would argue that laws

A) are neutral.
B) are applied evenly across the population.
C) are used by the powerful to maintain their own privileged positions.
D) protect the working class from being exploited by the capitalist elite.

Question 24

Two groups of boys,one working class and the other middle class,engage in equal amounts of delinquent activity.The members of one group are considered "boys being boys," and the members of the other are considered "troublemakers." Which of the following theories best explains this difference?

A) strain theory
B) differential association theory
C) control theory
D) labeling theory

Question 25

Which of the following statements concerning victims and perpetrators of crime is true?

A) Men are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with women.
B) Older people are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with young people.
C) Whites are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with African Americans.
D) Residents of the suburbs are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of crime compared with inner-city residents.

Question 26

Critics argue that one of the drawbacks of using the Uniform Crime Reports to measure crime is that

A) the reports focus only on nonviolent "index" crimes.
B) the reports focus on embezzlement,a crime typically committed by the middle class.
C) the reports do not accurately reflect the fact that crime is mainly an activity of ethnic minorities and the poor.
D) the reports do not accurately reflect crime rates because they include only those crimes reported to law enforcement agencies.

Question 27

Émile Durkheim's concept of anomie refers to the loss of traditional norms and standards in modern society.According to Durkheim,what is the main consequence of anomie?

A) increased rates of violent crime
B) decreased adherence to religious traditions
C) increased adherence to religious traditions
D) increased disposition toward suicide

Question 28

Which theory proposes that we become deviant when exposed to a higher level of deviant people and influences,compared with conventional influences?

A) labeling theory
B) strain theory
C) differential association theory
D) control theory

Question 29

Even though the amount of money involved in white-collar crime in the United States is forty times greater than the amount involved in crimes against property,efforts to detect white-collar crime are ordinarily limited and most do not appear in official statistics at all.Which theoretical perspective would most likely examine this and draw a connection between criminal punishment and class?

A) labeling theory
B) functionalist theory
C) differential association theory
D) conflict theory

Question 30

According to differential association theory,who is more likely to be a delinquent?

A) a poor person whose friends do not commit crime
B) a middle-class person whose friends frequently commit crime
C) a person with high aspirations but few opportunities
D) a person with low aspirations but many opportunities

Question 31

From the perspective of labeling theory,deviance is seen as

A) a process of interaction between deviants and nondeviants.
B) a set of characteristics of individuals or groups.
C) freely chosen.
D) an act that is universally wrong.

Question 32

Which researcher found that boys in the lower working class who are frustrated with their positions in life often join delinquent subcultures that reject middle-class values and replace them with norms that celebrate defiance?

A) Albert Cohen
B) Robert Merton
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Kingsley Davis

Question 33

Which theory is closest to the arguments of Karl Marx?

A) functionalist theory
B) differential association theory
C) control theory
D) conflict theory

Question 34

The way in which crime is understood directly affects the policies developed to combat it.If crime is seen as the product of deprivation or social disorganization,policies might be aimed at

A) reducing poverty and strengthening social services.
B) morality training for those in prison.
C) developing interview skills for those on parole.
D) developing high self-esteem for at-risk youth.

Question 35

While the rate of violent crime has been declining in the United States since the 1990s,it is still relatively high in comparison to other industrialized countries,like Switzerland.What is one likely explanation for the relatively high violent crime rate?

A) high rates of immigration
B) availability of firearms
C) the aging population
D) changes in welfare laws

Question 36

Joe is a straight-A student and wants to go to a four-year college after high school.When his friends encourage him to skip class and hang out with them,he refuses to do so because he doesn't want to jeopardize his GPA.This is an example of

A) conflict theory.
B) control theory.
C) functionalist theory.
D) strain theory.

Question 37

Boys who live in a disadvantaged community can become frustrated with their prospects for material success.Of the possible responses to this frustration that are listed below,which fits most closely with the work of Albert Cohen?

A) They sever ties with delinquent peers to enhance their chances of economic achievement.
B) They give up hope of achieving success but still value the idea of success.
C) They find a way to move to a different community as soon as possible.
D) They join deviant subcultures and adopt deviant norms instead of middle-class values.

Question 38

What has happened to crime rates in the United States from 1997 to 2016?

A) Both violent crime and property crime rates have decreased.
B) Both violent crime and property crime rates have increased.
C) Violent crime rates have increased but property crime rates have increased.
D) Violent crime rates have decreased but property crime rates have decreased.

Question 39

Crime rates in the United States have been steadily declining over the past two decades.Identify which of the following crime rates is the highest in the 21st century.

A) larceny-theft rate
B) burglary rate
C) murder and nonnegligent homicide rate
D) robbery rate

Question 40

Which theory views crime as the outcome of an imbalance between impulses toward criminal activity and the social or physical controls that deter it?

A) labeling theory
B) strain theory
C) differential association theory
D) control theory

Question 41

In Punished,what does Victor Rios note about policies like "stop and frisk"?

A) They catch the most violent criminals,leaving their neighborhoods much safer.
B) They compromise the relationships young Latino and African American men have with teachers,neighbors,and authority figures.
C) They create advantages for young Latino and African American men by keeping them motivated to avoid drugs and other criminal activities.
D) Having regular interactions with policemen and authority figures helps young people feel safe.

Question 42

Which of the following countries has the highest incarceration rate?

A) China
B) Brazil
C) France
D) United States

Question 43

In December 2016,more than ______ people were in state or federal prison and ______ people in local jails.

A) 150,000;74,070
B) 550,000;350,700
C) 1.5 million;740,700
D) 5.5 million;3,507,000

Question 44

According to the textbook,a key reason that New York's "stop and frisk" policy was banned by a federal judge was that

A) it was not being applied in the high crime neighborhoods for which it was intended.
B) it was most often applied only to young men and was determined to be ageist.
C) it was costing the city too much revenue in law suits.
D) it violated citizens' rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Question 45

According to the textbook,at what age is a person most likely to be arrested for a crime?

A) 13
B) 18
C) 25
D) 35

Question 46

An experiment by sociologist Devah Pager showed that when applying for jobs,a black man with no criminal history had the same success as

A) a white man with a felony conviction.
B) a white man with no criminal history.
C) a black man with a felony conviction.
D) a white man with no work experience.

Question 47

According to the textbook,why is there widespread panic about youth criminality?

A) Youthful deviants usually go on to become career criminals.
B) Young people are often taken as an indicator of the health and welfare of society.
C) Youth criminality is a direct outcome of increasing drug use.
D) Middle-class youth are the leading cause of increasing crime rates.

Question 48

Which of the following best describes Americans' beliefs about capital punishment?

A) Support for capital punishment has been declining in the last two decades.
B) The majority of Americans have always opposed capital punishment.
C) A large majority (over 60 percent)of adults supported capital punishment in 2016.
D) Most adults opposed capital punishment in 1994.

Question 49

In 2018,women made up ______ percent of the U.S.prison population.

A) 7
B) 21
C) 35
D) 49

Question 50

A food manufacturer puts false nutrition information on its product labels.This is an example of

A) organized crime.
B) "male" crime.
C) corporate crime.
D) property crime.

Question 51

Which type of crime is LEAST typical of crimes committed by women?

A) violent crime
B) petty thefts
C) public order offenses
D) prostitution

Question 52

Which of the following is an example of the organized crime Manuel Castells described?

A) Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme
B) heroin networks that stretch across Asia
C) prison gangs
D) inner-city youth gangs

Question 53

Crime typically carried out by people in the more affluent sectors of society is called

A) organized crime.
B) white-collar crime.
C) "traditional" crime.
D) index crime.

Question 54

According to Michelle Alexander,understanding mass incarceration requires understanding that

A) African American inmates are treated worse than other inmates.
B) people who are considered criminal are marginalized and stigmatized by the justice system as well as other policies and practices.
C) the prison population cannot reenter society and must remain incarcerated for its own well-being.
D) the prison population is overcrowded and creates long-term stress responses.

Question 55

The New Jim Crow argues that a caste system that disproportionately disadvantages African Americans has been created by

A) mass incarceration.
B) rising poverty rates.
C) housing discrimination.
D) increased crime among African American youth.

Question 56

Since the 1970s,many important feminist works have drawn attention to

A) the way in which criminal transgressions by women occur in the same contexts as those by men.
B) how women's experiences with the criminal justice system are influenced by certain gendered assumptions about appropriate male and female roles.
C) the prevalence of violence against women in the home,but largely ignoring violence against women in public.
D) the prevalence of violence against women in public,but largely ignoring violence against women in the home.

Question 57

When laws allowing capital punishment are compared internationally,we can see that

A) the United States is one of the few Western countries that still legally permits this practice.
B) the majority of Western countries permit capital punishment.
C) neither the United States nor most other Western countries legally permit this practice.
D) in European countries,policies related to capital punishment are made on a state-by-state basis.

Question 58

Offenses committed by large corporations in society are called

A) organized crime.
B) "traditional" crime.
C) corporate crime.
D) index crime.

Question 59

Which of the following statements concerning beliefs about capital punishment is true?

A) In countries that have eliminated the death penalty,the majority tend to oppose it.
B) Even in countries that have eliminated the death penalty,the majority tend to support it.
C) The international political climate has increasingly supported the use of the death penalty.
D) The United States is the only nation in the world in which the majority of citizens support capital punishment.

Question 60

Forms of activity that have some of the characteristics of orthodox businesses but are illegal are called

A) white-collar crime.
B) corporate crime.
C) index crime.
D) organized crime.

Question 61

Compare the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)with victimization surveys,such as the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).Which method gives a better indication of the level of crime in the United States? Please explain in three to five sentences.

Question 62

Patrick Sharkey found that in communities where crime has gone down

A) life expectancy increases for young black males;school performance of children worsens.
B) life expectancy increases for young black males;school performance of children improves.
C) life expectancy decreases for young black males;school performance of children worsens.
D) life expectancy decreases for young black males;school performance of children improves.

Question 63

Which theory best explains why a neighborhood that had only minor problems,such as abandoned cars and graffiti,began to see an increase in other more serious types of property crime?

A) control theory
B) broken windows theory
C) conflict theory
D) differential association theory

Question 64

What do your textbook authors believe is one of the biggest contributing factors in the decline of crime?

A) growing police departments
B) the prison boom
C) the booming economy
D) decreasing cocaine and illegal drug usage

Question 65

How important is the drug trade to organized crime groups? According to Manuel Castells,why might it be difficult to combat the global trade in illegal drugs?

Question 66

A renewed emphasis on crime prevention rather than law enforcement to reintegrate policing within the community is called

A) "stop and frisk."
B) the New Jim Crow.
C) community policing.
D) target hardening.

Question 67

According to Patrick Sharkey,what happens to children after a violent shooting?

A) Their cognitive performance improves.
B) Their cognitive performance declines.
C) They are fine and require no support services in these situations because they are so used to violence.
D) They are provided excellent support services to meet their needs in these situations.

Question 68

Your friend gets a speeding ticket.What function would your textbook authors most likely say your friend getting a speeding ticket performs?

A) You learn about the high cost of the speeding ticket and will not speed to avoid paying the high cost.
B) You learn that speeding is dangerous.
C) You realize that police officers are sexist.
D) Your friend getting a speeding ticket performs no function.

Question 69

Why might community policing be an effective approach to reducing crime?

A) Community policing increases the presence of police,who can crack down on crimes as they happen.
B) Community policing can help improve social order,lowering incentives for crime.
C) Community policing gets citizens involved in identifying and prosecuting law breakers.
D) Community policing relies on citizens to make decisions about police protocol.

Question 70

Compare and contrast labeling theory with the conflict perspective.Which theory do you think better explains crime? Please explain your answer in three to five sentences.

Question 71

Assessing the overall impact of crime and incarceration in the United States,we can draw which of the following conclusions?

A) The number of people behind bars has decreased in the past decade.
B) Spending on corrections has risen dramatically over the past three decades.
C) Few of us are affected by the high cost of crime.
D) State governments are doing a good job of ensuring that inmates are housed,fed,and provided medical care.

Question 72

In three to five sentences,explain how Robert Merton understood crime.How would Merton's strain theory explain the crimes committed in the inner city?

Question 73

Which of the following best illustrates community policing?

A) severely punishing even minor crimes,such as public drunkenness
B) local organizations,government agencies,and businesses working together
C) the installation of burglar alarms
D) communal public shaming of offenders

Question 74

How is it possible that a person can be both a conformist and a deviant? Please explain your answer in two to three sentences.

Question 75

Compare and contrast differential association theory with control theory.Which theory do you think better explains crime? Please explain your answers in three to five sentences.

Question 76

In two to three sentences,apply control theory to explain why people in their late teens are more likely to commit crime than older people.

Question 77

Which theory served as the basis for new policing strategies in the late 1980s and 1990s that aggressively focused on minor crimes such as traffic violations and drinking or using drugs in public?

A) control theory
B) broken windows theory
C) conflict theory
D) differential association theory

Question 78

What is the biological view of deviance? What are some of the weaknesses of this approach? Please explain in three to four sentences.

Question 79

Patrick Sharkey found that an average Black boy who was born in 2012 could expect to live three-quarters of a year longer than a Black boy who was born when crime was at its height,in 1991.He concludes that

A) this increase in life expectancy is not related to the decline in violence.
B) this increase in life expectancy is due to the fact that violence was taken seriously as a "public health" problem.
C) this increase in life expectancy is too small to matter.
D) this increase in life expectancy is equivalent to what would happen if we were to eliminate the obesity epidemic altogether.

Question 80

According to Sarah Brayne,what is a problem associated with police departments using big data?

A) It puts individuals who are already under suspicion under new,deeper,quantified forms of surveillance masked by objectivity.
B) Police officers routinely ignore the useful information that big data provides.
C) Historical data cannot identity where and when future crimes are most likely to occur and deploy officers accordingly.
D) Network models are ineffective in identifying people,places,and belongings related to a person of interest.