Deck 15: Deviance, Crime and Social Control

Question 1

Ridicule, imprisonment, and withdrawal of affection are examples of _______ sanctions.

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

Answer 1

C

Question 2

If conformity with social expectations cannot be achieved voluntarily, people may employ ________________ to teach, persuade, or force others to conform.

A)shock and awe tactics
B)mechanisms of social control
C)internalisation
D)severe punishments

Answer 2

B

Question 3

People who violate _________ experience reactions such as frowns or remarks or disapproval.

A)folkways
B)mores
C)sanctions
D)norms

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The only characteristic common to all forms of deviance is the fact that

A)they invoke formal sanctions.
B)everyone in the society is offended by the behaviour.
C)the behaviours are considered deviant across time and place.
D)some social audience regards the act or appearance as deviant.

Question 5

Which one of the following characteristics applies to the concept of mores?

A)Essential to the well-being of a group
B)One of many ways to do things
C)Routine matters
D)Details of life

Question 6

__________________ is any behaviour or appearance that follows and maintains the standards of a group.

A)Deviance
B)Conformity
C)Social control
D)Power

Question 7

The sociological contribution to understanding deviant behaviour is the emphasis on

A)the individual as a deviant.
B)unchanging and universal definitions of deviance.
C)the context under which deviant behaviour occurs.
D)a person's character or motives.

Question 8

Which of the following does not apply to mores?

A)They are considered unchangeable and regarded as 'the only way' or 'the truth'.
B)They are customary ways of handling the routine matters of everyday life.
C)They are essential to the well-being of the group.
D)They are violations that result in severe punishments.

Question 9

_______ is any behaviour or appearance that is socially challenged because it departs from the norms and expectations of the group.

A)Deviance
B)Conformity
C)Social control
D)Corporate power

Question 10

Which one of the following is an informal sanction?

A)Medals
B)Diplomas
C)A frown
D)The death penalty

Question 11

It is difficult to generate a precise list of deviant behaviours and appearances for all but one of the following reasons.

A)Very few things can be classified as 'deviant'.
B)Deviance exists only in relation to norms in effect at a particular time and place.
C)Something that some group considers deviant may not be considered deviant by another.
D)Something considered deviant at one time and place may not be considered deviant at another.

Question 12

Ideally, conformity should be

A)imposed.
B)established through informal negative sanctions.
C)voluntary.
D)established through a formal reward system.

Question 13

In general, Chinese preschoolers are taught to

A)downplay interpersonal conflicts and play cooperatively.
B)play competitively with other children.
C)be independent.
D)assume flexible roles in the classroom.

Question 14

Six-year-old Mbali picks up her toys and puts them away.Her father smiles and pats her on the back.The smile and pat represent a ____________ sanction.

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

Question 15

When guests depart in the People's Republic of China, the Chinese host walks them out to their vehicle and then stands and waves until the visitors are out of sight.This behaviour is an example of a

A)folkway.
B)more.
C)sanction.
D)mechanism of social control.

Question 16

Which one of the following words does not apply to the concept of a folkway?

A)Essential
B)Customary
C)Routine
D)Superficial

Question 17

_________________ includes the methods used to teach, persuade or force people to comply with norms and expectations.

A)Social control
B)Deviance
C)Conformity
D)Context

Question 18

A Chinese man recalls 'As a boy, I did not know what a god looked like, but I knew that Mao was the god of our lives.When I was six, I accidentally broke a large porcelain Mao badge.Fear gripped me.In my life until that moment, the breaking of the badge seemed the worst thing I had ever done.Desperate to hide my crime, I took the pieces and threw them down a public toilet.For months I felt guilty'.This guilt is a sign that

A)the Chinese punish their children harshly.
B)he had successfully hidden his crime.
C)Mao is a true god.
D)he had internalised the expectations of the larger society.

Question 19

People who violate ______ are usually punished severely; they are ostracised, institutionalised in prisons or mental hospitals, and sometimes even executed.

A)folkways
B)mores
C)rituals
D)mechanisms of social control

Question 20

____________________ is a reaction or response of approval or disapproval to another's behaviour or appearance.

A)Deviance
B)Conformity
C)Retreatism
D)A sanction

Question 21

The Panopticon is a metaphor for what Foucault calls

A)a culture of spectacle.
B)a carceral culture.
C)a prison industrial complex.
D)the disciplinary society.

Question 22

Durkheim's theory of deviance (crime) does not address which one of the following questions?

A)Why is deviance present in every society?
B)How can almost any behaviour qualify as deviant?
C)Who decides that a particular activity or appearance is deviant?
D)How is deviance functional for society?

Question 23

__________ are people that have not violated rules of a group and are treated accordingly.

A)Conformists
B)Secret deviants
C)The falsely accused
D)Pure deviants

Question 24

A social arrangement under which the society largely abandons physical and public punishment and replaces it with surveillance to control people's activities and thoughts is known as a

A)culture of spectacle.
B)carceral culture.
C)prison industrial complex.
D)Orwellian culture.

Question 25

Which one of the following statements best corresponds with Durkheim's perspective on deviance?

A)It is impossible for any society to be entirely free of deviance.
B)Behaviour that is unthinkable when an individual is acting on his or her own may be executed without hesitation when carried out under orders.
C)When people become criminals, they do so because of contacts with criminal patterns and because of isolation from non-criminal patterns.
D)Deviance is a consequence not of a particular behaviour but of the application of rules and sanctions.

Question 26

Labelling theorists suggest that for every rule a social group creates, four categories of people exist.Which one of the following is not one of those categories?

A)Conformist
B)Pure deviants
C)Falsely accused
D)Defendants

Question 27

Kai Erikson wrote, 'The critical variable in the study of deviance, then, is the social audience rather than the individual actor since the social audience decides whether or not a behaviour is deviant'.This statement best corresponds with which theory of deviance?

A)Functionalist
B)Labelling theory
C)Differential association
D)Structural strain theory

Question 28

A ______________________ is a social arrangement by which punishment for crimes - torture, disfigurement, dismemberment and execution - is delivered in public settings for all to see.

A)culture of spectacle
B)carceral culture
C)barbaric culture
D)disciplinary society

Question 29

Adolescents at a high school tease a girl because she does not shave her legs.The teasing represents an example of a ______ sanction.

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

Question 30

A student writes, 'I used to sell drugs.I was very careful.I watched who I sold to and didn't take any new customers.I was never caught.' This student can be classified as

A)a conformist.
B)a secret deviant.
C)falsely accused.
D)a pure deviant.

Question 31

___________________ is a method employed to prevent information from reaching some audience.

A)Censorship
B)Surveillance
C)A negative sanction
D)A positive sanction

Question 32

Informal sanctions are

A)backed by the force of law.
B)spontaneous and unofficial expressions of approval or disapproval.
C)group-generated expressions of approval or disapproval.
D)systematic laws, rules and regulations.

Question 33

Durkheim argued that, even among the exemplary, some seemingly insignificant act or appearance will be greeted as deviant, even criminal, because 'it is impossible for everyone to be alike if only because each of us cannot stand in the same spot.' This argument explains why Durkheim believed that

A)deviance and crime are distinct concepts.
B)those in power define what is deviant.
C)there are some societies in which deviance does not exist.
D)deviance is present in all societies.

Question 34

Which one of the following is an assumption underlying the labelling theory?

A)Definitions of deviance are consistent across cultural settings.
B)Rules are enforced uniformly and consistently.
C)Deviants are those whose behaviour people have noticed, labelled as such, and applied sanctions.
D)Deviant behaviour is learned in the same way conforming behaviour is learned.

Question 35

Durkheim's theory of deviance (crime) is written from a __________ perspective.

A)functionalist
B)conflict
C)symbolic interactionist
D)social action

Question 36

Telephone tapping, interception of letters, observations via closed circuit television, and electronic monitoring are examples of

A)censorship.
B)surveillance.
C)conformity.
D)deviance.

Question 37

__________ are people that have broken the rules and are caught, punished and labelled as outsiders.

A)Conformists
B)Secret deviants
C)The falsely accused
D)Pure deviants

Question 38

A social arrangement that normalises surveillance, making it expected and routine is known as a

A)culture of spectacle.
B)carceral culture.
C)prison industrial complex.
D)disciplinary society.

Question 39

Sandile wore hair clips to nursery school.One day, a boy repeatedly told Sandile that 'only girls wear clips'.The incident shows how __________ work as mechanisms of social control.

A)formal positive sanctions
B)informal positive sanctions
C)formal negative sanctions
D)informal negative sanctions

Question 40

Durkheim argued that deviance would be present, even in a 'community of saints in an exemplary and perfect monastery'.This statement suggests that

A)deviance and crime are distinct concepts.
B)those in power define what is deviant.
C)there are some societies in which deviance does not exist.
D)deviance is present in all societies.

Question 41

Which of the following phrases best summarises 'innovation'?

A)Win by the rules of the game.
B)I don't like the game or the rules.
C)Change the rules to win the game.
D)Follow the rules even if you don't win.

Question 42

Prison populations include pure deviants and

A)ritualists.
B)the falsely accused.
C)conformists.
D)secret deviants.

Question 43

Which type of deviants are likely to assume a master status of deviant?

A)Secret deviants
B)Primary deviants
C)Secondary deviants
D)Conformists

Question 44

Structural strain occurs when

A)the valued goals have clear boundaries.
B)the legitimate opportunities to achieve valued goals are open to everyone.
C)the means to achieve goals are unclear.
D)a large segment of the population is young.

Question 45

Stanley Milgram wrote, 'The person who, with inner conviction, loathes stealing, killing, and assault may find himself committing these acts with relative ease.' Under what conditions does Milgram believe this happens?

A)When no one is watching
B)When under the influence of alcohol
C)When the person's life is threatened
D)When commanded by an authority

Question 46

According to Merton's typology of responses associated with structural strain, a university graduate who takes a job packing groceries would be classified as a

A)secret deviant.
B)conformist.
C)ritualist.
D)retreatist.

Question 47

After 11 September 2001, Muslims and Arab Americans have been caught up in a criminal investigation of historical proportions.From a sociological point of view, this criminal investigation qualifies as

A)a moral event.
B)ethnic cleansing.
C)a witch hunt.
D)target practice.

Question 48

Reseachers Michael L.Radelet and Adam Bedau reviewed more than 800 cases of innocent people being convicted of capital crimes, and they found that 56 had

A)made false confessions.
B)had received early parole.
C)admitted guilt.
D)no jury trial.

Question 49

A campaign to identify, investigate and correct behaviour that is believed to undermine a group or a country is known as

A)a moral event.
B)ethnic cleansing.
C)a witch hunt.
D)target practice.

Question 50

Retreatism is a response to structural strain that involves

A)creating new goals and the means to achieving them.
B)accepting both cultural goals and legitimate means to achieving them.
C)accepting cultural goals but rejecting the means to achieving them.
D)rejecting cultural goals and the legitimate means to achieving them.

Question 51

__________ recommended that researchers pay particular attention to rule makers and rule enforcers.

A)Functionalists
B)Labelling theorists
C)Conflict theorists
D)Constructionists

Question 52

To call AIDS a moral problem is to locate its cause in the goodness or badness of human action and to suggest that a solution depends on changing evil ways.To call it a medical problem is to locate its cause in the biological workings of the mind or body and to suggest that a solution rests with a drug, a vaccination or surgery.This contrast in perspective shows

A)labels, examples, and orientation are important because they tend to evoke a particular cause and a particular solution.
B)the harm that results when AIDS is defined as a medical problem.
C)that there is no right way to talk about AIDS.
D)that it is difficult to generate profiles describing why people have AIDS.

Question 53

People whose rule breaking is treated as something so significant that it cannot be overlooked or explained away are known as

A)pure deviants.
B)primary deviants.
C)the falsely accused.
D)secondary deviants.

Question 54

People whose rule breaking is viewed as understandable, incidental or insignificant are known as

A)pure deviants.
B)primary deviants.
C)the falsely accused.
D)conformists

Question 55

According to Robert K.Merton, structural strain exists in the United States because

A)opportunities are open to all.
B)people must go to college in order to become successful.
C)American culture places a high value on social advancement for all its members, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born.
D)the legitimate means to achieve the culturally-valued goals are clearly defined.

Question 56

A person takes on a(n) _______________ when his or her deviant status becomes more important than any other status he or she occupies.

A)label of secret deviant
B)master status of deviant
C)informal status
D)label of confederate

Question 57

_______ are people who have not broken the rules but are treated as if they have.

A)The falsely accused
B)Innovators
C)Secret deviants
D)Conformists

Question 58

__________ are likely to be accused of a crime when the well-being of a country or group is threatened.

A)Pure deviants
B)The falsely accused
C)Secret deviants
D)Conformists

Question 59

When constructionists study the process by which a group or behaviour is defined as a problem to society, they focus on

A)the valued goals and the means to achieve those goals.
B)the rule breaker, rule maker and rule enforcers.
C)responses to structural strain.
D)who makes the claims, whose claims are heard, and how audiences respond.

Question 60

__________________ are people who have broken the rules but whose violation goes unnoticed.

A)Pure deviants
B)The falsely accused
C)Secret deviants
D)Conformists

Question 61

'Claims makers play important roles in defining deviance and responses to it.' This statement is most closely associated with which theory of deviance?

A)Functionalist perspective (as represented by Emile Durkheim)
B)Labelling theory
C)Constructionist approach
D)Structural strain

Question 62

The sociological contribution to deviance is that it focuses on the deviant individual.

Question 63

'Crimes committed by persons of respectability and high social status in the course of their occupations' are called

A)corporate crime.
B)white-collar crime.
C)deviance.
D)the falsely accused.

Question 64

Although mores are considered unchangeable and absolute, they do change.

Question 65

'Criminal behaviour is learned.' This statement is most closely associated with which theory of deviance?

A)Functionalist perspective (as represented by Emile Durkheim)
B)Labelling theory
C)Differential association
D)Structural strain

Question 66

'When persons become criminals, they do so because of contacts with criminal patterns and also because of isolation from anti-criminal influences.' This statement represents an essential assumption that underlies ______________ theories.

A)structural strain
B)differential association
C)labelling
D)constructionist

Question 67

Almost any behaviour or appearance can qualify as deviant under the right circumstances.

Question 68

Ridicule is a formal sanction.

Question 69

'Deviance, especially the ritual of identifying and exposing wrongdoing, determining a punishment, and carrying out a punishment, is an emotional experience that binds together members of groups and establishes a sense of community.' This statement is most closely associated with which theory of deviance?

A)Functionalist perspective (as represented by Emile Durkheim)
B)Labelling theory
C)Differential association
D)Constructionist approach

Question 70

Sociologist Terry Williams finds that to become a successful drug dealer, a youth must learn a number of skills: pleasing the boss, meeting goals, and getting along with associates.These specific findings support

A)labelling theory.
B)differential association.
C)structural strain.
D)the constructionist approach.

Question 71

Conceptions of what is deviant vary across time and place.

Question 72

Which one of the following statements is most closely associated with differential association theory?

A)It is impossible for any society to be entirely free of deviance.
B)Behaviour that is unthinkable in an individual who is acting on his or her own may be executed without hesitation when carried out under orders.
C)When people become criminals, they do so because of contacts with criminal patterns and because of isolation from anti-criminal influences.
D)Deviance is a consequence not of a particular behaviour but of the application of rules and sanctions.

Question 73

'Deviance depends on whether people notice it.' This statement is most closely associated with which theory of deviance?

A)Functionalist perspective (as represented by Emile Durkheim)
B)Labelling theory
C)Constructionist approach
D)Structural strain

Question 74

Which of the following statements is not associated with differential association theory?

A)Criminals constitute a special type of conformist in that they conform to the norms of the group with which they associate.
B)Contact with deviant subcultures alone is responsible for turning people into criminals.
C)Exposure to criminal patterns and isolation from anti-criminal influences put people at risk of turning criminal.
D)People learn criminal behaviour from closely interacting with those who engage in and approve of law-breaking activities.

Question 75

'A deviant individual, whether a thief or revisionist, becomes deviant because of "bad" education or association with "bad" influences.' This statement represents the essential assumptions underlying

A)structural strain theory.
B)differential association theory.
C)labelling theory.
D)constructionist theory.

Question 76

Criminal behaviour is not simply the result of association with criminal ways - other factors such as social settings that offer people the opportunity to commit particular types of crime also play a role.These factors are known as

A)differential associations.
B)juvenile delinquency.
C)illegitimate opportunity structures.
D)corporate crimes.

Question 77

'Deviance is likely to be high when the legitimate opportunities for meeting the culturally-valued goals are closed to a significant portion of people.' This statement is most closely associated with which theory of deviance?

A)Labelling theory
B)Differential association
C)Constructionist approach
D)Structural strain

Question 78

Sanctions can be positive or negative.

Question 79

Jabu Sihtole, who works for East Rand Labs., pleaded guilty to submitting false lab analyses of contamination at 'clean up' sites.East Rand Labs charged companies R60 000 for these analyses.Sithole submitted false results because she wanted return business.She committed a(n)

A)corporate crime.
B)act of retreatism.
C)white-collar crime.
D)act of rebellion.

Question 80

The theory of differential association focuses on

A)how a person comes to learn the norms of a deviant subculture.
B)how an act comes to be labelled as deviant.
C)the function of deviance.
D)obedience to authority.