Deck 1: Introduction to Criminology

Question 1

The field that attempts to define, explain, and predict criminal behavior is known as ______.

A) criminalistics
B) applied criminology
C) criminology
D) theology

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Criminology is concerned with all of the following except for ______.

A) analyzing the phenomena of crime and criminality
B) performing scientifically accurate studies
C) developing sound theoretical explanations of crime and criminal behavior
D) scientific evaluation of physical evidence

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following statements pertaining to criminology is true?

A) The field of criminology concentrates on the physical evidence of crime.
B) Related areas of inquiry in criminology may include juvenile delinquency and victimology.
C) Societal reaction to criminal activity is not a concern of criminologists.
D) Criminology is occupied with practical, applied concerns, such as technical aspects of policing and correction.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Most of the modern-day developments in criminology have taken place in which country?

A) England
B) Italy
C) Spain
D) United States

Question 5

Which of the following crimes was considered to be a major problem in the '60s?

A) robbery
B) murder
C) arson
D) skyjacking

Question 6

The early writings of ______, including his famous essay, On Crimes and Punishments, led to the reform of criminal law in Western Europe.

A) Auguste Comte
B) Emile Durkheim
C) Edwin Sutherland
D) Cesare Beccaria

Question 7

Which stage of the progression of knowledge is the use of philosophy, rationality, and logical argument to explain crime most reflective of?

A) theological
B) metaphysical
C) scientific
D) futuristic

Question 8

Criminology is considered a sub-discipline of ______.

A) biology
B) psychology
C) sociology
D) theology

Question 9

According to French sociologist Auguste Comte, the last stage of the progression of knowledge is ______.

A) theological
B) metaphysical
C) scientific
D) postmodernism

Question 10

Prior to the emergence of modern criminal law in the eighteenth century, which of the following was considered the primary basis of social control beyond kinship organization?

A) science
B) education
C) politics
D) religion

Question 11

Behavior that is outside the range of normal societal toleration is best described as ______.

A) criminal
B) deviant
C) felonious
D) mala in se

Question 12

Definitions of deviance are relative to all of the following except for ______.

A) time
B) place
C) person
D) crime

Question 13

Practices and beliefs that are prized by or believed to be of benefit to the group are referred to as ______.

A) practical beliefs
B) cultural universals
C) societal values
D) cultural values

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of a person violating a folkway?

A) openly expressing distaste for a meal you are being served at a friend's house
B) copying answers from a friend's homework assignment
C) stealing a car to go joyriding
D) killing a bartender in a botched robbery attempt

Question 15

Mores are ______.

A) norms that are preferred, but carry no serious consequences if broken
B) the comprehensive set of morals in a given society
C) strong norms that carry sanctions/punishment if broken
D) always codified into law

Question 16

The least serious norms that refer to usages, traditions, customs, or niceties are referred to as ______.

A) values
B) laws
C) mores
D) folkways

Question 17

Which of the following represents a formal mode of control?

A) Laws
B) Rules
C) Mores
D) Folkways

Question 18

Corporate violence, racism, structured inequality, and systematic wrongdoing by political officials are examples of ______.

A) overcriminalization
B) undercriminalization
C) felonies
D) misdemeanors

Question 19

______ involves the overextension of criminal law to cover acts that are inappropriately or not responsibly enforced by such measures.

A) Overcriminalization
B) Undercriminalization
C) Deviance
D) Prohibition

Question 20

Gambling is an example of an act that is ______.

A) mala in se
B) mala prohibita
C) a violation of all norms
D) considered deviant

Question 21

Being arrested for possession of marijuana would be best described as an act ______.

A) that is mala in se
B) that is mala prohibita
C) that violates folkways
D) of deviance

Question 22

Driving 26 miles per hour in an area where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour would be best described as an act ______.

A) mala in se
B) mala prohibita
C) of overcriminalization
D) of felonious proportions

Question 23

Prohibition had the intended goal of forbidding alcohol consumption to reduce substance abuse. This intended goal is an example of ______.

A) a manifest function of the law
B) a latent function of the law
C) mala in se
D) undercriminalization

Question 24

As society becomes increasingly complex and heterogeneous, which of the following is typically true of society's efforts to maintain order?

A) Society becomes increasingly reliant on informal methods of social control.
B) Society becomes increasingly reliant on formal, codified laws.
C) Society becomes entirely reliant upon police and the criminal justice system.
D) Society becomes more reliant on religious organizations.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of laws?

A) Laws are the most efficient means of social control.
B) Laws define which behaviors classify as "deviant" in a given society.
C) Laws can be enforced by either political or moral authorities.
D) Laws become more common when informal methods of social control are weakened.

Question 26

Prohibition had the unintended effect of increasing corruption, disobedience, and public disrespect for the law. This unintended effect is an example of ______.

A) a manifest function of law
B) latent function of law
C) mala in se
D) mens rea

Question 27

Gemeinschaft refers to ______.

A) a communal society that predominantly relies on informal methods of social control
B) a heterogeneous society in which codified laws are necessary to maintain control
C) a view that holds that law is a means of preserving the status quo on behalf of the powerful
D) a person who has a strong knowledge of law and criminal justice procedures

Question 28

The residents of Country X have diverse viewpoints regarding which behaviors are considered moral. People in this society tend to be individualistic, which may be a product of the economic structure, which is characterized by extensive division of labor. Country X would be considered a ______ society.

A) Gemeinschaft
B) Gesellschaft
C) theocratic
D) communal

Question 29

Famed sociologist Émile Durkheim argued that crime is normal. By this, he meant that ______.

A) criminals should be viewed no differently than non-criminals within society
B) criminal labels are arbitrary and serve no function in society; thus, criminal law should be abolished
C) a positive product, a functional necessity in a healthy society
D) crime is so pervasive in society that it becomes normalized

Question 30

Which of the following is a characteristic of Gesellschaft societies?

A) simple
B) normative consensus
C) heterogeneous
D) communal

Question 31

Which of the following is considered a characteristic of Gemeinschaft societies?

A) associational
B) complex
C) homogenous
D) individualistic

Question 32

Intended, planned, or anticipated consequences of introduced changes or of existing social arrangements are referred to as ______.

A) latent functions
B) manifest functions
C) mores
D) norms

Question 33

Which of the following entail unintended or unanticipated consequences, ones that may have either positive or negative outcomes?

A) latent functions
B) manifest functions
C) mores
D) norms

Question 34

The argument that drug laws are a tool for the wealthy to control the dangerous classes is consistent with the ______ view of crime.

A) conflict
B) purist legal
C) consensus
D) metaphysical

Question 35

The belief that criminal law originates from an agreement among members of society is consistent with ______ perspective.

A) consensus
B) conflict
C) interactionist
D) functionalist

Question 36

Which of the following schools of thought views humans as responding to abstract meanings and symbols as well as to concrete meanings?

A) consensus
B) conflict
C) interactionist
D) functionalist

Question 37

Which of the following theories views criminality as a stigma attached by a societal reaction that is subject to shifting standards?

A) anomie
B) strain
C) labeling
D) differential association

Question 38

______ laws are considered inappropriate.

A) Civil
B) Mala in se
C) Ex post facto
D) Actus reus

Question 39

The act itself, or the physical element, is referred to as the ______.

A) actus reus
B) mens rea
C) ex post facto
D) nullum crimen sine lege

Question 40

A particular crime is punishable by five years in prison; this crime is most likely ______.

A) a misdemeanor
B) a felony
C) a folkway
D) mens rea

Question 41

All of the following are characteristics of criminal law except ______.

A) it is assumed by political authority
B) it contains penal sanctions
C) it is uniformly applied
D) it must be administered by federal authorities

Question 42

Which of the following statements regarding the crime problem is true?

A) Political regimes have rendered countries exempt from crime.
B) Lower levels of crime have become established as a reflux of affluence.
C) There has been an obvious increase in crime internationally since World War II.
D) It is easy to measure economic costs of crime.

Question 43

The cost of crime is in the ______.

A) hundreds
B) thousands
C) millions
D) billions

Question 44

Which of the following has been ranked as the criminal world's greatest source of income?

A) human trafficking
B) sale of illegal weapons
C) sale of illegal narcotics
D) white-collar crime

Question 45

Economic assessments of crime include which of the following?

A) loss of productivity
B) corporate price-fixing
C) medical and health care costs
D) pain and suffering

Question 46

Criminology is generally defined as the science or discipline that studies crime and criminal behavior.

Question 47

Criminology is a sub-discipline of sociology.

Question 48

The field of criminalistics is focused on the scientific evaluation of physical evidence.

Question 49

The fields of criminal justice and criminology are highly complementary and interrelated.

Question 50

The progression of knowledge consists of three stages: theological, metaphysical, and cultural.

Question 51

The scientific orientation of the progression of knowledge uses supernatural or otherworldly bases for understanding reality.

Question 52

Criminology, as a field of inquiry, had its beginnings in the United States.

Question 53

Despite its American roots, most of the major developments in modern criminology took place in Europe.

Question 54

"Deviant behavior" is defined as "behavior which is in violation of written laws."

Question 55

Deviance refers to a broad range of activities that the majority in society may view as eccentric, dangerous, annoying, bizarre, outlandish, gross, abhorrent, etc.

Question 56

Definitions of deviance are relative to the time, place, and person(s) making the evaluation.

Question 57

All societies have cultural values.

Question 58

In decades past, societies possessed cultural values that were practices and beliefs intended to benefit a group of people. Cultural values do not hold the same level of importance today.

Question 59

Folkways refer to serious customs that involve moral judgments as well as sanctions.

Question 60

Folkways refer to usages, traditions, customs, or niceties that are preferred but are not subject to serious sanctions, such as manners.

Question 61

Mores represent formal modes of control, codified rules of behavior.

Question 62

Mores refer to more serious customs that involve moral judgments as well as sanctions (rewards or punishments).

Question 63

Norms represent formal modes of control, codified rules of behavior.

Question 64

Laws represent informal methods of attempting to assure social control.

Question 65

Practicing bad manners such as putting elbows on the table while eating is an example of Sumner's mores.

Question 66

Gambling is an act that would be considered mala prohibita.

Question 67

Murder, rape, and assault are crimes and acts that are considered mala in se.

Question 68

Overcriminalization involves the overextension of civil law to cover acts that are inappropriately or not responsibly enforced by such measures.

Question 69

When the criminal law fails to prohibit acts that many feel are mala in se, it is a phenomenon known as undercriminalization.

Question 70

Not all deviant acts are criminal nor are all criminal acts necessarily deviant.

Question 71

As society becomes more complex, it becomes increasingly reliant on informal methods of social control to maintain order.

Question 72

Latent functions entail unintended or unanticipated consequences, ones that may have either positive or negative outcomes.

Question 73

Manifest functions are intended, planned, or anticipated consequences of introduced changes or of existing social arrangements.

Question 74

Durkheim's theory of the functional necessity of crime proposes that wrongdoing or crime serves to force societal members to react, condemn, and thus establish the borders of society and reconfirm its values.

Question 75

Status offenses generally refer to offenses punishable by a year or more in a state or federal prison.

Question 76

A purist legal view of crime would define it as violation of criminal law

Question 77

The law contains penal sanctions enforced by punishments administered by the state.

Question 78

The Consensus Model reflects the social control theory of Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau.

Question 79

The interactionist model of law says that crime is defined by abstract meanings and symbols and is a label assigned by society.

Question 80

The interactionist model sees the criminal law as originating in the conflict of interests of different groups.