Deck 7: Deviance and Crime

Question 1

In Canada today, marijuana users may be subject to formal punishment.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The difference between male and female youth crime rates in Canada is decreasing.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Capital punishment has never been used in Canada.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Moral panics benefit nobody.

Question 5

Some societies are deviance-free.

Question 6

According to Merton, most people exposed to strain between cultural goals and social reality will engage in conformity.

Question 7

The main rationale for incarceration in Canada is rehabilitation.

Question 8

Relatively powerful groups can only rarely create norms and laws that suit their interests.

Question 9

The crime severity index is not as good as traditional crime rates in measuring changes in crime over time.

Question 10

Types of deviance and crime are classified according to several factors, including the severity of societal response.

Question 11

The Canadian Criminal Code recommends diversionary measures especially for Aboriginals.

Question 12

White-collar crime is underdetected, underprosecuted, and underconvicted because it is the crime of the powerful and the well-to-do.

Question 13

Under pressure from recent criticism, the NHL has banned violence during hockey games.

Question 14

White-collar crimes are mostly committed by people from the lower classes.

Question 15

Labelling theory holds that deviance results not only from the actions of the deviant but also from the responses of others.

Question 16

Deviance and crime are socially constructed.

Question 17

According to Durkheim, deviance is dysfunctional and societies should strive to eliminate it.

Question 18

Female youth are more likely to be accused of a crime than adult women in Canada.

Question 19

The gender gap in likelihood of arrest is not closing.

Question 20

Nelson Mandela's behaviour in the past is still considered to be deviant today.

Question 21

Official crime statistics are not regarded as completely accurate because not all crimes get reported.According to the textbook, what is the other reason why crime statistics may be inaccurate?

A)because enforcement of crimes is subject to political pressure and legal changes
B)because many people report only incomplete information about crimes
C)because much of the information collected by police is later found to be fabricated or untrue
D)because some crimes are not crimes at all, but are merely acts of deviance

Question 22

Imprisonment is one of the main forms of punishment in industrial societies.

Question 23

Janis has no money to buy groceries for her children, and shoplifts some bread and cheese from the local grocery store.What type of crime is Janis guilty of committing?

A)a victimless crime
B)a white-collar crime
C)a street crime
D)an irrational crime

Question 24

Which classical theorist believed that deviance was functional for society?

A)Karl Marx
B)Max Weber
C)Emile Durkheim
D)Harriet Martineau

Question 25

The crime rate for Aboriginals is the highest of any identifiable group in Canada.

Question 26

Which of the following is an accurate reflection of reported crime rates in Canada between 2002 and 2012?

A)It fell sharply in the early part of this period and then levelled off.
B)It rose sharply in the early part of this period and then levelled off.
C)It has continued to fall gradually.
D)It has continued to rise gradually.

Question 27

Self-report surveys show that a majority of Canadians have engaged in crime.

Question 28

Conrad Black, a Canadian media mogul, was sentenced in 2007 to 6.5 years in a Florida prison for fraud totalling $2.9 million in misappropriated funds.Of what type of crime was he found guilty?

A)a victimless crime
B)a white-collar crime
C)an elite crime
D)an office crime

Question 29

Willie is from a poor home and dreams of becoming a doctor.His grades are not good enough to gain entrance to university, so he gives up his dream and works a series of menial jobs for the rest of his life.In strain theory terms, what is Willie?

A)a ritualist
B)a conformist
C)a retreatist
D)a rebel

Question 30

Drug traffickers sometimes state in their defence that they do not force individuals to use illegal drugs.Which of the following types of crime do they thus claim to engage in?

A)victimless crimes
B)offenderless crimes
C)individual crimes
D)collective crimes

Question 31

White-collar crimes result in many prosecutions and still more convictions.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a criterion by which a community defines an action as deviant or criminal?

A)perceived harmfulness
B)actual harmfulness
C)severity of social response
D)degree of public agreement

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT an important difference between conflict crimes and consensus crimes?

A)perceived harmfulness
B)degree of public agreement
C)severity of social response
D)actual harmfulness

Question 34

Which of the following terms describes behaviours such as frowning at someone, calling a person a bad name, or looking away from a person when the person commits an unacceptable action?

A)deviance
B)stigmatization
C)informal punishment
D)criminalization

Question 35

Which of the following best exemplifies internal social control?

A)parents explaining to a student why school success is important
B)parents "grounding" a student who has failed a test
C)a student's attitude that learning is important
D)a low grade on a test the student has not prepared for

Question 36

Many sociologists conclude that the late 1990s moral panic about "the nasty girl"-an alleged increase in violent crime perpetrated by female adolescents-was unfounded.Which of the following facts about Canadian society at the time could they use to support this conclusion?

A)Rates of violent crime in Canada were falling.
B)Increasing gender equality had no such negative effect.
C)Crimes committed by female adolescents were harmful, but not violent.
D)Proportion of violent crimes committed by women was falling in comparison to those committed by men.

Question 37

A central question of control theory is: "Why doesn't everyone engage in deviant behaviour?"

Question 38

Which of the following terms refers to acts of deviance that are formally defined as illegal but are subject to a great deal of societal disagreement about their illegality?

A)social deviations
B)social diversions
C)conflict crimes
D)consensus crimes

Question 39

According to the textbook, increasing social control is tied to the growth of capitalism and which other historical change?

A)growth of the state
B)growth of religion
C)growth of agriculture
D)growth of service economy

Question 40

Because they report street crime more accurately than suite crime, official crime statistics underreport crime involving lower classes.

Question 41

In the past, people who committed various crimes were paraded through the village and detained in full view of the public, where villagers could hurl insults and worse at them.From a functionalist perspective, what purpose did the public nature of this practice serve?

A)maintaining moral boundaries
B)providing an outlet for pent-up aggression
C)alerting the public about who the criminals were
D)saving money, as no money was required to build prisons

Question 42

Melissa has been sentenced to community service for her crimes instead of imprisonment.Which of the following terms would most likely be used by critics to describe the application of this form of criminal sanction?

A)excarceration
B)incarceration
C)transcarceration
D)decarceration

Question 43

Natasha is from a poor home and dreams of becoming a doctor.She has excellent grades, but not the money required for eight years or more of university.She numbs the pain of having to give up her dream by abusing alcohol and eventually crystal meth, losing the ability to hold any kind of job.In strain theory terms, what is Natasha?

A)a ritualist
B)an innovator
C)a retreatist
D)a rebel

Question 44

Enrique is an openly gay man living in Toronto.However, during visits to his parents in a small town in Ontario, Enrique conceals his gay identity.What is Enrique trying to avoid?

A)formal punishment
B)stigmatization
C)deviance
D)crime

Question 45

Which of the following views of punishment is characterized by the idea that if criminals understand that they will lose their freedom if imprisoned, their involvement in criminal acts will cease?

A)deterrence
B)incapacitation
C)revenge
D)rehabilitation

Question 46

Katherine and Jamie report the death of their six-month-old baby from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).Investigation reveals that they have smothered the baby with a pillow.What type of deviance have they engaged in?

A)social diversion
B)social deviation
C)conflict crime
D)consensus crime

Question 47

Which of the following has resulted in changes in Canadian laws on violence against women since 1970?

A)increasing power of women
B)increasing power of men
C)decreasing power of women
D)decreasing power of men

Question 48

According to the textbook, what is formed by a group of criminals who create their own distinct norms, values, and codes of behaviour?

A)an innovation
B)a subculture
C)a confirmation group
D)a deviant faction

Question 49

Which of the following views of punishment is characterized by the idea that if criminals are imprisoned they will not be free to do more harm to society?

A)deterrence
B)incapacitation
C)revenge
D)rehabilitation

Question 50

Which of the following views of punishment is characterized by the idea that if criminals are imprisoned, they will learn how to become better and more productive members of society?

A)deterrence
B)incapacitation
C)revenge
D)rehabilitation

Question 51

Knowing that there is a sizeable movement for decriminalization of marijuana in Canada, which of the following types of deviance does smoking marijuana represent?

A)social diversion
B)social deviation
C)conflict crime
D)consensus crime

Question 52

According to the textbook, what has increased gender equality resulted in?

A)higher rates of women as victims of crime
B)higher rates of men as victims of crime
C)higher rates of female offenders
D)higher rates of male offenders

Question 53

According to the textbook, when did social scientists and others begin to recognize crimes against women such as sexual assault?

A)the 1950s
B)the 1970s
C)the 1990s
D)the 2000s

Question 54

All of the following exemplify external social control EXCEPT which one?

A)community service imposed on a shoplifter
B)feelings of guilt for disobeying one's parents
C)gossip about a person who has betrayed a friend's trust
D)a gift from parents to a student who has successfully completed a school year

Question 55

Which of the following does the textbook note as the most controversial explanation of changing crime rates in Canada?

A)the legalization of abortion
B)the aging of the population
C)the decrease in unemployment
D)the increase in law enforcement efforts

Question 56

Which of the following refers to minor acts of deviance?

A)social diversions
B)social deviations
C)conflict crimes
D)consensus crimes

Question 57

Which of the following terms refers to acts of deviance that are widely believed to be harmful to everyone?

A)social deviations
B)social diversions
C)conflict crimes
D)consensus crimes

Question 58

Official crime statistics are often supplemented by all EXCEPT which of the following?

A)indirect measures
B)direct observation
C)self-report surveys
D)victimization surveys

Question 59

According to Spitzer, which of the following pillars of capitalism do bag-ladies and trade unionists both challenge?

A)private ownership of property
B)availability of labour
C)respect for political authority
D)universal human rights

Question 60

Jason is 14 years old and wishes to join a gang, in which his elder brother Joe is already a member.Which of the following theories would best explain Jason's wish?

A)learning theory
B)labelling theory
C)acculturation theory
D)resocialization theory

Question 61

According to Merton, which social category besides criminals engages in innovation in a situation of strain?

A)drug addicts
B)business geniuses
C)bureaucrats
D)hippies

Question 62

What does the research on racialization demonstrate with regard to police searches of vehicles?

A)Police are particularly suspicious of black people who are successful by conventional cultural standards.
B)Police are especially suspicious of poor South Asian youth who drive expensive vehicles.
C)Police are particularly suspicious of well-to-do white people who drive expensive vehicles.
D)Police are particularly suspicious of poor, uneducated white people.

Question 63

Terry has been diagnosed with a mental disorder.At times, he shouts at people on the street for imagined trespasses, but they rarely react.What kind of deviance is Terry exhibiting?

A)conflict crime
B)social diversion
C)consensus crime
D)social deviation

Question 64

Presentation of teenage sexual transgressions in the film Easy A, discussed in the textbook, is most consistent with which theorist's conception of deviance?

A)Marx
B)Becker
C)Durkheim
D)Merton

Question 65

Which of the following theorists developed the strain theory of deviance?

A)Robert Merton
B)Travis Hirschi
C)Howard Becker
D)Steven Spitzer

Question 66

Which of the following proposals for reform of the Canadian penal system is based on insights of the labelling theory of deviance?

A)diversion from the criminal justice system
B)expansion of the Canadian prison system
C)rehabilitation during a prison term
D)removal of parole from Canadian law

Question 67

By introducing "zero tolerance" policies against violence, Canadian schools have entered a field of social control previously enacted by police.Which of the following theorists would best explain this change?

A)Hirschi
B)Merton
C)Durkheim
D)Foucault

Question 68

Which of the following is the definition of a crime?

A)rule-breaking behaviour
B)breaking rules to gain respect from others
C)breaking rules that get a negative response from others
D)breaking rules that are formally enacted as laws

Question 69

Which of the following groups is the most overrepresented in Canadian prisons?

A)South Asians
B)Aboriginals
C)the working class
D)the upper class

Question 70

In comparison to official crime statistics, how much "less serious crime" is reported using self-report measures?

A)at least twice as much
B)at least ten times as much
C)approximately half as much
D)approximately the same amount

Question 71

Approximately what proportion of Canadians have committed some type of crime?

A)Only about one-tenth of Canadians have ever committed some type of crime.
B)About one-third of Canadians have committed some type of crime.
C)About one-half of Canadians have committed some type of crime.
D)Most Canadians have committed some type of crime.

Question 72

From the sociological standpoint, what is interesting about the moral panic about crime occurring in Canada in recent years?

A)Most criminals do not prey on people randomly.
B)Criminals are becoming increasingly selective about who their targets will be.
C)The overall crime rate has been decreasing.
D)Violent crimes have been increasing while property crimes have been decreasing.

Question 73

Tommy is a young man who has been caught breaking into a home in order to steal electronics.According to the textbook, in which country does he have the highest probability of being incarcerated for his actions?

A)Canada
B)United States
C)China
D)Russia

Question 74

Need is to street crime as greed is to which of the following?

A)white-collar crime
B)breaking and entering
C)drug trafficking
D)property crime

Question 75

People who break a cultural norm are considered to be which of the following?

A)deviants
B)criminals
C)conformists
D)inherently immoral

Question 76

Which of the following refers to semi-serious acts of deviance that are subject to institutional control?

A)social deviations
B)social diversions
C)conflict crimes
D)consensus crimes

Question 77

Rebecca is from a poor home and dreams of becoming a doctor.She has excellent grades, but not the money required for eight years or more of university.She works part-time at a restaurant, but decides to supplement her income by selling drugs to her co-workers as well.In strain theory terms, what is Rebecca?

A)a ritualist
B)an innovator
C)a retreatist
D)a rebel

Question 78

According to conflict theories, people who engage in which of the following activities are most likely to be criminalized?

A)anti-globalization protests
B)insider trading
C)cutting corners regarding worker safety
D)bribing politicians

Question 79

Which of the following is the criterion that determines how terrible a community believes a deviant action to be?

A)perceived harmfulness
B)degree of public agreement
C)severity of social response
D)actual harmfulness

Question 80

Which of the following do most people ignore when trying to explain the high levels of incarceration among certain ethnic groups?

A)inherent racial differences
B)cultural differences in definition of crime
C)social disruptions, such as colonialism
D)differences in IQ between ethnic groups