Question 1

Members of___________ seek to acquire a "rep" (reputation) by fighting over "turf" (territory) and adopting a value system of toughness, courage, and similar qualities.

Accepted Answer

Conflict gangs are characterized by their focus on acquiring a reputation through fighting over territory and valuing toughness and courage.

Question 2

According to Merton's strain theory, ___________occurs when people abandon both the approved goals and the approved means of achieving them.

Accepted Answer

Retreatism is the response that occurs when individuals give up on both the goals and means of society. They often turn to drug and alcohol abuse or may become homeless as a way of escaping societal pressures. Rebellion occurs when individuals reject societal goals and means and substitute their own, often through violent means. Ritualism occurs when individuals continue to use the approved means but are no longer interested in achieving the goals. Conformity occurs when individuals accept both the goals and means of society.

Question 3

Sometimes people give up on societal goals but still adhere to the socially approved means for achieving them; Merton termed this ___________.

Accepted Answer

Merton termed this behavior as ritualism, where individuals give up on societal goals but still adhere to the socially approved means for achieving them.

Question 4

According to Merton's strain theory,___________occurs when people challenge both the approved goals and the approved means for achieving them yet advocate an alternative set of goals or means.

Accepted Answer

Rebellion occurs when individuals reject both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means and instead advocate an alternative set of goals and means. This involves challenging and trying to change the existing social structure.

Question 5

___________argue that the lifestyles considered deviant by political and economic elites are most likely to be defined as illegal.

Accepted Answer

Conflict theorists argue that the political and economic elites use their power to define what is considered deviant and illegal. They do this to maintain their power and control over society. This means that the lifestyles considered deviant by these elites are likely to be defined as illegal, even if they are not inherently harmful to others.

Question 6

Sociologists ___________suggested that, for deviance to occur, people must have access to illegitimate opportunity structures-circumstances that provide an opportunity for people to acquire through illegitimate activities what they cannot achieve through legitimate channels.

Accepted Answer

Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin were the sociologists who introduced the concept of illegitimate opportunity structures in their theory of differential opportunity. They posited that in some neighborhoods and communities, individuals may have limited access to legitimate career opportunities, but may have easier access to criminal or deviant activities as a means of achieving the same goals. This theory helps to explain why certain areas may have higher rates of delinquency and crime. Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales were known for their work in structural-functionalism, Herbert Spencer was known for social Darwinism, and Auguste Comte was known for positivism. Carl Taylor and Anne Campbell have contributed to criminology, but are not known for the concept of illegitimate opportunity structures.

Question 7

A minister who is opposed to war conducts a nonviolent protest at a local military installation, thus committing a trespassing violation. Applying Merton's typology from strain theory, this behavior is an example of___________ .

Accepted Answer

Rebellion, according to Merton's typology, refers to the rejection of cultural goals and means, and the creation of alternative ones. In this case, the minister opposes war (a cultural goal) and chooses to engage in nonviolent protest (a cultural means) as an alternative to traditional modes of behavior. This behavior can be seen as an act of rebellion against the dominant cultural norms.

Question 8

According to functionalists, acts of civil disobedience (including lunch counter sit-ins and bus boycotts) exemplify which function of deviance?

Accepted Answer

According to functionalists, deviance can promote social change by challenging the status quo and bringing attention to issues of inequality and injustice. Acts of civil disobedience like lunch counter sit-ins and bus boycotts are examples of deviance that promote social change by challenging discriminatory laws and policies.

Question 9

Cloward and Ohlin identified three basic gang types based on the type of illegitimate opportunity structure available in a specific area. The___________ is devoted to theft, extortion, and other illegal means of securing an income.

Accepted Answer

Cloward and Ohlin's criminal gang is focused on illegal means of gaining income, such as theft and extortion. The other options, retreatist, conflict, and rebellist gangs, have different focuses such as drug use, fighting, or rebellion against authority.

Question 10

According to Merton's ___________theory, people feel tension when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals.

Accepted Answer

Merton's strain theory states that when individuals are unable to achieve cultural goals through legitimate means, they may experience strain or tension, which can result in deviant behavior. This is because they are unable to achieve the success that society has deemed important, leading them to resort to alternative methods such as criminal activity to obtain those goals.

Question 11

Based on their research, sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin identified three basic gang types on the basis of the type of illegitimate opportunity structure available in a specific area. Which of these is not one of the types they identified?

Accepted Answer

Cloward and Ohlin identified three basic gang types: criminal gangs that focus on traditional forms of organized crime, such as drug trafficking and burglary; conflict gangs that arise when there is limited access to legitimate or illegitimate opportunities and violence is used to achieve status and power; and retreatist gangs that consist of individuals who have failed in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunities and often turn to drug and alcohol abuse. They did not identify a rebellist gang type.

Question 12

According to Merton's strain theory, ___________occurs when people accept culturally approved goals and pursue them through approved means.

Accepted Answer

According to Merton's strain theory, conformity occurs when individuals accept the culturally approved goals and pursue them through approved means such as education, hard work, and following the rules. This is considered the most common response to the strain of wanting to achieve success but facing limitations such as poverty or lack of opportunities.

Question 13

According to Merton's strain theory, ___________occurs when people accept society's goals but adopt disapproved means for achieving them.

Accepted Answer

According to Merton's strain theory, innovation occurs when people cannot achieve society's goals through approved means (such as hard work and education) and instead turn to disapproved means (such as crime and deviance) to achieve those goals. Conformity refers to individuals who accept society's goals and also adopt approved means to achieve them. Rebellion involves rejecting both society's goals and means, while ritualism involves abandoning society's goals but continuing to use approved means to achieve them.

Question 14

A socioeconomically disadvantaged teenager decides that she must resort to crime in order to buy some clothes she wants. This teenager's behavior is an example of___________ .

Accepted Answer

Innovation refers to a form of adaptation to strain where individuals accept the goals of society but reject the legitimate means to achieve those goals. In this case, the teenager accepts the goal of having nice clothes but feels that they cannot achieve it through legitimate means due to their socioeconomic status, leading them to resort to crime as an innovative way to reach their goals.

Question 15

Applying Merton's strain theory, skid-row alcoholics and drug addicts illustrate the concept of ___________.

Accepted Answer

Skid-row alcoholics and drug addicts are retreating from society as they have given up on the social goal of success and have rejected society's means of achieving it. They are not rebelling against society or creating new means to achieve success (innovation). They are also not ritualistic in their behavior as they have given up on societal norms and rituals.

Question 16

Gangs provide members with a means of attaining higher status and material rewards that may otherwise seem unavailable to them. Cloward and Ohlin have coined the concept of___________ to refer to this.

Accepted Answer

Cloward and Ohlin's concept of illegitimate opportunity structures refers to the idea that some individuals may turn to criminal activity in order to attain status and material rewards that may not be accessible through legitimate means such as education or employment. Gang involvement may provide such opportunities for individuals who are unable to access them through other means.

Question 17

Drug use and addiction is prevalent within ___________gangs that are unable to gain success through legitimate means and are unwilling to do so through illegal ones.

Accepted Answer

Retreatist gangs are those that fail to achieve success through legitimate means and also reject illegal paths to success, often turning to drug use and addiction as a form of retreat from societal expectations.

Question 18

A young woman graduates from high school with honors and attends a prestigious university, where she completes her degree; she gets a good job; she marries and starts planning for the future. This woman's behavior is an example of ____________.

Accepted Answer

The woman's behavior demonstrates conformity, as she follows societal norms and expectations by pursuing education, career, and marriage.

Question 19

According to Cloward and Ohlin,___________ gangs emerge in communities that do not provide either legitimate or illegitimate opportunities.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Cloward and Ohlin,___________ gangs emerge...

Question 20

Merton described how people adapt to cultural goals and the approved ways of achieving them through ___________.

Accepted Answer

Merton's theory of strain suggests that when societal goals are emphasized more than the legitimate means to achieve them, individuals may adapt by using unconventional, innovative means to achieve the goals. This adaptation is called innovation. The other options (resignation, competition, deviation) are not directly related to Merton's theory of strain.

Quiz 8: Global Stratification