Question 1

Scientists seek:
A) naturalistic explanations
B) spiritual explanations
C) political explanations
D) religious explanations
E) ideological explanations

Accepted Answer

Scientists seek naturalistic explanations, which means explanations based on natural phenomena and scientific evidence rather than supernatural or mystical explanations.

Question 2

The most important factor in social disorganization theory is very closely related to one of routine activity theory's key explanatory variable.
A) socioeconomic status
B) a rigid belief system
C) the number of mental defectives living in a neighborhood
D) absence of a capable guardian
E) one's belief in the capacity to rise in the economic hierarchy

Accepted Answer

The most important factor in social disorganization theory is the absence of a capable guardian, which means that there is no one present to supervise and control individuals in a community. This is closely related to one of routine activity theory's key explanatory variables, which is the presence or absence of a capable guardian. This means that the absence of a capable guardian increases the likelihood of crime because there is no one to stop potential offenders.

Question 3

Which of the following is an empirical question and hence, a scientific question?
A) Which political system is the best one?
B) Does God exist?
C) Is this painting more beautiful than that one?
D) Which politician is the best one?
E) None of the above; all are unscientific questions

Accepted Answer

All the options listed (A, B, C, D) involve subjective judgments or are philosophical/theological in nature, which cannot be empirically tested or measured using scientific methods. Therefore, they are considered unscientific questions.

Question 4

Explanatory theories attempt mainly to account for deviant:
A) behavior
B) beliefs
C) physical conditions
D) psychiatric conditions
E) None of the above

Accepted Answer

Explanatory theories are designed to account for deviant behavior, not beliefs, physical conditions, or psychiatric conditions.

Question 5

What is the central explanatory factor of social control theory?
A) deviant socialization
B) absence of bonds to conventional society
C) a disjunction between the culture, which stresses success motivation, and society's social and economic structure
D) inadequate parenting
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

The central explanatory factor of social control theory is the absence of bonds to conventional society. This theory suggests that individuals are more likely to engage in deviant behavior when they lack social bonds to family, peers, school, and other social institutions that promote conformity to society's norms and values. When these bonds are weak or absent, individuals have less to lose by engaging in deviant behavior and may be more likely to do so.

Question 6

What is the central explanatory factor of self-control theory?
A) inadequate parenting
B) deviant socialization
C) absence of bonds to conventional society
D) a disjunction between the culture, which stresses success motivation, and society's social and economic structure
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the central explanatory factor of...

Question 7

Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi, who devised "self-control" theory, argue that the theory does not apply to:
A) drug use
B) delinquency
C) street crime
D) white collar or corporate crime
E) none of the above; they explicitly state that their theory applies to all of the above

Accepted Answer

Gottfredson and Hirschi's self-control theory posits that low self-control is a key factor underlying criminal and analogous behaviors. They argue that this theory is broadly applicable, including to drug use, delinquency, street crime, and white-collar or corporate crime.

Question 8

Positivistic theories of deviance are centrally concerned with an answer to the question:
A) Why are some rule violators punished while conformists remain unpunished?
B) Why are rules that condemn certain behaviors or beliefs enforced?
C) Why do rules against certain behaviors or beliefs exist in the first place?
D) How do people who are stigmatized and punished experience that stigmatization and punishment?
E) Why do some people engage in deviance?

Accepted Answer

Positivistic theories of deviance focus on understanding why individuals engage in deviant behavior, looking for causes or factors that explain the occurrence of deviance.

Question 9

"Crime takes place as a consequence of the conjunction of a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian." This statement best exemplifies which of the following theories or perspectives?
A) routine activities theory
B) social control theory
C) social disorganization theory
D) anomie/strain theory
E) differential association theory

Accepted Answer

The statement is a central idea of routine activities theory, which suggests that opportunities for crime arise when three elements align: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian. This theory emphasizes the importance of situational crime prevention and the significance of changes in social and economic conditions as factors that may influence crime rates.

Question 10

Which of the following theories is most likely to take the entire society as the unit of analysis subject to the deviance-causing agent?
A) anomie theory
B) social control theory
C) self-control theory
D) social disorganization theory
E) routine activities theory

Accepted Answer

Anomie theory, developed by Emile Durkheim and later expanded by Robert Merton, focuses on societal structures and how they can lead to deviance when there is a disjunction between societal goals and the means available to achieve them. It takes the entire society as the unit of analysis.

Question 11

What is the central explanatory factor of community disorganization?
A) inadequate parenting
B) deviant socialization
C) a disjunction between the culture, which stresses success motivation, and society's social and economic structure
D) absence of bonds to conventional society
E) zones of transition

Accepted Answer

Zones of transition are areas in a city that are characterized by high levels of poverty, residential mobility, and ethnic heterogeneity, which contribute to community disorganization.

Question 12

A sociologist expressing which of the following theories would have written this quote: "Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication."
A) differential association theory
B) social disorganization theory
C) social control theory
D) routine activities theory
E) anomie/strain theory

Accepted Answer

This quote is a central idea of the differential association theory, developed by Edwin Sutherland in the 1930s. This theory proposes that criminal behavior is not inherited or determined by biology, but rather learned through interactions with others, particularly in the context of criminal subcultures. Sutherland argued that individuals are more likely to engage in criminal behavior if their socializing experiences with others involve definitions favorable to breaking the law, and if these definitions are more frequent, intense, and reinforced than definitions unfavorable to the behavior.

Question 13

A sociologist advocating which of the following theories would have written this quote: "Delinquent acts result when an individual's bonds to society are weak or broken."
A) differential association theory
B) social disorganization theory
C) routine activities theory
D) anomie/strain theory
E) social control theory

Accepted Answer

The quote is a central idea of social control theory, which asserts that bonds between individuals and society (such as family, school, and community) are essential in preventing delinquent behavior. When these bonds are weak, individuals are more likely to engage in deviant behavior. Option A, B, C, and D do not focus on the importance of social bonds in preventing delinquency.

Question 14

Which of the following perspectives bills itself as "a general theory of crime"?
A) Emile Durkheim's anomie theory
B) Robert K. Merton's anomie theory
C) Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi's self-control theory
D) Edwin Sutherland's theory of differential association
E) Travis Hirschi's social control theory

Accepted Answer

Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi's self-control theory bills itself as "a general theory of crime." The theory proposes that individuals with low self-control are more likely to engage in criminal behavior.

Question 15

Which of the following theories argues that persons do not have to be stressed into committing deviance, nor does anyone have to learn to engage in deviant behavior?
A) anomie theory
B) differential association theory
C) social disorganization theory
D) social control theory
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

Social control theory argues that individuals naturally follow societal norms and values, and it is a lack of social control that leads to deviant behavior. Therefore, individuals do not have to be stressed or learn deviant behavior, but instead, it is the absence of social control that allows them to engage in deviance. Anomie theory suggests that a lack of societal norms and values leads to deviance, while differential association theory argues that individuals learn deviant behavior through their interactions with others. Social disorganization theory focuses on the role of neighborhood environments in fostering deviance.

Question 16

Gottfredson and Hirschi state that their theory demolishes all other explanations of deviance and crime, except for two. One is routine activities theory; the other is:
A) social disorganization theory.
B) differential association theory.
C) anomie theory.
D) subculture theory.
E) none of the above; all of the above, say Gottfredson and Hirschi, are falsified by their theory

Accepted Answer

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, their theory of self-control demolishes all other explanations of deviance and crime except for routine activities theory and social disorganization theory.

Question 17

In many ways, the "self-control" theory of Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi ("a general theory of crime") contradicts the social control theory advocated by the selfsame Travis Hirschi two decades earlier. In what ways are the two theories contradictory? In what ways are they similar or based on the same principles?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In many ways, the "self-control" theory of...

Question 18

How is Robert K. Merton's anomie theory of deviance different from Emile Durkheim's, on which it is based?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How is Robert K. Merton's anomie theory...

Question 19

Why was social disorganization theory abandoned in the 1940s? Why did it make a comeback after the late 1980s?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why was social disorganization theory abandoned in...

Question 20

In what ways are the positivistic theories of deviance, crime, and delinquency inadequate or incomplete, according to the constructionist approaches? In what ways, do its advocates argue, is the constructionist approach more adequate or complete? In what ways are the positivist approaches stronger than the constructionist approaches?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In what ways are the positivistic theories...

Quiz 2: Explaining Deviant Behavior

Scientists seek:

The most important factor in social disorganization theory is very closely related to one of routine activity theory's key explanatory variable.

Which of the following is an empirical question and hence, a scientific question?

Explanatory theories attempt mainly to account for deviant:

What is the central explanatory factor of social control theory?

What is the central explanatory factor of self-control theory?

Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi, who devised "self-control" theory, argue that the theory does not apply to:

Positivistic theories of deviance are centrally concerned with an answer to the question:

"Crime takes place as a consequence of the conjunction of a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian." This statement best exemplifies which of the following theories or perspectives?

Which of the following theories is most likely to take the entire society as the unit of analysis subject to the deviance-causing agent?

What is the central explanatory factor of community disorganization?

A sociologist expressing which of the following theories would have written this quote: "Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication."

A sociologist advocating which of the following theories would have written this quote: "Delinquent acts result when an individual's bonds to society are weak or broken."

Which of the following perspectives bills itself as "a general theory of crime"?

Which of the following theories argues that persons do not have to be stressed into committing deviance, nor does anyone have to learn to engage in deviant behavior?

Gottfredson and Hirschi state that their theory demolishes all other explanations of deviance and crime, except for two. One is routine activities theory; the other is:

How is Robert K. Merton's anomie theory of deviance different from Emile Durkheim's, on which it is based?

Why was social disorganization theory abandoned in the 1940s? Why did it make a comeback after the late 1980s?