Question 1

A sociologist would find it impossible to create a list of all deviant acts because

Accepted Answer

Deviance is relative to the time and place in which acts are committed, meaning what is considered deviant can vary greatly across different cultures and historical periods.

Question 2

Whether a particular act is deviant depends on all of the following except

Accepted Answer

Deviance is typically determined by social norms and context, not by the individual psychology of the person committing the act.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about deviance is true?

Accepted Answer

Deviance is a social construct and varies across different cultures and societies. It does not inherently cause harm, nor does it always have negative consequences, as it can also promote social change.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about deviance is true?

Accepted Answer

Deviance is culturally and contextually specific, meaning what is considered deviant can vary greatly across cultures and time periods. Sociologists recognize that deviance is not universally agreed upon and can change based on societal norms and values.

Question 5

Cesare Lombroso believed that criminals were

Accepted Answer

Cesare Lombroso, an Italian criminologist, believed that criminals were atavists, meaning they were evolutionary throwbacks to earlier stages of human development, exhibiting primitive physical and mental traits.

Question 6

Emile Durkheim called the values, beliefs, norms, and goals held in common by the people of a particular society the

Accepted Answer

Durkheim referred to the shared values, beliefs, norms, and goals of a society as the "collective conscience," which is a fundamental concept in his sociological theory.

Question 7

According to Emile Durkheim, the changes wrought by the industrial, political, and social disruptions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had led to

Accepted Answer

Durkheim argued that the rapid changes during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to structural strain, a reduction in collective consciousness, an increase in anomie, and an increase in egoism, as society transitioned from traditional to modern.

Question 8

Emile Durkheim said that modern society was tending toward anomie. By that he meant that

Accepted Answer

Durkheim's concept of anomie refers to a state where society lacks clear norms and guidelines, leading to social instability and individual disorientation.

Question 9

William Sheldon suggested that criminals tend to be of a certain body type. Today most sociologists suggest that if there is a relationship between body type and crime it is because

Accepted Answer

Sociologists suggest that mesomorphs, who are muscular and strong, may be socialized in ways that emphasize physical strength and insensitivity, potentially leading to criminal behavior.

Question 10

Robert Merton's categories of conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion are

Accepted Answer

The answer of Robert Merton's categories of conformity, innovation, ritualism,...

Question 11

According to Robert Merton, deviance is most likely to occur when there is a contradiction between culturally approved goals and

Accepted Answer

Merton's strain theory suggests that deviance occurs when there is a gap between culturally approved goals and the legitimate means available to achieve them, leading individuals to resort to deviant methods.

Question 12

According to Merton's theory of anomie, many people in the United States turn to deviance because

Accepted Answer

Merton's theory of anomie suggests that deviance occurs when there is a disjunction between culturally prescribed goals and the socially structured means to achieve them, leading individuals to resort to deviance to achieve success.

Question 13

The statement that "deviance is not immutable" suggests that

Accepted Answer

Deviance is not immutable means that what is considered deviant can change over time, reflecting shifts in societal norms and values.

Question 14

Professor Peter has been teaching English to first year college students for about 25 years. He started out his career full of idealism-he was going to really inspire his students and teach them how to express their most creative ideas in writing. About twenty years ago, however, Peters decided that there was
No way that his students would ever learn to write well. He still "teaches,"
But now he mostly checks for spelling and punctuation; he cares little about the overall quality of students' writing and nothing about the quality of their ideas. Merton would say that Professor Peters has adapted to his frustration by becoming

Accepted Answer

Professor Peters has become a ritualist, as he continues to perform his teaching duties but has abandoned the original goals of inspiring and improving students' writing, focusing instead on routine tasks like checking spelling and punctuation.

Question 15

According to Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin, deviance is most likely to occur when

Accepted Answer

Cloward and Ohlin's theory of differential opportunity suggests that deviance occurs when individuals have access to illegitimate opportunities to achieve socially prohibited goals.

Question 16

Becker's study of marijuana smoking teaches us that marijuana users have to

Accepted Answer

Becker's study emphasizes that marijuana users must learn to recognize and enjoy the effects of the drug, which involves a social process of learning how to use it and interpret its effects.

Question 17

A research report cautions against sending first time offenders to prison because time spent in prison will limit the opportunities they face once they get out of prison. This research report supports which of the following theory of deviance?

Accepted Answer

Labeling or societal reaction theory suggests that being labeled as a deviant can lead to further deviance and limit future opportunities, aligning with the report's caution against imprisoning first-time offenders.

Question 18

In a recent speech, Senator Jones commented that if people want to decrease the crime rate, society needs to attack crime at its social roots: poverty, racism, and sexism. These things, she says, block people's access to success and so they turn to crime. Senator Jones's position is most similar to which theoretical perspective?

Accepted Answer

Structural strain theory suggests that societal structures may pressure individuals to commit crimes due to blocked opportunities, aligning with Senator Jones's view on poverty, racism, and sexism as barriers to success.

Question 19

By "primary" deviance, sociologists mean

Accepted Answer

Primary deviance refers to minor acts of deviance that do not affect an individual's self-concept or performance of social roles, often committed by individuals not labeled as deviant.

Question 20

Every person who has been socially labeled as deviant shares which of the following characteristics?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Every person who has been socially labeled...

Quiz 7: Deviance and Social Control

A sociologist would find it impossible to create a list of all deviant acts because

Whether a particular act is deviant depends on all of the following except

Which of the following statements about deviance is true?

Which of the following statements about deviance is true?

Cesare Lombroso believed that criminals were

Emile Durkheim called the values, beliefs, norms, and goals held in common by the people of a particular society the

According to Emile Durkheim, the changes wrought by the industrial, political, and social disruptions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had led to

Emile Durkheim said that modern society was tending toward anomie. By that he meant that

William Sheldon suggested that criminals tend to be of a certain body type. Today most sociologists suggest that if there is a relationship between body type and crime it is because

Robert Merton's categories of conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion are

According to Robert Merton, deviance is most likely to occur when there is a contradiction between culturally approved goals and

According to Merton's theory of anomie, many people in the United States turn to deviance because

The statement that "deviance is not immutable" suggests that

According to Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin, deviance is most likely to occur when

Becker's study of marijuana smoking teaches us that marijuana users have to

A research report cautions against sending first time offenders to prison because time spent in prison will limit the opportunities they face once they get out of prison. This research report supports which of the following theory of deviance?

By "primary" deviance, sociologists mean

Every person who has been socially labeled as deviant shares which of the following characteristics?