Question 1

In terms of racial categories,most people arrested for a violent crime in the United States are
A)white.
B)African American.
C)people of mixed race.
D)of Hispanic ancestry.

Accepted Answer

white.

Question 2

Both Albert Cohen and Walter Miller argue that deviance is MOST likely to arise among
A)high-income males.
B)middle-class men and women.
C)low-income youths.
D)all class levels.

Accepted Answer

Both Albert Cohen and Walter Miller argue that deviance is most likely to arise among low-income youths. Cohen's theory of Status Frustration suggests that lower-class youths experience frustration due to their inability to achieve the middle-class success goals of American society, leading them to turn to deviant subcultures as a way to gain status within their own peer groups. Miller's theory of Focal Concerns posits that lower-class youths are socialized into valuing certain behaviors and attitudes, such as toughness, street smarts, and excitement, which can lead to deviant behavior. Both theories suggest that deviance is most common among those who lack access to conventional means of achieving success and status.

Question 3

According to Elliot Currie,factors that explain the high crime rate in the United States by world standards include
A)our cultural homogeneity.
B)a lack of interest in punishing offenders.
C)the high level of immigration and unemployment.
D)our emphasis on individual economic success,at the expense of strong families.

Accepted Answer

Elliot Currie argues that the emphasis on individual economic success, at the expense of strong families, is a factor that explains the high crime rate in the United States. This is because structural factors such as poverty, inequality, and weak social support systems contribute to crime.

Question 4

Can you imagine a society without crime? What changes in our society would you imagine having to make in order to reduce the crime rate dramatically? Explain your position.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Can you imagine a society without crime?...

Question 5

Apply each of sociology's three theoretical approaches to the topic of deviance.What are the basic insights we gain from each theoretical approach?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Apply each of sociology's three theoretical approaches...

Question 6

The U.S.government provides a great deal of data about crime in the United States.Drawing on FBI data,what can we say about the "typical street criminal" in terms of age,gender,social class,race,and ethnicity? In each case,what can you say to explain the pattern? Do these patterns contain bias? Explain several reasons why we must treat criminal statistics with caution.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The U.S.government provides a great deal of...

Question 7

Biological factors,including genetics,explain most criminal behavior.

Accepted Answer

While biological factors such as genetics can play a role in criminal behavior, they do not explain most criminal behavior. Social and environmental factors, such as poverty and exposure to violence, are also significant factors in criminal behavior.

Question 8

In legal terms,a crime is composed of which two components?
A)the act and criminal intent
B)a criminal and a victim
C)the act and the social harm
D)the law and the violation

Accepted Answer

A crime is typically composed of both the act and criminal intent, which is also known as mens rea. The act is the physical action or behavior that is deemed illegal, while criminal intent refers to the state of mind of the perpetrator, such as their awareness of the illegality of their actions or their intention to cause harm.

Question 9

What is meant by "community-based corrections?" What are the advantages of this approach? What are some of the limitations of this approach? Do you favor or oppose expanding community-based corrections? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is meant by "community-based corrections?" What...

Question 10

State four ways in which,according to Emile Durkheim,deviance is functional for society as a whole.

Accepted Answer

The answer of State four ways in which,according to Emile...

Question 11

Describe the labeling theory of deviance.What basic insight about deviance is offered by this approach? How does labeling figure into the difference between primary deviance and secondary deviance? What is the importance of stigma in labeling analysis?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the labeling theory of deviance.What basic...

Question 12

What insights does the feminist theory provide into our society's understanding of deviance? What criticisms does the feminist theory make of sociological material found in thisCHAPTER?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What insights does the feminist theory provide...

Question 13

The likelihood a person will be arrested for a street crime rises sharply
A)during the late teenage years.
B)in the late twenties.
C)during the middle thirties.
D)over age forty.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that the peak age for criminal behavior and arrests for street crimes is during the late teenage years and early twenties.

Question 14

Many researchers agree that in the United States most arrests for street crime involve people of lower social position.According to Robert Merton,Albert Cohen,Walter Miller,and Elijah Anderson,why would this be the case? How would a broader definition of crime (to include more white-collar and corporate offenses)change the profile of the typical criminal?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many researchers agree that in the United...

Question 15

Every society punishes offenders.Write an essay in which you explain four justifications for punishment.Point out how each justification has come to the forefront at different times in history and explain this pattern as best you can.What evidence is there that punishment actually accomplishes what we say it does?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Every society punishes offenders.Write an essay in...

Question 16

The United States is the only Western,high-income nation that routinely imposes the death penalty on convicted offenders.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The United States is the only country in the Western industrialized world that still uses capital punishment as a form of punishment for offenders, while many other high-income countries have abolished the death penalty.

Question 17

Criminal statistics gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation reflect
A)all crimes that take place.
B)offenses cleared by arrest.
C)offenses resulting in a criminal conviction.
D)offenses known to the police.

Accepted Answer

Criminal statistics gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation reflect offenses known to the police. This means that it only includes crimes that have been reported to and recorded by law enforcement agencies, rather than all crimes that take place. It also includes offenses that were not necessarily cleared by arrest or resulted in a criminal conviction, as these outcomes may not always occur.

Question 18

Emile Durkheim made the surprising statement that deviance is a necessary part of social organization.Write an essay in which you explain Durkheim's approach and point to a number of specific ways in which crime (or,more broadly,deviance)is functional for society as a whole.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Emile Durkheim made the surprising statement that...

Question 19

The oldest justification for punishing an offender is
A)deterrence.
B)retribution.
C)social protection.
D)rehabilitation.

Accepted Answer

Retribution is the oldest justification for punishing an offender, dating back to the Code of Hammurabi in ancient Babylon. It is the idea that an offender should receive punishment that is commensurate with the harm they caused, as a form of justice and balancing of the scales. Deterrence, social protection, and rehabilitation are all more recent justifications for punishment.

Quiz 7: Deviance

In terms of racial categories,most people arrested for a violent crime in the United States are

Both Albert Cohen and Walter Miller argue that deviance is MOST likely to arise among

According to Elliot Currie,factors that explain the high crime rate in the United States by world standards include

Can you imagine a society without crime? What changes in our society would you imagine having to make in order to reduce the crime rate dramatically? Explain your position.

Apply each of sociology's three theoretical approaches to the topic of deviance.What are the basic insights we gain from each theoretical approach?

Biological factors,including genetics,explain most criminal behavior.

In legal terms,a crime is composed of which two components?

What is meant by "community-based corrections?" What are the advantages of this approach? What are some of the limitations of this approach? Do you favor or oppose expanding community-based corrections? Why?

State four ways in which,according to Emile Durkheim,deviance is functional for society as a whole.

Describe the labeling theory of deviance.What basic insight about deviance is offered by this approach? How does labeling figure into the difference between primary deviance and secondary deviance? What is the importance of stigma in labeling analysis?

What insights does the feminist theory provide into our society's understanding of deviance? What criticisms does the feminist theory make of sociological material found in thisCHAPTER?

The likelihood a person will be arrested for a street crime rises sharply

The United States is the only Western,high-income nation that routinely imposes the death penalty on convicted offenders.

Criminal statistics gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation reflect

Emile Durkheim made the surprising statement that deviance is a necessary part of social organization.Write an essay in which you explain Durkheim's approach and point to a number of specific ways in which crime (or,more broadly,deviance)is functional for society as a whole.

The oldest justification for punishing an offender is