Deck 5: Deviance and Crime

Question 1

Seth and all of his close friends are fans of country music, and in part their sense of identity is tied to being fans of that kind of music. When Seth's friends came over to his apartment to visit, they found him listening to one of his mother's jazz albums. They teased him for days afterward. What is the treatment that Seth's friends subjected him to an example of?

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

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Today, Nelson Mandela is hailed as a hero. This suggests that the social definition of which of the following has changed over time?

A) ethnicity
B) social justice
C) race
D) crime or deviance

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following types of crimes is least likely to be reported to the police?

A) victimless crimes
B) street crimes
C) corporate crimes
D) legislative crimes

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Some acts, such as rape, are generally seen as very harmful and are severely punished. Others, such as tattooing, are commonly regarded as harmless and are not punished. This demonstrates which of the following dimensions of deviance?

A) the importance of the perceived prevalence of the deviant or criminal act in deciding on the severity of the sanction associated with the deviant act
B) the importance of the perceived harm to social solidarity in determining whether a given act is a crime or merely deviant
C) the importance of the actual harm to social solidarity in determining whether a given act is a crime or merely deviant
D) the importance of the degree of public agreement about whether an act should be considered deviant in deciding on the severity of the sanction associated with the deviant act

Question 5

Which of the following illustrates committing a crime?

A) Bob burns the Canadian flag on his lawn.
B) Bob parks his car too long at a parking meter downtown.
C) Bob lets the door slam in the face of the person behind him.
D) Bob has a prescription for and uses marijuana for medical purposes.

Question 6

Which of the following do people receive when being penalized for breaking a law?

A) social sanctions
B) shunning behaviour
C) formal punishment
D) stigmatization

Question 7

Among some Inuit communities at the beginning of the twentieth century, allowing newborns to freeze to death was not considered a deviant act. According to the textbook, what does this say about deviance?

A) that it varies over time and across cultures and societies
B) that there are always exceptions to norms
C) that isolated people have different sanctions than modern people
D) that in some societies and cultures immoral behaviour is not always sanctioned

Question 8

Whether or not a particular act is considered deviant depends upon which of the following?

A) criminal intent
B) the legal definition of the act
C) social context
D) the morality of the behaviour

Question 9

Why does the textbook assert that "everyone" is deviant?

A) because most people break rules and admit that they are deviant
B) because most people are not as good or law abiding as they would have us believe
C) because what is considered deviant varies across cultures
D) because definitions of deviance are not well understood by people

Question 10

According to the textbook, which of the following is best characterizes the sociological view of deviance and crime?

A) They are only deviance and crime in the eye of the beholder.
B) They are defined differently in different historical periods.
C) They are easy to define.
D) They are easy to understand because people act in the same ways.

Question 11

Formal punishment is imposed on people who do which of the following?

A) break the law
B) take responsibility for deviant behaviour
C) look guilty
D) behave eccentrically and are unlikeable

Question 12

Glynnis watches Scott dump a day's worth of tree seedlings straight into a ravine instead of planting them. The company that employs Glynnis and Scott has a strict policy about this action, which is viewed as theft, so Glynnis tells the supervisor what she witnessed. Scott is immediately fired and sent home. Which of the following did Scott receive?

A) an informal sanction
B) a norm enhancement
C) a formal punishment
D) a sanction retribution

Question 13

In the early 1900s, even though Coca-Cola contained a derivative of cocaine it was perfectly legal and quickly became a very popular beverage. Why is cocaine now an illegal drug?

A) because social definitions depend on what is profitable
B) because it is controlled by off-shore criminal organizations
C) because the perceived harmfulness of cocaine has changed
D) because it is no longer an ingredient in Coca-Cola

Question 14

Carl is often picked on at school because he has openly acknowledges that he is gay. Some of the boys in his school taunt him with names intended to hurt his feelings, and he was even assaulted once after school waiting for the bus. Which of the following most accurately characterizes the treatment that Carl is being subjected to?

A) informal punishment
B) formal punishment
C) stigmatization
D) retribution

Question 15

Steven and Jeff, two high school students, have been picking on Tony, a classmate of theirs. Tony is openly gay. Steven and Jeff regularly taunt him, and they painted derogatory words on his school locker. After Tony complained to the school, Steven and Jeff were both suspended. Jeff retaliated by assaulting Tony on his way home from school one day. Criminal charges were laid and Jeff was sentenced to three months of community service. What do sociologists call the sanction imposed on Jeff for his assault?

A) formal punishment
B) government sanction
C) illegal acts of revenge
D) prosecution in the courts

Question 16

There is public debate about whether smoking marijuana should be considered a crime. Some advocates claim it may have therapeutic value in treating cancer or pain associated with cancer, while others consider using marijuana immoral. This highlights which dimension of the nature of deviance and crime?

A) the invariability of social definitions of deviance and crime
B) the invariability of the severity of the social response to deviance and crime
C) the importance of the degree of public agreement about whether an act should be considered deviant or criminal
D) the importance of the perceived prevalence of the deviant or criminal act

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the sociological explanation of deviance and crime?

A) Certain acts are the result of the lack of moral conscience.
B) Certain acts are socially identified and defined as deviant or criminal.
C) Certain acts are deemed socially tolerable, although deviant or illegal, within a society.
D) Certain acts are a result of family breakdown among the working class.

Question 18

Whether an act is considered deviant or criminal depends not only on the perceived harmfulness of the act, but also on which of the following?

A) whether the deviance was committed by a person of the upper class
B) the degree of public agreement that the act is deviant
C) whether there was police surveillance of the deviant behaviour
D) whether humour was intended in the deviance

Question 19

Arivarasan has been assigned a research project for his sociology class. The topic for his project is the history of crime statistics in Canada. Which of the following sources would be able to provide him with the widest range of data?

A) provincial governments
B) criminologists
C) the federal government
D) the police

Question 20

Negatively assessing a person and labelling the person as undesirable based on visible characteristics that distinguish them from others is characteristic of which of the following?

A) punishment
B) sanctioning
C) public agreement
D) stigmatizing

Question 21

Which of the following statements best reflects the impact of Canada's aging population on crime rates?

A) Crime rates are down because young people today are controlled more than young people were in the past.
B) Crime is a young person's pursuit generally, and there are fewer young people.
C) The definitions of crime have changed so that acts that are committed by youth today and thought of as criminal are not thought of as crimes by older people.
D) Older people get away with more crimes than younger people do because they are suspected less often of committing crimes.

Question 22

Martin is a crime researcher who is interested in creating an accurate picture of sexual assault in Canada, and he is concerned about the inaccuracy of official crime statistics. Which of the following is the best resource for him to use to get a more accurate picture of sexual assault in Canada?

A) the Juristat Reporting Survey
B) the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey
C) a Health Canada research survey
D) a self-report survey

Question 23

Which term is used by sociologists to refer to the social mechanisms of ensuring conformity to norms and laws?

A) punishment
B) social control
C) criminal profiles
D) control theory

Question 24

What happened to Canadian crime rates in the 1960s and 1970s?

A) They increased significantly.
B) They increased more than the U.S. crime rate.
C) They levelled off.
D) They declined dramatically.

Question 25

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

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

Question 26

Which of the following is a shortcoming of official crime statistics?

A) Authorities and the public decide which crime acts to report and which to ignore.
B) The reporting template is out of date, so modern crimes like Internet fraud are missed.
C) Only crimes that exceed a certain level of damage are considered in statistics.
D) Statistical reports are out of date and therefore irrelevant once they are finally published.

Question 27

Sociologists studying crime and criminality must rely on different sources for the work. Self-report surveys compensate for the many faults inherent in which of the following?

A) media reports
B) official statistics
C) internet sources
D) victimization surveys

Question 28

According to the textbook, which of the following best describes crimes such as prostitution and illegal drug use?

A) They are caseload crimes.
B) They are major parts of the crime index.
C) They are victimless crimes.
D) They are frequently included in the major crime indexes.

Question 29

What is the most common crime committed by females?

A) fraud
B) drug dealing
C) shoplifting
D) prostitution

Question 30

According to the data reported for 2008, which of the following category of crimes accounted for the majority of Criminal Code incidents in Canada?

A) victimless crimes
B) violent crimes
C) property crimes
D) sexual harassment crimes

Question 31

Which of the following was identified in the textbook as one possible explanation for the recent decline in Canada's crime rate?

A) a resurgence of family values
B) the involvement of the media in on-the-spot reporting
C) the increase of aging men in the population
D) an increase of personnel and technologies used to fight crime

Question 32

For which crime do women account for close to three of ten cases?

A) fraud and theft
B) violent crime
C) prostitution
D) alcohol-related offences

Question 33

Which of the following most correctly completes the sentence, "The larger the proportion of young males you have in a population, ___________________"?

A) the higher the rate of street crime.
B) the higher the rate of white-collar crime.
C) the higher the rate of overall crime.
D) the higher the homicide rate.

Question 34

Brittany is victimized by a crime and reports the crime to the local police right away. Which of the following crimes is she most likely to have been victimized by?

A) Someone sexually assaulted her.
B) Someone yelled racist slurs at her.
C) Someone stole her car.
D) Someone stole property from her car.

Question 35

When was the first national victimization survey in Canada conducted?

A) 1908
B) 1958
C) 1988
D) 1998

Question 36

The majority of criminal prosecutions in Canada involve a male accused. Which of the following is closest to the percentage reported in the textbook?

A) 60%
B) 70%
C) 80%
D) 90%

Question 37

The process of officially becoming a criminal has been likened to a funnel. In this analogy, which of the following groups is represented by the bottom of the funnel?

A) those who are sentenced by the courts
B) those who are convicted of a crime
C) those who are reported to police after committing an offence
D) those who are involved in criminal incidents

Question 38

When did crime rates in Canada peak and then begin to fall?

A) the last decade of the nineteenth century
B) the mid-twentieth century
C) the last decade of the twentieth century
D) the early twentieth century

Question 39

What is the term used for crimes that involve violations of the law in which no victim is identified?

A) state crimes
B) victimless crimes
C) street crimes
D) public crimes

Question 40

According to the textbook, sociologists have identified several possible factors to account for the decline in the crime rate in Canada. If these explanations are correct, what impact on the crime rate should Canadians expect if the unemployment rate increased significantly for an extended period of time?

A) Initially an increase in the crime rate, followed by stabilization as society adjusts to the new economic reality.
B) Initially a decrease in the crime rate, as older workers are more impacted by unemployment, followed by an increase as society adjusts to the new economic reality.
C) They decline.
D) They increase overall.

Question 41

Proponents of learning theory claim it accounts for deviance in all social classes. Which of the following is true of white-collar criminals, supporting the learning theorists' claim that their theory holds for people of all social classes?

A) They commonly use their power to impose their will over law-abiding peers.
B) They are as violent and cruel as street criminals.
C) They share a culture that views law breaking as normal and acceptable.
D) They began their criminal careers on the streets.

Question 42

In Becker's three stages of becoming a regular marijuana user, what did failure to pass any stage mean?

A) ostracism from deviant cohorts
B) increased aggression to achieve the next stage
C) failure to learn and assume the deviant role
D) lowered self-esteem in the novice user

Question 43

In 2003, former British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell pled guilty to the misdemeanour of drinking and driving in Hawaii and was fined $913. Despite pleading guilty to the offence, Campbell did not have to step down as Premier, although Canadian laws state that a person convicted of a criminal offence may not hold political office. What does this story demonstrate?

A) It demonstrates that people who commit crimes are labelled as criminals.
B) It demonstrates that people who commit serious crimes, like murder, are labelled as criminals but people who commit less serious crimes are not.
C) It demonstrates that Campbell is not a criminal.
D) It demonstrates that social status plays a significant role in whether the label of criminal is applied.

Question 44

Which age cohort commits the most crimes?

A) 15- to 24-year olds
B) 25- to 34-year olds
C) 35- to 44-year olds
D) 45- to 55-year olds

Question 45

What are crimes such as embezzlement, false advertising, tax evasion, insider stock trading, fraud, copyright infringement, and price fixing examples of?

A) state crime
B) white-collar crime
C) public-order crime
D) victimless crime

Question 46

A central insight of labelling theory states that deviance occurs because of a deviant's actions. Which of the following does labelling theory identify as an important factor in deviance?

A) the existence of role models
B) powerful people in society controlling the rule- and law-making process
C) the social response that defines deviance
D) insufficient checks and balances in society to prevent crime

Question 47

Consider the story of the brutal murder of Pamela George by Alex Ternowetsky and Steven Kummerfield. What does this case demonstrate?

A) It demonstrates that most people who commit a crime are labelled appropriately, according to the crime committed.
B) It demonstrates that that people who commit serious crimes, such as murder, are labelled according to their actions, regardless of their social status.
C) It demonstrates that that social status plays a significant role in whether one is labelled a deviant or not.
D) It demonstrates that that the justice system is almost never skewed in favour of the victim of a serious crime.

Question 48

John's father is a drug user and a drug dealer. Because of John's exposure to his father's using and dealing behaviours, John has come to see these behaviours as normal. Which of the following theories best explains John's attitude toward deviant behaviour?

A) learning theory
B) strain theory
C) labelling theory
D) subcultural theory

Question 49

According to Becker's study of marijuana use, which of the following is the most important factor in learning a deviant behaviour?

A) lack of morality
B) opportunity
C) socialization
D) motivation

Question 50

"Zorro," a local dealer, cooks meth and deals it and other drugs from the basement of his mother's home. What type of crime is he guilty of committing?

A) a victimless crime
B) a street crime
C) an act of terrorism
D) a crime of passion

Question 51

Which of the following people is most likely to be stopped and searched by police while driving in a Canadian city?

A) Ted, a 35-year-old white executive
B) Blanche, a 45-year-old Asian housewife
C) Carl, a 25-year-old black Ph.D. student
D) Dmitri, an 18-year-old Russian immigrant store clerk

Question 52

Émile Durkheim, the earliest sociologist to defend a functional account of crime defended which of the following positions?

A) Properly understood crime and its punishment are beneficial to society.
B) Crime is partly the result of historical forces.
C) Punishment should be directed primarily at eliminating the material incentives to the criminal behaviour.
D) Crime and punishment are defined by, and controlled in the interests of, the powerful groups in society.

Question 53

Which of the following best characterizes the comparison of female and male criminals?

A) Female criminals are just as violent as male criminals.
B) Women are more likely to engage in prostitution.
C) Women are more likely to engage in white-collar crime.
D) Male criminals are less violent than female criminals.

Question 54

Based on incarceration data, who is most likely to be sentenced to custody in a prison in Canada?

A) Seth, a 47-year-old Aboriginal male
B) Robert, a 26-year-old white male
C) Ravina, a 25-year-old Punjabi female
D) Delores, a 19-year-old white female

Question 55

Which theorist developed the strain theory of deviance?

A) Karl Marx
B) Talcott Parsons
C) Robert Merton
D) Howard Becker

Question 56

Why, with every passing year, do women make up a slightly bigger percentage of arrests?

A) Women are more likely media consumers, so they engage in copycat crimes.
B) More women work, so they have more opportunity to get into trouble.
C) Traditional social controls and definitions of femininity are less often imposed.
D) There is an increasing divorce rate and girls are being affected more by family breakdown.

Question 57

Which type of crime is committed disproportionately by people from lower social classes?

A) victimless crime
B) public-order crime
C) white-collar crime
D) street crime

Question 58

Martha Stewart was convicted in 2004 of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Her crime was dumping 3900 shares of ImClone stock based on a tip that stock prices were about to plummet. What type of crime was Martha Stewart found guilty of?

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

Question 59

When people come together with distinctive norms and values in an effort to adapt collectively to social conditions, what is the result?

A) a family collective
B) a subculture
C) a primary group
D) a rebellion

Question 60

Which theory argues that people can come to see deviant behaviour as normal and acceptable?

A) biosocial theory
B) learning theory
C) control theory
D) strain theory

Question 61

According to conflict theories, of the following types of people, which would be most likely to be criminalized?

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

Question 62

Why is rape is prosecuted more often today than in the past?

A) Women have become more athletic.
B) Women have become more marginalized in society.
C) Women have become more intelligent.
D) Women have become more powerful in society.

Question 63

Willie is from a poor home and dreams of becoming a doctor. He wins a full scholarship and is able to afford university; he graduates at the top of his class. In strain theory terms, what is Willie?

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

Question 64

Which theory tells us that adolescents are more prone to deviance and crime than adults because adolescents have weaker social attachments?

A) control theory
B) differential association theory
C) cultural-transmission theory
D) strain theory

Question 65

In a class discussion, Fatima insists that crime is not inherent in certain actions, but exists because some are in a position to establish norms and pass laws that stigmatize others. What theory is her view compatible with?

A) social control theory
B) subcultural theory
C) strain theory
D) conflict theory

Question 66

Until recently, what types of crimes were largely ignored in Canada and most other parts of the world?

A) crimes against corporations
B) crimes against men
C) crimes against children
D) crimes against women

Question 67

In monetary terms, which of the following types of crime likely costs society the most?

A) drug trafficking and other drug-related offences
B) violent crime
C) street crime
D) white-collar crime

Question 68

According to conflict theorists, what determines the definitions of crime and deviance and the distribution of punishment?

A) the social controls in place
B) the interests of the powerful
C) the pace of social change
D) the strength of religion as a constraining force

Question 69

Currently, which type of crime results in relatively few prosecutions and even fewer convictions?

A) white-collar crime
B) state crime
C) victimless crime
D) legislative crime

Question 70

Which theory contends that criminals are those who are likely to have few social attachments, few legitimate opportunities, weak conventional beliefs, and little involvement in their community?

A) structural-strain theory
B) labelling theory
C) differential association theory
D) control theory

Question 71

Monique is preparing to give a presentation on Hirschi's control theory of crime and deviance. For her assignment Monique is required to make up scenarios to illustrate the sources of social control that Hirschi's theory describes. Her first example is of three close brothers whose father, a seemingly respectable lawyer, has made a large fortune engaging in extensive white-collar crime. In terms of Hirschi's theory, what is it about their upbringing that makes them more likely to commit crimes?

A) a lack of social attachments to respectable role models
B) a lack of availability of legitimate opportunities
C) they are disconnected from conventional institutions
D) they are isolated from social contacts

Question 72

Scott and Brendan are both part of a gang. They have just received a text from another gang member informing them that Scott's cousin, Martin, has been very badly beaten by several of the fellow gang members. They learn that Martin had given the police information that led to the arrest of several other members of the gang. Scott tells Brendan that even though Martin was his cousin, and he was a good guy, in his view, Martin got what he had coming since loyalty to the gang is the most important loyalty. According to the work of Sykes and Matza, how can Scott's attitude best be described?

A) as social bonding
B) as social adaptation
C) as subcultural adaptation
D) as a justification technique

Question 73

Which of the following groups of Canadian youth form the largest percentage of gang members?

A) rural youth
B) disaffected privileged youth
C) Latino and Asian youth
D) Black and Aboriginal youth

Question 74

What theory assumes that people are basically "bad," and that special circumstances are required to make them "good?"

A) labelling theory
B) control theory
C) authoritarian theory
D) subcultural theory

Question 75

One critique of functionalist theories is that they exaggerate the connection between crime and which of the following?

A) ethnicity
B) class
C) religion
D) gender

Question 76

Until Canada's laws on sexual assault changed in 1983, which of the following was not a crime?

A) a husband forcing his wife to have sex with him
B) a father having sex with his daughter
C) employees having consensual sex
D) child rape

Question 77

Why does white-collar crime result in few prosecutions and still fewer convictions?

A) It produces little harm.
B) Police are often employed by those who commit the crime.
C) Much of it takes place in private and is difficult to detect.
D) Because white-collar officials bribe governments.

Question 78

What does creating justifications and rationalizations, such as appealing to higher loyalties or condemning those who pass judgment on them, enable criminals to do?

A) forge new criminal alliances
B) differentially associate
C) clear their conscience
D) conform to broad societal norms

Question 79

According to conflict theories, which of the following groups of people benefits the most from the way crime is generally defined by society?

A) marginalized people
B) less powerful people
C) more powerful people
D) political people

Question 80

Until the 1970s, social scientists rarely collected data on a type of violence that is widely researched today. What is that type of violence?

A) white-collar crime
B) crimes committed by females
C) sexual assault
D) street crimes