Deck 1: Crime, Criminals, and Criminology

Question 1

According to "Box 1.1: Crime and the Media," what is the research consensus with regards to children who are exposed to a great deal of television violence?

A)They almost invariably become violent themselves.
B)They do not differ significantly in violence from those less exposed to television violence.
C)They may become violent,especially if they are already vulnerable or predisposed to violence.
D)They almost invariably become more accepting of violent behaviour.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

To understand crime we must know the different characteristics of people who commit crimes and study the differences in crime found in the city versus a town.What aspect of criminology does this analysis fall under?

A)origins and role of law
B)causation of crime
C)social distribution of crime
D)patterns of criminal behaviour

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What is the term for the established rules of behaviour or standards of conduct in a given society?

A)beliefs
B)conventions
C)norms
D)values

Answer 3

C

Question 4

When criminologists ask such questions as: "Who are the offenders?","Who are the victims?",and "Under what social circumstances are offences most likely to occur?",what are they attempting to analyze?

A)societal reactions to crime
B)the social distribution of crime
C)patterns of criminal behaviour
D)the causes of crime

Question 5

Which of the following pieces of legislation sets out the majority of criminal offences for Canada?

A)the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
B)the Canadian Constitution
C)the Youth Criminal Justice Act
D)the Criminal Code of Canada

Question 6

Which of the following aspects of the criminology discipline would include prisons?

A)origin and role of law
B)definition of crime and criminals
C)crime causation
D)societal reactions to crime

Question 7

The legalistic perspective of criminology is most closely associated with which of the following:

A)how a crime in a society is defined by laws
B)how social patterns of crime emerge
C)the causes of crime
D)how society is defined by criminal laws

Question 8

According to "Box 1.1: Crime and the Media," what is the news media's informal rule for covering crime?

A)"Cover Cops,Courts,and Corrections."
B)"Sex,drugs,and violence preferred."
C)"If it bleeds,it leads."
D)"Where there's smoke,there's fire,and a story."

Question 9

In Canadian society,having children use a fork when eating (instead of using one's fingers)is an example of which of the following?

A)a value
B)a universal norm
C)formal rules
D)informal rules (folkways)

Question 10

Which of the following types of crime are overrepresented in media coverage compared to their incidence in real life?

A)white-collar crime
B)violent crime
C)political crime
D)property crime

Question 11

An analysis of how people break the rules established in a society is most closely associated with which of the following criminological perspectives.

A)The legalistic perspective.
B)Human rights violations as crime.
C)Hagen's continuum of crime and deviance.
D)Conflict perspective.

Question 12

Which of the following was NOT indicated by the textbook as an important reason for us to know more about crime?

A)Surveys have shown that crime is the most important social problem facing Canada today.
B)It is intrinsically worthwhile to learn about all aspects of social behaviour,including crime.
C)Crime affects us all,directly or indirectly.
D)Knowledge about crime can tell us a great deal about our society.

Question 13

According to Edwin Sutherland and Donald Cressey,which of the following best describes criminology?

A)a body of knowledge that excludes the process of breaking laws and reacting to the breaking of laws
B)a body of knowledge made up of a universal and consistent set of principles that guide different societies
C)a body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon
D)a body of knowledge that focuses on how crime is legally defined

Question 14

Comparing the cases of Robert and Danny Sand,the brothers from Alberta,and Diego Zepeda-Cordera,the Missionary Church of Christ barber from Toronto,shows which of the following?

A)Penalties for homicide in Canada are too weak.
B)Race is a better predictor of homicide than religion.
C)Killing because of a strong religious belief can exonerate a suspect.
D)There are many different patterns of homicide.

Question 15

Robert and Danny Sand,the brothers from Alberta,led undisciplined criminal lives,as described at the beginning of Chapter 1.To which of the following can we largely attribute their criminal behaviour?

A)sociological explanations such as early socialization
B)cultural definitions of what constitutes crime at any given point in time
C)psychological makeup
D)biological traits

Question 16

Which of the following is considered an informal rule in Canadian society?

A)"Don't drive over the speed limit."
B)"Don't talk with your mouth full."
C)"Thou shall not kill."
D)"Obey the law."

Question 17

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the social distribution of crime?

A)programs that help young people avoid a life of crime
B)an analysis of the relationship between dropping out of school and violence
C)the relatively higher rate of criminal offending by young aboriginal men
D)laws that deal with criminal offending by young people

Question 18

Criminal laws are best described as which of the following?

A)informal rules that govern behaviour in a society
B)formal rules that govern behaviour in a society
C)static rules that are consistent throughout time
D)the part of criminal justice system that applies to private individuals

Question 19

According to "Box 1.1: Crime and the Media," which of the following is a consequence of the media's coverage of crime in Canada?

A)Canadians are less likely to support greater crime control agendas.
B)Canadians have a fear of crime that is lower than the actual risk of victimization.
C)Canadians greatly overestimate the amount of violent crime.
D)Canadians underestimate the proportion of violent crimes committed by anonymous strangers.

Question 20

What does the term criminology refer to?

A)the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon
B)the breaking of laws and the reaction to the breaking of laws
C)the study of the effects of culture on crime and criminals
D)the established rules of behaviour or standards of conduct

Question 21

Which of the following best characterizes the class conflict perspective of lawmaking?

A)Laws are passed to minimize conflict between competing criminals.
B)Laws are passed by members of the ruling class in order to maintain their privileged position by keeping the common people under control.
C)Laws are passed based by a consensus of society in order to reduce conflict within that society.
D)Laws are passed by governments in order to reduce conflict within society.

Question 22

What does the textbook define as "illegitimate use of force to achieve a political objective by targeting innocent people"?

A)vigilantism
B)crimes against humanity
C)terrorism
D)human rights violations

Question 23

In Hagan's typology of crime and deviance,which of the following is the most serious category?

A)consensus crimes
B)social diversions
C)conflict crimes
D)social deviations

Question 24

In Canada most people would argue that mass murder is wrong,but there is little agreement over the issue of using marijuana.This statement reflects which dimension of Hagan's typology of crime and deviance?

A)the severity of the society's response to the act
B)the assessment of the degree of harm of the act
C)the degree of consensus that an act is wrong
D)the accuracy of the belief systems

Question 25

Which of the following reflects the belief that criminal laws represent an agreement by most people in a society that certain acts are harmful and should be treated as crimes?

A)the sociological perspective
B)the conflict perspective
C)the legalistic perspective
D)the consensus perspective

Question 26

Theories of crime causation that view the root causes of crime as stemming from poverty,a lack of power,racism,and marginalization would have a particularly difficult time explaining which of the following categories of crime?

A)property theft
B)organized crime
C)white-collar crime
D)violent crime

Question 27

Which of the following best fits into Sutherland's definition of white-collar crime?

A)an offence committed by a lower-class person against a business run by an upper-class person
B)a homicide committed by an upper-class person against another upper-class person
C)an offence committed by an upper-class person in the course of running a legitimate business that results in a cease and desist order
D)theft of property perpetrated by an upper-class person against another upper-class person

Question 28

Which of the following would NOT fit under the discipline of surveillance studies?

A)the proliferation of closed circuit cameras in public spaces
B)the collection of information on teenaged Internet users by sexual offenders
C)legislation requiring police to obtain a search warrant before intercepting private communications
D)policies restricting the gathering of information on consumers by corporations

Question 29

In Canadian society,we judge people on the basis of their honesty.In sociological terms,which of the following does honesty best represent?

A)informal rules
B)norms
C)values
D)laws

Question 30

Which of the following would NOT be considered a characteristic of white-collar crime,as defined by Sutherland?

A)frequently involves physical force
B)takes place largely within private businesses
C)committed by the upper-class people
D)occurs in the course of the offenders' legitimate occupations

Question 31

Historically,before the rise of criminal laws and the criminal justice system,harmful behaviour committed against others was treated as which of the following?

A)a private matter between private citizens
B)a matter that always involved the state
C)a matter that only involved lawyers
D)acts considered as harms against society as a whole

Question 32

According to the textbook,the severe penalties in Canada for the trafficking of "street" drugs such as crack cocaine,compared to the relatively lenient penalties for white-collar crimes,such as fraud,can best be explained through which of the following perspectives?

A)human rights
B)conflict theory
C)consensus theory
D)green criminology

Question 33

According to Hagan's typology of crime and deviance,which of the following best describes a social diversion?

A)somewhat harmful with strong agreement about the norm
B)relatively harmless with confusion or apathy about the norm
C)somewhat harmful with strong disagreement about the norm
D)very harmful with strong agreement about the norm

Question 34

The statement "criminal behaviour is generally defined by criminal laws,but not all deviant behaviour falls under criminal laws," is consistent with which of the following criminological perspectives?

A)legalistic perspective
B)human rights violations as crime
C)Hagen's continuum of crime and deviance
D)consensus theory

Question 35

Which of the following labels do criminologists apply to crimes committed by upper-class people in the course of their legitimate business activities?

A)blue-collar crime
B)white-collar crime
C)pink-collar crime
D)"Society" crimes

Question 36

"Everyone believes that stealing goes against our belief in private ownership." Within which of the following approaches to crime does this view fall?

A)green criminology
B)class conflict perspective
C)human rights criminology
D)consensus perspective

Question 37

Hagan proposed that deviance and crime be considered on a continuum ranging from the least serious to the most serious acts and that seriousness can be assessed on three dimensions.Which of the following is NOT one of these dimensions?

A)the degree of consensus that an act is wrong
B)the severity of the society's response to the act
C)the assessment of the degree of harm of the act
D)the extent to which existing criminal law outlaws the act

Question 38

According to Hagan,how is the continuous variable of social deviance best understood?

A)It is static and does not change over time.
B)It is measured using a scale that ranges from the most to the least serious of acts.
C)It is seen to increase as a society becomes more economically developed.
D)It can best be defined by criminal laws.

Question 39

Which of the following would not be considered a subject to be studied within the discipline of green criminology?

A)animal cruelty
B)the illegal dumping of hazardous waste
C)the sabotage of oil pipelines by radical environmentalists
D)the poaching of elephant tusks

Question 40

Which of the following best represents terrorism?

A)the murder of innocent civilians by their own government
B)the use of force committed against a government by another government
C)illegitimate use of force committed by a government against its own people
D)the use of force against innocent people by a group trying to achieve a political objective

Question 41

In Canada,provinces and territories can pass and amend criminal laws.

Question 42

There is something inherently unlawful about killing another human being.

Question 43

Criminal and non-criminal acts are always two distinct categories.

Question 44

According to Hagan's continuum of crime and deviance,the degree of society's consensus that an act is wrong is the only factor that determines whether a particular act constitutes a crime.

Question 45

Most Canadians learn about serious crime from first-hand experience.

Question 46

The main reason the media misrepresents crime is to attract viewers for profit.

Question 47

Formal rules,enforced by the criminal justice system,govern the vast majority of individual behaviour in Canadian society.

Question 48

"If it bleeds,it leads" refers to the priority that police place on investigating violent crimes.

Question 49

The conflict perspective understands the definition of crime to be factual and precise.

Question 50

According to Hagan,determining what constitutes a crime is never influenced by politics.

Question 51

Criminology is the scientific body of knowledge that examines crime (and its treatment)as a social phenomenon.

Question 52

According to the textbook,the discipline of criminology includes four major areas.

Question 53

As one of the major focuses of criminology,the social distribution of crime would include examining the causes of crime and criminality.

Question 54

One of the earliest topics in the study of criminality by criminologists was white collar crime.

Question 55

Hagan's continuum of crime and deviance contends that the amount of harm caused by a particular act must be taken into consideration when determining whether that act should be deemed criminal.

Question 56

The depiction of crime in the Canadian media is a fair and balanced representation of the scope and nature of crime in this country.

Question 57

Most Canadians learn about crime through the media.

Question 58

Historically,before the rise of the criminal justice system,harmful behaviour against others was treated as a private matter.

Question 59

The most common definition of a crime in Canadian society is a legalistic one.

Question 60

The legalistic definition means that a crime is as an act that violates criminal law and is punishable.

Question 61

The criminalization of marijuana is a good example of the consensus perspective of criminal law-making.

Question 62

Describe and differentiate between informal means of social control and informal means of social control.Provide examples that are illustrative of each category.

Question 63

Describe John Hagan's (1985)typology of a continuum of crime and deviance.Provide examples of specific acts that fit into each of the four main categories.

Question 64

Compare and contrast the views of consensus and conflict theorists on the question,"who makes the laws in Canada?"

Question 65

Does the media accurately portray crime in Canada? Explain your answer with specific examples.Describe the consequences of the media's representations of crime for Canadians.

Question 66

What is a social norm? Why are criminologists interested in the study of social norms?

Question 67

Why do we study crime in society? What does the scope (extent)of crime in a particular society say about that society? Using violent crime as an example answer this question by comparing and contrasting Canada with the US.

Question 68

Describe several ways in which the emphasis on preventing war on terrorism has curtailed due process and the rights of accused persons in Canada. What do you think should be done about this?

Question 69

Explain the role played by rules and norms in Canadian society.How do they come to influence what we determine to be criminal offences?

Question 70

Define crime using the most common definition.Do all criminologists adhere to this definition? Explain your answer.

Question 71

Fortunately,there have been no acts of terrorism committed on Canadian soil since World War II.

Question 72

Explain the different ways that crime can be defined.Explain the main differences between each of these perspectives.

Question 73

What does the term "ecological citizenship" mean,as used by green criminologists?

Question 74

List and describe the six major areas that make up the discipline of criminology.Explain the main differences between each area.

Question 75

Explain why new sub-fields of criminology - green criminology,terrorism studies and surveillance studies - have emerged in recent years.Are there any other important crime issues that have emerged in recent years that you feel receive a particular focus in criminology?

Question 76

Explain why it has been difficult in Canada to pass effective animal cruelty laws at the federal level.

Question 77

Explain how crime is socially defined and how people's ideas about crime change over time.Illustrate your answer with examples from the textbook or from case studies you find in the media.