Question 1

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.
D) our emphasis on individual economic success, which weakens the social fabric.

Accepted Answer

Elliot Currie argues that the emphasis on individual economic success weakens the social fabric and contributes to the high crime rate in the United States.

Question 2

In legal terms, a crime is composed of
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 two elements: the act itself, referred to as the actus reus, and the criminal intent, referred to as the mens rea. Both of these elements must be present for an action to be considered a crime.

Question 3

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 likelihood of being arrested for a street crime is highest during the late teenage years and early twenties, and decreases as people get older.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

This is true. No other high-income Western nation has the death penalty as a routine punishment for convicted offenders.

Question 6

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 ancient times. It is based on the idea that an offender deserves punishment for their wrongdoing as a form of justice, regardless of any potential future benefits to society or the individual.

Question 7

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 8

Biological factors, including genetics, explain most criminal behavior.

Accepted Answer

While genetics can play a role in criminal behavior, research shows that it is not the primary factor. Environmental and social factors, such as poverty, upbringing, and peer influence, have a larger impact on criminal behavior.

Question 9

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...

Question 10

What is meant by "community-based corrections?" What are the advantages of this approach compared to sending convicted offenders to prison? 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 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

Explain the value and the limitations of biological and psychological explanations of crime.Expand the essay by explaining the strengths of a sociological approach to understanding crime.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the value and the limitations of...

Question 13

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 14

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 specifically focused on delinquent subcultures that emerge among working-class youths who feel alienated from mainstream society, while Miller's theory of focal concerns suggests that the values and concerns of lower-class culture may lead to deviant behavior.

Question 15

Many researchers agree that, in the United States, most arrests for street crime involve people of lower class 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 16

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

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 18

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 19

Emile Durkheim made the surprising statement that crime is actually useful and perhaps even necessary for all 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 20

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

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) are based on offenses known to the police, meaning that not all crimes are included and only those reported and investigated by law enforcement agencies are counted. The UCR does not reflect offenses cleared by arrest or resulting in a criminal conviction.

Quiz 7: Deviance

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

In legal terms, a crime is composed of

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

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

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

The oldest justification for punishing an offender is

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