Sociological Perspectives on Crime Exam Practice Tests
Course Introduction
This course explores the major sociological theories and concepts used to understand crime and criminal behavior within society. Students will examine how social structures, cultural norms, power dynamics, and inequality influence the definition, causes, and consequences of crime. The course covers classical and contemporary sociological perspectives, including functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and labeling theory, while analyzing topics such as deviance, social control, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system. Through case studies and empirical research, students gain insights into the ways in which crime is both a social phenomenon and a product of its wider societal context.
Recommended Textbook
Criminology A Sociological Understanding 6th Edition by Steve E. Barkan
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Chapter 1: Criminology and the Sociological Perspective
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Q1) Despite the attention it receives,the ___ defense is rarely used.
Answer: insanity
Q2) Explain the differences between mens rea and actus reus.
Answer: Actus reus (actual act)refers to the actual criminal act of which the defendant is accused.For a defendant to be found guilty,the evidence must indicate beyond a reasonable doubt that he or she committed a criminal act.Mens rea (guilty mind)refers to criminal intent.
This means that the state must show that the defendant intended to commit the act.Although the concept of criminal intent is complex,it generally means that the defendant committed a criminal act knowingly.
Q3) Labeling and ____ theories emphasize bias and discrimination.
Answer: conflict
Q4) According to Mills,people are better able to understand and change the social forces that underlie their troubles when they acquire a/an _____.
A) horizontal social life
B) vertical social life
C) social imagination
D) public issues
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Public Opinion, the News Media, and the Crime Problem
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Q1) Which of the following are overrepresented in television and news reports regarding crime?
A) Whites and Latinos
B) Women and youths
C) African-Americans and the elderly
D) African-Americans and Latinos
Answer: D
Q2) Democratic theory suggests that:
A) democratic countries have higher crime rates than dictatorships.
B) whenever possible, police should hold public meetings on policy decisions.
C) courts should base their sentencing on public opinion.
D) policy decisions by public officials should reflect public opinion.
Answer: D
Q3) _____ factors include such elements as the level of social integration.
Answer: structural
Q4) Fear of crime is generally lower in dilapidated neighborhoods.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 4
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Chapter 3: The Measurement and Patterning of Criminal Behavior
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Q1) Sigmund Freud thought that women commit crime because of penis _____,which is jealousy over not having penises.They strive to be more like men by committing crimes. Answer: envy
Q2) Better known as _____ offenders,these offenders often continue their offending into adulthood as they enter criminal careers.
Answer: chronic
Q3) Explain how crimes become "official" and how that affects the accuracy of the UCR. Answer: Answers will vary
Q4) The UCR diverts attention from white-collar crime.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q5) Police may underreport crimes in order to boost their city's image. A)True
B)False Answer: True
Q6) Property crime peaks during the _____ months. Answer: summer
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Victims and Victimization
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Q1) Explain what criminologists mean when they claim that crime is intraracial.
Q2) Which of the following is not a key component of routine activities theory?
A) Presence of attractive target
B) Presence of likely offender
C) Absence of lifestyle changes
D) Absence of guardianship
Q3) Victimization research focuses on street crime and not on _____ crime.
Q4) No universal definition of crime exists.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Almost all rape victimization reported in the NCVS involves _____.
A) African-Americans
B) men
C) juveniles
D) women
Q6) The term _____ implies that the very structure of society is one that inherently oppresses,subtly or more overtly,the poor,women,and people of color.
Q7) Victims of _____ crime remain a prime subject for social science research and for government action.
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Chapter 5: Classical and Neoclassical Perspectives
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Q1) During the Age of Reason,science began to weaken religions influence.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Routine activities theory is also known as _____ theory.
Q3) Beccaria believed punishment should be certain and swift.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Who pioneered the classical school of criminology?
A) Freud
B) Sutherland
C) Beccaria
D) Hirschi
Q5) _____ deterrence refers to the effect of having some legal punishment (arrest,incarceration,and so forth)versus the effect of having no legal punishment.
Q6) Which of the following statements fits neoclassical thinking?
A) Crime is the result of genetic predisposition.
B) Criminals act with free will.
C) Crime is the result of one's social ecology.
D) Criminals act due to demonic possession.
Q7) Identify the three major components of routine activities theory.
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Chapter 6: Biological and Psychological Explanations
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Q1) Which of the following best represents Kohlberg's sensorimotor period?
A) It lasts from ages 7 to 11 and involves learning logical thinking and problem solving.
B) It lasts until the age of 2 and involves learning about their immediate environment and developing their reflexes.
C) It last until age 31 and corresponds with the fully developed superego.
D) period lasts from ages 12-17 and consists of learning language, drawing, and other skills .
Q2) Some of the most important work in psychology and crime focuses on _____.
A) social ecology
B) phrenology
C) personality
D) utilitarianism
Q3) Which of the following statements best describes cads?
A) Women who have multiple children in order to pass on their genes
B) Women who have numerous children as a means of passing on DNA
C) Men who have multiple spouses
D) Men who used rape as a means to pass along their genes
Q4) What is your reaction to Stanley Milgram's famous experiment involving electric shock and learning?
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Chapter 7: Sociological Theories: Emphasis on Social Structure
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Q1) Your text suggests that strain leads to rioting in _____ in spite of its famed social welfare system.
A) Canada
B) Sweden
C) Mexico
D) Hong Kong
Q2) Which of the following best expresses institutional anomie?
A) Crime results from a conflict between the wealthy and the poor.
B) Crime results when institutions such as schools break down.
C) Crime results from cultural values, such as an exaggerated emphasis on wealth.
D) Crime results when societal indicators, such as the Misery Index, begin to drop.
Q3) According to Durkheim,which of the following best describes how anomie arises?
A) When a culture derives a collective conscience
B) When normative values remain consistent and society fails to evolve
C) When a society fails to integrate new members
D) When traditional norms become less applicable to new circumstances
Q4) Having not been raised with middle-class values,lower-class boys do poorly in school and experience status _____,or strain.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Sociological Theories: Emphasis on Social Process
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Q1) Have you ever utilized neutralization techniques as a part of committing a criminal offense (e.g.,illegally downloaded music)?
Q2) Which of the following is a neutralization technique?
A) Denial of hope
B) Denial of truth
C) Denial of participation
D) Denial of responsibility
Q3) Which of the following best summarizes differential reinforcement?
A) Some individuals' antisocial behavior is serious and persists adolescence-limited through the life course.
B) Inner containments (e.g., a positive self-concept and tolerance for frustration) and outer containments (e.g., family influences) help prevent juvenile offending.
C) Criminal behavior and attitudes are more likely to be learned if they are rewarded by friends and/or family.
D) People pursue criminal behavior to the extent they identify with members of reference groups who engage in criminal behavior.
Q4) How do we utilize "neutralization" as a means of justifying criminal behavior?
Q5) Family _____ refers to the way the family is set up or organized.
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Chapter 9: Sociological Theories: Critical Perspectives
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Q1) Restorative justice has been tried in some areas of the United States and in Australia,Canada and Japan.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Labeling theory adopts a(n)_____ definition by assuming that nothing about a given behavior automatically makes it deviant.
Q3) Which of the following would Marx consider proletariat?
A) A factory owner
B) A factory worker
C) A government employee
D) A high ranking politician
Q4) The Japanese are much less likely than Americans to think criminals can change for the better.
A)True
B)False
Q5) In a self-fulfilling prophecy,the social-psychological and practical consequences of official labeling thus lead to deviance amplification.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Violent Crime: Homicide, Assault, and Robbery
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Q1) The UCR defines _____ as an attack "where no weapon is used and which do not result in serious or aggravated injury to the victim."
A) fourth-degree assault
B) involuntary assault
C) simple assault
D) aggravated assault
Q2) Killings committed out of intense emotion,such as anger or fear,are called _____ manslaughter.
Q3) Simple assault is "an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury."
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following commit robberies when they are drunk and trying to get money to buy more alcohol?
A) Student robbers
B) Underage robbers
C) Liquor robbers
D) Alcoholic robbers
Q5) Of all firearm homicides,_____ are utilized 49% of the time.
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Chapter 11: Violence Against Women
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Q1) Another problem affecting many women of color in regards to reporting sexual assault is fear of and hostility toward the _____.
Q2) Identify and describe any two common rape myths.
Q3) In India and Pakistan,_____ deaths claim the lives of thousands of women annually.
Q4) Another myth is that:
A) many women see the abuse as a help in defining their relationship.
B) since only poor women are abused, there is nothing police can do.
C) men are abused as often as women, and more so in wealthy households.
D) because many women do not leave their batterers or call the police, the battering cannot be that bad.
Q5) Little serious domestic violence is committed against women.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Research suggests that women like to be raped and "ask" to be raped by their dress,behavior,or both.
A)True
B)False
Q7) Why is violence against women an international problem?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Property Crime and Fraud
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Q1) Computer crime is a growing problem and involves such offenses as _____.
A) hacking and phishing
B) chirping and fencing
C) tweaking and tweeting
D) stalking and stacking
Q2) Which of the following is defined as attempted or completed unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft?
A) Armed robbery
B) Burglary
C) Truancy
D) Rape
Q3) Which of the following involves acquiring someone else's credit card number,Social Security number,bank account information,or other information that is then used for illegal economic gain,including the draining of an individual's bank account?
A) Burglary
B) Ponzi scam
C) Identity theft
D) Fencing
Q4) When crime occurs on the internet it is known as ______.
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Chapter 13: White-collar and Organized Crime
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Q1) Explain the concept of corporate violence.Provide several examples.
Q2) Bernard Madoff was discovered to have been using a(n)_____ scheme.
Q3) Most organizational crime is committed by minorities.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Occupational crime is committed by individuals in the course of their occupation for _____ gain.
Q5) Which scenario is an example of restraint of trade that violates antitrust law?
A) A government official lies regarding a law's impact such as the Affordable Care Act.
B) A bank loans money knowing the borrower cannot pay it back.
C) A company buys out all the others so it can raise its prices without fear of losing sales.
D) A corporation hires lobbyists to have a law changed in its favor.
Q6) When did organized crime's power and wealth increase enormously?
A) Prohibition
B) World War I
C) World War II
D) Civil War
Q7) Distinguish between occupational and corporate crime.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Political Crime
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Q1) Which of the following is an example of genocide?
A) Darfur
B) Death of MLK
C) Civil War
D) The holocaust
Q2) The Nazis committed _____ against the Jews when they attempted extermination.
Q3) Crime by government is also called _____.
A) national-crime
B) state-crime
C) county-crime
D) UN-crime
Q4) Political _____ theory stresses that movements are more likely to arise when changes in the national government promise it will prove receptive or vulnerable to movement challenges.
Q5) Explain the social patterning of political crime in the United States.
Q6) Political corruption is committed either for personal economic gain or for political influence.
A)True
B)False
Q7) Benedict Arnold is an example of a(n)_____.
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Chapter 15: Consensual Crime
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Q1) Homicide is a type consensual crime.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A _____ against brothels,carried out by the same white,middle-class Protestants behind the temperance movement,began in the United States about 1910.
A) values agenda
B) norms invasion
C) moral crusade
D) religious blitzkrieg
Q3) _____ is sometimes known as "the world's oldest profession".
Q4) In ancient Greece,which of the following was common?
A) Methadone clinics
B) Celebrity rehab clinics
C) Strip clubs where alcohol was served
D) Legal brothels (houses of prostitution)
Q5) Cigarettes contain the legal drug _____.
Q6) What was the outcome of the legalization of drug possession in Portugal?
Q7) Illegal drugs cause ten times more deaths each year than legal drugs.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Policing: Dilemmas of Crime Control in a Democratic Society
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Q1) US policing developed from the early German system.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Sometimes police will use force when none was needed or will sometimes use more force than was needed to subdue a suspect.The result is _____.
A) excluded evidence
B) constitutional crisis
C) police brutality
D) contempt of cop
Q3) The Knapp commission divided corrupt officers into _____.
A) grinders and choppers
B) burger-eaters and donut-eaters
C) meat-eaters and grass-eaters
D) blenders and grillers
Q4) The Court ruled in Miranda v.Arizona that police must advise suspects that they may
A) remain silent
B) keep their guns
C) speak freely
D) post bail
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Chapter 17: Prosecution and Punishment
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Q1) In the wake of Furman,states revised their death-penalty laws and procedures to reduce _____ in the application of the penalty.
Q2) Approximately,one-third of young Asian males (ages 20 to 29)nationally are under correctional supervision.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The United States has long had a system modeled after combat.By what term is this system better known?
A) The inquisitorial model
B) The adversary model
C) The fencing model
D) The quandary model
Q4) The United States has long been said to have a(n)_____ system of criminal justice.
Q5) The vast majority of criminal cases go to trial.
A)True
B)False
Q6) The _____ holds the dubious honor of having a high crime rate even though it also has the highest imprisonment rate of all Western nations.
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Chapter 18: Conclusion: How Can We Reduce Crime?
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Q1) The huge number of _____ in the United States is an important reason for our high number of homicides.
Q2) Which of the following is an example of primary prevention?
A) Provide affordable, high-quality child day care for all parents who need it to work outside the home and flexible work schedules to allow parents to spend more time with children.
B) Establish well-funded early childhood intervention programs for high-risk children and their families.
C) Provide government economic aid for people who cannot find work or who find work but still cannot lift themselves out of poverty.
D) Expand "three strikes and you're out" and mandatory imprisonment policies.
Q3) United States prenatal and postnatal programs are currently inadequate,leaving many poor children at risk for _____ impairment.
Q4) Which of the tertiary forms of prevention do you think would be most effective?
Q5) Greater income inequality should reduce crime.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Which of the secondary forms of prevention do you think would be most effective?
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