Sociology Final

"I'm not really a bad person. It's just that I was drunk and I didn't know what I was doing." This is an example of which technique of neutralization? a. denial of responsibility b. denial of injury c. appeal to a higher principle d. denial of the victim e. condemning the authorities

a

An investment banker who sold bundles of home mortgages with high interest even though he knew there was a high risk of loss or default without warning his clients was engaged in: a. white collar crime. b. property crimes. c. capitalist crimes. d. crimes against the state.

a

Control theory is primarily concerned with the: a. attachment of an individual to others in society. b. way in which certain behaviors are labeled deviant. c. problems faced by a person during his or her childhood. d. conflict between social goals and means faced by some. e. psychological makeup of deviants and non-deviants.

a

Giving a child a hug for doing something right would be an example of a(n): a. informal positive sanction. b. informal removal of a sanction. c. formal positive sanction. d. informal deterrent for deviance. e. natural parental behavior.

a

Historically, the first attempts to scientifically explain deviant behavior focused on: a. biological factors. b. environmental factors. c. the people with whom one associates. d. individual personality. e. peer group socialization.

a

Inmates must serve a substantial portion of their sentence, according to: a. truth in sentencing laws. b. zero tolerance laws. c. mandatory 10 sentences. d. federal prison guidelines.

a

Reggie has held the same bank job for 15 years. He is always on time, never misses a day, and follows every rule to the letter even though he knows he won't be promoted. According to Merton's theory, Reggie would be labeled a(n): a. ritualist. b. innovator. c. retreatist. d. conformist e. rebel.

a

The idea that deviance is culturally transmitted or learned in neighborhoods and through personal contacts is basic to which of the following theories? a. differential association b. labeling c. strain d. anomie e. neutralization

a

What data was used by Lombroso to predict deviant behavior? a. head shape and size b. birth order c. personality d. family size e. arrest records

a

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways in which deviance is dysfunctional to society? a. It forces the group to organize in order to limit future acts of deviance. b. It causes confusion about norms and values of society. c. It undermines members' trust in the predictability of social relationships. d. It diverts valuable resources that could be used for meeting other social needs. e. all of the above

a

Which of the following is true about violent victimization rates in the U.S. today? a. Victimization rates for people 16 to 19 are 15 to 20 times higher than for people 65 and older. b. Victimization rates rise with age, peaking among people over 50. c. Victimization rates for people over 65 are disproportionately high. d. Victimization rates for people under 30 are most likely to be related to property crimes.

a

Which theory of deviance assumes that deviance can be deterred by strengthening the bonds that tie the individual to society? a. control b. strain c. cultural transmission d. psychological

a

A university places a fraternity on probation because some of its members served alcoholic drinks to minors. The university in this case was using: a. informal sanctions. b. formal sanctions. c. an internal means of social control. d. a moral judgment to make its decision. e. prejudice against social groups.

b

According to Durkheim's anomie theory, an act is deviant because it: a. violates the common conscience. b. violates universal norms. c. decreases group interdependence. d. violates an individual's moral code. e. is simply morally wrong.

b

Each in their own way, Lombroso and Sheldon attempted to explain deviant behavior on the basis of: a. psychological orientation. b. anatomical characteristics. c. early childhood experiences. d. differential association. e. neighborhood experiences.

b

Frank uses the copy machine at work for personal reasons, arguing that he does not pay because the company charges too much for personal copies. This explanation is a: a. denial of injury. b. denial of victim. c. denial of reality. d. condemnation of the authorities.

b

Honking your horn at someone who cuts into your lane in a dangerous fashion is an example of a(n): a. formal negative sanction. b. informal negative sanction. c. formal positive sanction. d. informal positive sanction. e. spontaneous sanction.

b

It is 3 a.m. and Tracy is driving home from work when she comes to an intersection where the light is red. Although she can see no other cars on the road in any direction, Tracy waits until the light turns green. Sociologically, this is an example of: a. deterrence. b. internal means of control. c. external means of control. d. sanctions. e. operant conditioning.

b

Joe's boss, Jessica, catches him taking money from the office coffee fund. Joe explains he was not stealing, but rather getting "what was owed him." He argues that Jessica not only charges a dollar for a cup of coffee costing only thirty cents, but also uses the company's napkins without paying for them. Which technique of neutralization is Joe using? a. denial of responsibility b. denial of victim c. condemnation of the authorities d. appeal to group loyalties

b

People conform to social norms because: a. they fear external punishments. b. they have internalized the standards. c. they crave law and order. d. fines are expensive. e. most people cannot afford good attorneys.

b

Psychoanalytic approaches to deviance are criticized because they: a. are too specific in their focus. b. cannot easily be tested. c. ignore the role of society. d. ignore an individual's past experiences. e. rely too much on genetic endowment.

b

Techniques of neutralization help people to: a. control deviant acts. b. justify deviant acts. c. decrease deviant acts. d. turn major crimes into minor ones. e. avoid prosecution for their acts.

b

Theorists who view crime as individual choice state that crime is more likely to occur when: a. benefits lie in the future. b. benefits for committing crime are greater than for not committing crime. c. peers disapprove of the act. d. punishment is immediate rather than uncertain in the future. e. the individual has no other behavioral choice.

b

Willie occasionally bets on sports events even though this is illegal. Willie says no one really gets hurt as all involved are consenting adults. This rationale: a. denies responsibility. b. denies the injury. c. denies the victim. d. appeals to higher principles. e. is a condemnation of the authorities.

b

According to control theory, a youth who stays out of trouble with the law most likely: a. had few unpleasant experiences during childhood. b. has no delinquent peers to put pressure on him or her. c. has strong relationships with parents, teachers, and peers. d. has confidence in his or her future occupational success. e. has the mental ability to avoid slipping into deviant acts

c

Elderly victims of violent crime are most likely to be assaulted by: a. a young minority male outside the home. b. a young male of their own ethnicity outside the home. c. a relative inside the home. d. a male or female from a low income background engaged in mail theft.

c

In order to decide whether a specific act is deviant, it is necessary to know: a. exactly what primary socializers taught the deviant. b. how many people commit the same act. c. the social context of the act. d. how state law defined deviance. e. the duration of the act.

c

Merton would label a person who attempts to win a race by using steroids as a(n): a. conformist. b. retreatist. c. innovator. d. rebel. e. ritualist.

c

Psychoanalytic theory defines that part of the personality that represents the demands and restrictions of society as the: a. id. b. ego. c. superego. d. unconscious. e. thantos.

c

What are the three levels in the police system in the United States? a. city, county, and state b. city, state, and federal region c. federal, state, and local d. National Security Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and State Police

c

Which of the following is NOT a function of deviance? a. reinforcing group attachments b. helping teach society's rules c. ensuring that others will not violate the same norm d. sometimes preventing more serious acts of deviance e. defining group boundaries

c

Which of the following is NOT one of Sheldon's basic body types? a. ectomorph b. mesomorph c. paleomorph d. endomorph e. none of the above

c

Which of the following is NOT true of deviance? a. It helps to maintain group boundaries. b. It helps to reinforce appropriate behavior. c. It is rare in highly-structured societies. d. It provides a societal safety valve. e. It can be instrumental in affecting social change

c

Who of the following is known for his work on psychoanalytic theories? a. Émile Durkheim b. Robert K. Merton c. Sigmund Freud d. James Q. Wilson e. Cesare Lombroso

c

According to Merton's theory, a person who advocates the total abolition of capitalism and its replacement with socialism in American society would be called a (an): a. conformist. b. retreatist. c. innovator. d. rebel. e. ritualist.

d

Carol engages in several acts of nonconformity that violate her community's norms. Sociologists would call her actions: a. insanity. b. eccentric behavior. c. moral failure. d. deviance. e. inconsistency.

d

Cultural transmission theory is based on the idea that deviant and conforming behaviors are: a. something an individual is born with. b. due to labeling. c. rational and personal choices. d. learned from others. e. biological predispositions passed through family lines.

d

Durkheim saw anomie as a condition of: a. weak law enforcement. b. dependency. c. overemphasis on the welfare of the group. d. normlessness where cultural guidelines are weak. e. mental instability.

d

The research of Shaw and McKay, which linked crime to certain types of urban neighborhoods, provided the foundation for which theories of deviance? a. labeling b. control c. anomie d. cultural transmission

d

What is the funnel effect? a. The number of people convicted of crimes is much larger than the number of beds in prisons, leading judges to accept plea bargains and compromise sentences. b. The number of people in prison is much larger than the number of people released every year, trapping millions of inmates in a culture of violence. c. Only a few people will be able to take advantage of programs to help prisoners prepare for the job market after release. d. The number of crimes is much greater than the number of people who are punished for committing a crime, leading people to have less confidence in the system.

d

What percent of crime in the United States constitutes crimes against property? a. 10% b. 25% c. 50% d. 75% e. 80%

d

Which country has the highest rate of inmates per 100,000 people? a. India b. Russia c. South Africa d. United States

d

Which of the following statements include characteristics of sanctions? a. They can be negative or positive. b. They can be formal or informal. c. They are part of external means of control. d. all of the above e. none of the above

d

Which theories of deviance are based on the idea that people adjust their behavior in response to the rewards and punishments they receive? a. biological b. psychoanalytic c. anomic d. behavioral e. environmental

d

Wilson and Herrnstein state that people become deviant because: a. their families have failed to socialize them properly. b. failing to get jobs, they have nowhere else to turn in order to get by. c. they have become part of a deviant subculture. d. they feel the rewards of crime outweigh the prospects of punishment. e. they are genetically pre-programmed for criminal activity.

d

_____ are rewards and penalties that group members use to regulate an individual's behavior. a. Punishments b. Felonies c. Anomie d. Sanctions e. none of the above

d

According to Sykes and Matza, the process that makes it possible for us to justify illegal or deviant behavior is called: a. drop-out. b. external means of social control. c. commitment to deviant conformity. d. deviant socialization. e.techniques of neutralization.

e

The theorist most closely associated with control theory is: a. Lombroso. b. Merton. c. Freud. d. Durkheim. e. Hirschi.

e

Which of the following would be considered a dysfunction of deviance? a. It makes life difficult and unpredictable. b. It causes confusion about society's norms and values. c. It undermines trust. d. It diverts valuable resources. e. all of the above

e