1) Which one of the following is not one of the definitional perspectives found in contemporary criminology?
A) Political
B) Sociological
C) Environmental
D) Legalistic
Answer: C
Page Ref: 2
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
2) "Human conduct that is in violation of the criminal laws of a state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction that has the power to make such laws" is a definition of
A) criminology.
B) crime.
C) criminal.
D) deviance.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 3
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
3) The belief that crime is an antisocial act of such a nature that repression is necessary to preserve the existing system of society is the basis of the ________ perspective on crime.
A) legal
B) political
C) sociological
D) psychological
Answer: C
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
4) The psychological perspective sees crime primarily as
A) a violation of a law.
B) an offense against human relationships.
C) an antisocial act
D) problem behavior.
Answer: D
Page Ref: 5
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
5) Which of the following statements about deviance and crime is true?
A) All deviant behavior is criminal
B) All criminal behavior is deviant
C) Deviant behavior and criminal behavior overlap
D) Deviant behavior and criminal behavior are mutually exclusive categories
Answer: C
Page Ref: 5-6
Objective: What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Intermediate
6) You are running late to class and there is an exam today. To get to class on time, you drive about 10 miles about the speed limit. This is an example of behavior that is
A) deviant but not criminal.
B) criminal but not deviant.
C) both deviant and criminal.
D) neither deviant nor criminal.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 6
Objective: What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Intermediate
7) Which of the following behaviors are criminal only when committed by a child or youth?
A) Shoplifting a candy bar
B) Drinking alcohol
C) Speeding
D) Joyriding
Answer: B
Page Ref: 6
Objective: What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Intermediate
8) The ________ perspective says that laws should be enacted to criminalize certain behaviors when members of society generally agree that such laws are necessary?
A) consensus
B) sociological
C) pluralistic
D) legalistic
Answer: A
Page Ref: 7
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Basic
9) The pluralistic perspective suggests that behaviors are typically criminalized through
A) a political process.
B) the general agreement of most members of society.
C) the existence of shared norms and values.
D) consensus.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 7
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Basic
10) The gun control debate is an example of the ________ perspective.
A) consensus
B) sociological
C) conflict
D) pluralistic
Answer: D
Page Ref: 7
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
11) ________ is the field of study that is concerned primarily with the causes and consequences of crime.
A) Criminal justice
B) Criminology
C) Criminality
D) Criminalistics
Answer: B
Page Ref: 8-9
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Basic
12) A ________ studies crime, criminals, and criminal behavior.
A) scientist
B) criminal justice professional
C) criminologist
D) criminalist
Answer: C
Page Ref: 12
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Basic
13) Criminal justice focuses on
A) the control of lawbreaking.
B) the causes of crime.
C) the consequences of crime.
D) the victim.
Answer: A
Page Ref: 11
Objective: What is criminology? What are its many roots?
Level: Basic
14) Which of the following would probably not fall within the field of criminalistics?
A) Forensics examiner
B) Polygraph operator
C) Fingerprint examiner
D) Correctional officer
Answer: D
Page Ref: 12
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Intermediate
15) A(n) ________ of crime attempts to explain all or most forms of criminal conduct through a single, overarching approach.
A) complete
B) unicausal
C) integrated
D) general
Answer: D
Page Ref: 13
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Basic
16) The general theory of crime suggests that all types of criminal and deviant behavior can be explained by a single factor: a lack of self-control. This is an example of a(n) ________ theory.
A) integrated
B) unicausal
C) bicameral
D) complete
Answer: B
Page Ref: 13
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Difficult
17) ________ criminology emphasizes the use of social scientific techniques to develop knowledge in the field of criminology.
A) Evidence-based
B) Translational
C) Theoretical
D) Policy-based
Answer: A
Page Ref: 14
Objective: What is evidence-based criminology? How does it complement theoretical criminology?
Level: Basic
18) ________ criminology involves taking the results of criminological research and converting it into workable social policy and practice.
A) Experimental
B) Translational
C) Theoretical
D) Policy-based
Answer: B
Page Ref: 15
Objective: What is evidence-based criminology? How does it complement theoretical criminology?
Level: Basic
19) The ________ perspective holds that crime manifests from underlying social issues such as poverty, discrimination, and pervasive family violence.
A) evidence-based
B) individual responsibility
C) social deviance
D) social problems
Answer: D
Page Ref: 16
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Basic
20) Which of the following crime reduction or prevention strategies is most characteristic of the social problems perspective?
A) A government-funded initiative to enhance educational opportunities among low-income individuals
B) A move to broaden police powers by increasing the number of exceptions to the Exclusionary Rule
C) Rewriting state statutes to increase the severity of punishment for violent offenders, such as three-strikes laws
D) Allocating federal funds to help states build and operate more prisons
Answer: A
Page Ref: 17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
21) Which of the following statements about the social problems perspective is false?
A) It suggests that crime is a symptom of underlying social problems such as poverty and discrimination
B) It emphasizes the development of social and educational opportunities as a way of dealing with the crime problem
C) It emphasizes crime prevention efforts such as harsher sentences and the development of rehabilitation programs
D) It sees crime as a public health problem as well as a criminal justice problem
Answer: C
Page Ref: 17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
22) Which of the following recent developments in national crime control policy was NOT substantially influenced by the social responsibility perspective?
A) The increase in the number of federal capital crimes
B) The enactment of a federal three-strikes law
C) The abolition of federal parole
D) The creation of the Job Corps to reduce unemployment by encouraging the development of job skills
Answer: D
Page Ref: 17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
23) This book recognizes that crime is not an isolated individual activity but a(n) ________ event.
A) social
B) economic
C) deviant
D) political
Answer: A
Page Ref: 18
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Intermediate
24) An American visitor witnessing a crime in Japan may interpret the events differently than someone born within the Japanese culture. This is an example of
A) intercultural perspective.
B) social relativity.
C) deviant perception.
D) politicization.
Answer: B
Page Ref: 19
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Difficult
25) Ultimately, crime is a result of the coming together of inputs provided by all but which of the following?
A) The victim
B) The criminal justice system
C) Society
D) The media
Answer: D
Page Ref: 20
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Intermediate
26) Which of the following is a background contribution by the offender?
A) A genetic inventory
B) A peculiar motivation
C) A specific intent
D) A drug-induced state of mind
Answer: A
Page Ref: 20
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Intermediate
27) The ________ contributes to a criminal event by failing to prevent criminal activity.
A) victim
B) offender
C) criminal justice system
D) general public
Answer: C
Page Ref: 20
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
28) Victims may actively contribute to their own victimization through the appearance of
A) defensiveness.
B) exposure.
C) defenselessness.
D) precipitation.
Answer: C
Page Ref: 20
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
29) ________ is the process by which one acquires the cultural values of one's society.
A) Socialization
B) Integration
C) Social relativity
D) Criminalistics
Answer: A
Page Ref: 21
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
30) Many modern criminologists operate from a(n) ________ perspective.
A) psychological
B) political
C) economic
D) sociological
Answer: D
Page Ref: 23
Objective: What social science has traditionally provided a central theoretical basis for criminology? Why?
Level: Basic
1.2 True/False Questions
1) The legalistic perspective defines crime as a violation of the criminal law.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 2-3
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
2) Adopting the psychological perspective of crime would greatly expand the scope of criminology.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
3) All criminal behavior is deviant.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 6
Objective: What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Basic
4) Some behaviors are considered to be criminal only if they are committed by a child.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 7
Objective: What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Intermediate
5) The pluralistic perspective is most applicable to societies characterized by a shared belief system.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 7
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
6) The difficulty in reaching agreement regarding legalizing marijuana is an example of social consensus.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 7-8
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Difficult
7) Criminology is an interdisciplinary field.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 10
Objective: What is criminology? What are its many roots?
Level: Basic
8) Criminal justice focuses on questions about the causes of crime.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 11
Objective: What is criminology? What are its many roots?
Level: Basic
9) A correctional officer is a criminalist.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 13
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Intermediate
10) There is a growing tendency to apply the term criminologist to anyone who works in the criminal justice field.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 13
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Basic
11) A theory that attempts to explain all types of criminal behavior is a general theory of crime.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 13
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Basic
12) An integrated theory is one that proposes a single identifiable cause for all serious criminal behavior.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 14
Objective: What do criminologists do?
Level: Basic
13) Translational criminology focuses on taking research findings and converting them into social policy.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 15
Objective: What is evidence-based criminology? How does it complement theoretical criminology?
Level: Basic
14) A social program that encourages teenagers to stay in school and graduate is typical of the social problems perspective.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 16-17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Intermediate
15) The individual responsibility perspective considers people to be responsible for their own behavior.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Basic
16) The abolition of federal parole and the creation of the federal three-strikes law were influenced by the social problems perspective.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Intermediate
17) Because crime is a social event, it can have more than one interpretation.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 19
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Intermediate
18) Social relativity means that the offender and the victim interpret crime in a similar way.
Answer: FALSE
Page Ref: 19
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
19) The consequences of crime include both outputs and interpretations.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 19
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
20) The primacy of sociology should not prevent criminologists from recognizing contributions from other perspectives.
Answer: TRUE
Page Ref: 23
Objective: What social science has traditionally provided a central theoretical basis for criminology? Why?
Level: Intermediate
1.3 Fill in the Blank Questions
1) Seeing crime as the result of criteria that have been built into the law by powerful groups is the basis of the ________ perspective on crime.
Answer: political
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
2) The sociological perspective considers crime to be a(n) ________ act.
Answer: antisocial
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
3) ________ is human activity that violates social norms.
Answer: Deviance/Deviant behavior
Page Ref: 6
Objective: What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Basic
4) Truancy and running away from home are examples of ________.
Answer: delinquency
Page Ref: 6
Objective: What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Basic
5) The ________ perspective suggests that behaviors should be criminalized when members of society generally agree that such laws are necessary.
Answer: consensus
Page Ref: 7
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Basic
6) ________ focuses on questions about the causes of criminal behavior.
Answer: Criminology
Page Ref: 9-10
Objective: What is criminology? What are its many roots?
Level: Basic
7) ________ criminology proposes explanations for criminal behavior.
Answer: Theoretical
Page Ref: 13-14
Objective: What is criminology? What are its many roots?
Level: Basic
8) The individual ________ perspective argues that criminal offenders choose crime over more law-abiding behaviors.
Answer: responsibility
Page Ref: 17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Intermediate
9) Social ________ means that social events are interpreted differently according to an individual's cultural experiences and personal interests.
Answer: relativity
Page Ref: 19
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
10) Background causes of crime are known as ________.
Answer: contributions
Page Ref: 20
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
11) A specific intent is an example of a(n) ________ contribution to crime by the offender.
Answer: foreground
Page Ref: 20
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Intermediate
12) An innocent victim killed outside his/her home by random gunfire from a drive-by shooting is a(n) ________ participant in the crime.
Answer: passive
Page Ref: 20
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Basic
13) A situation in which someone starts a fight but ends up being severely beaten is an example of victim ________.
Answer: precipitation
Page Ref: 21
Objective: What is the social context of crime? What are crime's consequences?
Level: Intermediate
14) The field of ________ has contributed the most to criminology
Answer: sociology
Page Ref: 23
Objective: What social science has traditionally provided a central theoretical basis for criminology? Why?
Level: Basic
1.4 Matching Questions
Match the definitional perspective to its view of crime
A) Crime is a form of social maladjustment or problem behavior
B) Crime is behavior that violates the criminal law
C) Crime is an antisocial act that needs to be repressed to preserve the existing social system
D) Crime is defined in terms of power structures existing in society
1) Legalistic
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
2) Political
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
3) Sociological
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
4) Psychological
Page Ref: 3-4
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Basic
Answers: 1) B 2) D 3) C 4) A
Match the role to the type of field or study within criminology
A) Criminologists
B) Criminalistics
C) Criminal Justice
5) Polygraph examiner
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
6) Probation officer
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
7) Creating social policy
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
8) Public advocacy
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
9) Correctional officer
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
10) Constructing theories
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
11) Ballistics
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
12) Victim advocate
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
13) Victim advocate
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
14) Crime-scene photographer
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
15) Fingerprint examiner
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
16) Prosecutor
Page Ref: 13
Objective: Who decides what should be criminal? How are such decisions made?
Level: Intermediate
Answers: 5) B 6) C 7) A 8) A 9) C 10) A 11) B 12) C 13) B 14) A 15) B 16) C
Match the policy to the underlying perspective
A) Social problems perspective
B) Individual responsibility perspective
17) Head Start program of comprehensive early childhood education
Page Ref: 16-17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
18) Federal allocations to allow states to expand their prison systems
Page Ref: 16-17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
19) A Job Corps initiative to help young people earn a high school diploma and find and keep a good job
Page Ref: 16-17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
20) Three-strikes laws to mandate life imprisonment for third-time violent felons
Page Ref: 16-17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
21) Enhanced sentences for drug trafficking
Page Ref: 16-17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Difficult
Answers: 17) A 18) B 19) A 20) B 21) B
1.5 Essay Questions
1) What are the various definitional perspectives by which crime can be defined and how does each perspective define crime? What is deviant behavior? What are the similarities and differences between criminal behavior and deviant behavior?
Answer: Answers should include a discussion of the four definitional perspectives (legalistic, political, sociological, and psychological) and an explanation of how each views crime. They should also include a definition of deviant behavior as behavior that violates social norms and should explain how the two concepts overlap but are not identical.
Page Ref: 2-6
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?; What is deviance? How are crime and deviance similar? How do they differ?
Level: Difficult
2) What is criminology and what is a criminologist? What career paths are available for individuals earning various degrees in criminology?
Answer: Answers should define criminology and criminologists, and should discuss some of the career paths, including jobs available in the areas of criminalistics and criminal justice.
Page Ref: 9-14
Objective: What is criminology? What are its many roots?; What do criminologists do?
Level: Intermediate
3) What are the two contrasting viewpoints on which the book is built? Explain each and give examples of policies based on each viewpoint.
Answer: Answers should explain the two contrasting perspectives now popular in American society: social problems perspective and the individual responsibility perspective. Examples may vary.
Page Ref: 16-17
Objective: What is the theme of this chapter? Upon what two contrasting viewpoints does it build?
Level: Basic
1.6 Critical Thinking Questions
1) What limitations exist with the legal perspective of crime?
Answer: Answers should define the legal perspective of crime as human conduct in violation of the criminal laws set by the government. Answers should address some of the following limitations discussed in the textbook: yielding moral high ground to powerful individuals with influence on the law; that social, ethical, and individual significance influence immoral forms of behavior; and that the legalistic definition also suffers from lack of recognition that formalized laws have not always existed.
Page Ref: 3
Objective: What is crime? What is the definition of crime that the author of this text has chosen to use?
Level: Difficult
2) How do the different roles of criminologists, criminalists, and criminal justice professionals vary? How do these roles contribute to the field of criminology? Who primarily contributes to social policy?
Answer: Answers should distinguish between criminologists, criminalities, and criminal justice. They should explain that criminologists contribute to the study of the field and development of policy, individuals working in the field of criminalistics collect physical evidence of specific crimes, and criminal justice professionals do the day-to-day work of the criminal justice system.
Page Ref: 12-16
Objective: What do criminologists do?; What is evidence-based criminology? How does it complement theoretical criminology?
Level: Intermediate
