Criminology Theories Exam
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- 1.SELECT ALL of the options that correctly frame the Three Questions of Criminology:
- A.
What is the nature and extent of Crime?
- B.
What is Crime?
- C.
Why do people commit crime?
- D.
Why do people NOT commit crime?
- E.
What are the Policy Implications of a theory of crime?
- F.
How then can we manage, control, or prevent crime?
- 2.Criminology is the scientific study of
- A.
The making of laws.
- B.
The breaking of laws.
- C.
Society’s reaction to the breaking of laws.
- D.
All of these
- 3.Which of the following accurately describes Rational Choice Theory?
- A.
Criminals commit crime because they are born that way and learn from their criminal friends and family members.
- B.
Crime is a result of a rational decision making process in which a criminal will choose to commit crime because the benefits outweigh the costs.
- C.
Those in power determine what crime is and who will be defined as a criminal.
- D.
Crime is a result of a rational decision making process in which a criminal will choose to commit crime because the costs outweigh the benefits.
- 4.The conflict model of law assumes that:
- A.
Certain acts are deemed so threatening to the society’s survival that they are designated crimes.
- B.
The criminal law expresses the values of the ruling class within a society.
- C.
Members of a society by and large agree on what is right.
- D.
Society is a stable entity in which laws are created for the general good.
- 5.What is the most important implication of Rational Choice Theory?
- A.
Restorative Justice
- B.
Social Programs targeting poverty.
- C.
Programs that increase a person's pro-social bonds.
- D.
Deterrence
- 6.•Conflict theorists view society as a stable entity in which laws are created for the general good.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 7.•Crime has become globalized.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 8.•What are some of the limitations of self-report surveys?
- A.
They represent a wide range of criminal acts.
- B.
Respondents may not tell the truth.
- C.
The samples are never biased.
- D.
The information they yield applies to individuals of many age ranges
- 9.•The life-course perspective argues that
- A.
Factors that lead to onset of offending do not vary.
- B.
The number and type of offenses committed do not vary.
- C.
The frequency of offending may go down for most offenders, but some chronic offenders commit the same amount of crime over time.
- D.
The factors that lead to desistance from offending do not vary.
- 10.•Males traditionally commit more of which of the following crimes than females?
- A.
Prostitution
- B.
Shoplifting
- C.
Welfare fraud
- D.
Aggravated assault
- 11.•The positivist school of criminology posits that:
- A.
Human behavior is determined by forces beyond individual control.
- B.
individuals choose to commit crimes after weighing the consequences of their actions.
- C.
All human actions are determined in accordance with the felicific calculus.
- D.
Anomie is a breakdown of social order, which causes people to commit crimes.
- 12.•The classical school of criminology is based on the assumption that individuals choose to commit crimes after weighing the consequences of their actions.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 13.•In the United States, explanations of criminal behavior have been dominated by what type of theories?
- A.
Psychological
- B.
Biological
- C.
Sociological
- D.
philosophical
- 14.•Freud proposed that the __________ acts as a moral code or conscience.
- A.
Id
- B.
ego
- C.
Supraego
- D.
Superego
- 15.•According to studies of twins;
- A.
There is no evidence that genetic factors explain criminality.
- B.
There is some support for the hypothesis that some genetic influences increase the risk of criminality.
- C.
There is a strong causal relationship between genetics and crime.
- D.
There has not been enough research comparing monozygotic twins to dizygotic twins to make any conclusions.
- 16.•Social learning theory maintains that delinquent behavior is learned through the same psychological processes as any other behavior.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 17.•Cultural deviance theorists argue that:
- A.
Crime is most likely to occur among the lower social classes.
- B.
American society is made up of various groups and subgroups, each with its own standards of right and wrong.
- C.
People learn to commit crime as a result of contact with antisocial values, attitudes, and criminal behavior patterns.
- D.
Crime is the result of social disorganization.
- 18.•Psychological theories seek to uncover the reasons for differences in crime rates in the social environment.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 19.–Social control theories are based on the assumption that the motivation to commit crime is a part of human nature. As such, social control theorists seek to understand why people do not offend.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 20.When Messner and Rosenfeld refer to the "American Dream," they are referring to the American culture's relentless push toward:
- A.
Sexual success
- B.
Job success
- C.
Material success
- D.
Family success
- 21.____ Criminologists tend to believe that the only real cause of crime is capitalism
- A.
Marxist
- B.
Positivist
- C.
Atavism
- 22.Victimology is a subfield of criminology that specializes in studying the victims of crime
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 23.
- According to the tenets of institutional anomie theory, which of the following would be useful policy goal?
- A.
Address negative emotions through coping strategies
- B.
Increase collective efficiency at the neighborhood level.
- C.
Increase legitimate economic opportunities in society
- D.
Reduce the role if economic factor in other social institutions such as the family
- 24.Shaw and McKay's social disorganzation theory is part of the Human Ecology theoretical tradition.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 25.
- Social bond theory argues that individuals who have invested time and effort into legitimate endeavors have a stake in conformity, and will therefore be less likely to engage in crime.
- A.
True
- B.
False
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