True / False
1. Criminology is an academic discipline that uses scientific methods to study the nature, extent, cause, and control of
criminal behavior.
a. True
b. False
2. The criminological enterprise sub–area of victimology is concerned with specific criminal behavior systems such as
white-collar crime and violent crime.
a. True
b. False
3. The mid-eighteenth century belief stressing that the relationship between crime and punishment should be balanced
and fair can be traced to Cesare Beccaria.
a. True
b. False
4. Use of the scientific method to conduct research in an objective, universal, and culture free fashion is an element of
classical criminology.
a. True
b. False
5. Chicago School sociologists argued that social forces operating in urban areas created a crime-promoting
environment; some areas were “natural areas” for crime.
a. True
b. False
6. Critical criminologists contend that society’s economic system plays a significant role in producing criminal behavior.
a. True
b. False
7. The juvenile delinquency research of Eleanor and Sheldon Glueck (in the 1940s and 50s) profoundly influenced
criminology and formed the basis for today’s trait theory.
a. True
b. False
8. A crime becomes a deviant act when it is deemed by lawmakers as socially harmful or dangerous.
a. True
b. False
9. According to the conflict view of crime, criminal laws are viewed as acts created to protect the haves from the
have-nots.
a. True
b. False
10. The consensus view of crime suggests that the definition of crime reflects the preferences and opinions of people
who hold social power in a particular legal jurisdiction.
a. True
b. False
11. The term “criminal law” refers to the written code that defines crimes and their punishments.
a. True
b. False
12. The social control function of criminal law is tied to its sanctioning power to punish offenders.
a. True
b. False
13. Under common law, if a new rule was successfully applied in a number of different cases, it would become a
precedent.
a. True
b. False
14. The distinction between whether a crime is classified as a felony or misdemeanor is based upon the age of the
individual committing the crime.
a. True
b. False
15. Over the past decades, it has been shown that criminological research has been influenced by government funding
linked to topics the government wants researched and topics the government wishes to avoid.
a. True
b. False
16. Bail is established at the preliminary hearing.
a. True
b. False
17. Members of a grand jury are made up of law enforcement officers and judges.
a. True
b. False
18. At the preliminary hearing, the judge decides whether there is probable cause sufficient for trial.
a. True
b. False
19. Not all crimes are deviant and not all deviant acts are criminal.
a. True
b. False
20. Developmental criminologists trace criminal careers over the life course.
a. True
b. False
Multiple Choice
21. The academic discipline of criminology uses scientific methods to study the of criminal behavior.
a. nature, extent, cause, and control
b. history, economics, and control
c. prevalence, placement, and reduction
d. economics, politics, and policies
22. Marvin Wolfgang‘s 1958 study, Patterns in Criminal Homicide is an example of which subarea of the
criminological enterprise?
a. developing theories of crime causation
b. understanding and describing criminal behavior
c. criminal statistics/crime measurement
d. sociology of law
23. Gathering valid crime data, devising new research methods, and measuring crime patterns and trends fall under the
subarea of the criminological enterprise.
a. victimology
b. penology/sentencing/corrections
c. theory construction
d. criminal statistics/crime measurement
24. Criminologists interested in computing criminal statistics focus on creating
behavior.
a. tactical, strategic
b. valid, reliable
c. legal, positivist
d. current, applicable
and measurements of criminal
25. Caesar Beccaria, in the 1700s, was one of the first scholars to develop a systematic understanding of why people
commit crime. Beccaria help to form the core of what today is referred to as criminology.
a. determinism
b. classical
c. positivism
d. Marxism
26. “Let the punishment fit the crime” refers to which criminological school of thought?
a. positivist criminology
b. developmental criminology
c. classical criminology
d. sociological criminology
27. Considered the “father of criminology” and the man who referred to offenders as “born criminals” was
a. Lombroso.
b. Comte.
c. Durkheim.
d. Glueck.
28. Individuals interact with various people, organizations, institutions and social norms as they mature and develop. This
process is referred to as
a. integration.
b. socialization.
c. assimilation.
d. civilization.
29. The was a group of urban sociologists who examined how neighborhood conditions, such as poverty levels,
influenced crime rates. Their sociological vision transformed into social structure theory.
a. Philadelphia School
b. Seattle School
c. Chicago School
d. New York School
30. The writings of Karl Marx have had a great impact on
producing the conditions that lead to high crime rates.
a. classical criminology
b. positivist criminology
c. developmental criminology
d. critical criminology
, which faults the economic system for
31. According to the structural perspective, crime rates are a function of
cultural factors, and norm conflict.
a. situational
b. internal
c. political
d. ecological
forces such as neighborhood conditions,
32. According to the biological/psychological perspective, which type of forces account for crime?
a. internal
b. political
c. ecological
d. situational
33. A deviant act becomes a crime when it is defined,
a. challenged, and banned under common law.
b. stigmatized, and banned under procedural law.
c. prohibited, and punished under criminal law.
d. prohibited, and punished under civil law.
34. Which of the following situations reflects an act of deviance as opposed to a crime?
a. a thief who steals an unlocked automobile
b. a passerby who observes a person drowning and does not offer aid
c. a person who withdraws from family after joining a religious cult
d. a man who rapes a woman
35. In the 1930s, Harry Anslinger, then head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, launched a successful effort to
criminalize marijuana which had been legal until that time. Which concept of crime does Anslinger‘s moral crusade
reflect?
a. the consensus view of crime
b. the conflict view of crime
c. the interactionist view of crime
d. the legalistic view of crime
36. Which concept of crime implies that crimes are behaviors that all members of society consider to be repugnant, be
they rich and powerful or poor and powerless?
a. the consensus view of crime
b. the conflict view of crime
c. the interactionist view of crime
d. the legalistic view of crime
37. Which view of crime sees society as a collection of diverse groups who are in a constant and continuing struggle to
gain political power in order to advance their economic or social situation?
a. the consensus view of crime
b. the conflict view of crime
c. the interactionist view of crime
d. the legalistic view of crime
38. Male in se crimes such as murder and rape reflect which view of crime?
a. the consensus view of crime
b. the conflict view of crime
c. the interactionist view of crime
d. the legalistic view of crime
39. For the conflict, or interactionist’s view of crime, it is the that defines crimes and their punishments.
a. social contract
b. legal code c.
moral code d.
written code
40. Which of the following is not a legitimate social goal of the criminal law?
a. enforcing social control
b. encouraging revenge
c. expressing public opinion and morality
d. deterring criminal behavior
41. Mala prohibitum crimes, such as traffic offenses and gambling violations, change according to social conditions and
attitudes. Criminal law is used to codify these changes, reflecting which purpose of law?
a. enforcing social control
b. creating equity
c. expressing public opinion and morality
d. maintaining social order
42. The American legal system is a direct descendent of
a. Roman appellate law.
b. British appellate law.
c. British common law.
d. Roman common law.
43. The most famous set of written laws of the ancient world was a code based on punishment via physical retaliation,
“an eye for an eye,” but the severity of punishment was dependent on one‘s class standing. This code was known as
a. the Code of Hammurabi.
b. the Mosaic Code.
c. the Judeo-Christian Code
d. the Code of the Israelites
44. Under common law, if a royal judge successfully applied a ruling in a number of different cases and published that
ruling in order that other judges could apply the ruling in their subsequent decisions, the ruling would become
a. a precedent. b.
a royal order. c.
statutory law. d. a
key decision.
45. Which of the following offenses would be classified as a felony?
a. petty larceny
b. assault and battery
c. burglary
d. disturbing the peace
46. Which of the following offenses would be classified as a misdemeanor?
a. rape
b. assault
c. grand theft auto
d. petit theft
47. Not only should criminological research do no harm to subjects, but this research should also
a. lead to prestige and status for the researcher.
b. result in financial gain for the researcher.
c. result in financial gain for research subjects.
d. be empowering and directly useful to research subjects.
48. Criminologists should be ethical in their research because
a. they may face a jail sentence if they are not.
b. they are moral entrepreneurs.
c. the lives of millions of people may be influenced by their research.
d. they are seeking to validate their own theories.
49. Criminologists may face an ethical issue when
a. studying only poor, minority subjects while ignoring white-collar criminals
b. using a mail survey instead of face–to-face interviews
c. publishing findings in a public journal
d. studying a juvenile rehabilitation program that does not include counseling
50. Agencies of social control include all of the following EXCEPT:
a. corrections
b. courts
c. police
d. legislatures
51. Police assume which role in the criminal justice system?
a. apprehending suspects
b. advocates for victims
c. sentencing defendants
d. incarcerating the guilty
52. Approximately how many people are arrested each year for serious felony offenses?
a. 2 million
b. 12 million
c. 24 million
d. 40 million
53. Place the decision points of the criminal justice system in order of their occurrence.
a. complaint, arrest, arraignment, investigation
b. plea bargaining, grand jury, correctional treatment, appeal
c. custody, arraignment, adjudication, disposition
d. disposition, investigation, correctional treatment, plea bargaining
54. The accused is brought before the trial judge and formal charges are read during which step in the criminal justice
process?
a. adjudication
b. arrest
c. arraignment
d. disposition
55. What is the term used to describe a jury that is unable to agree on a decision?
a. broken
b. hung
c. mixed
d. tied
56. According to Marvin Wolfgang, the incident described above is best characterized as:
a. a criminological enterprise
b. a misdemeanor
c. a victim precipitated homicide
d. a white-collar homicide
57. What subarea of criminology would most interested in understanding the victim’s role in Donaldʹs
case?
a. Crime statistics
b. Penology
c. Sociology of Law
d. Victimology
58. Who would argue that Donald weighed the potential costs and benefits of shooting the victim and
decided to pull the trigger as a result of free will?
a. A conflict theorist
b. A critical criminologist
c. A positivist
d. A rational choice theorist
59. Assuming Donald’s guilt, rehabilitation would begin at what phase of the criminal justice process?
a. preliminary hearing
b. arrest
c. trial
d. incarceration
60. In Donald’s case, the jury deliberated for three hours before reaching a guilty verdict in a fashion.
a. majority
b. hung
c. tied
d. unanimous
61. Martha had always had the feeling that her husband was capable of hurting others. She believed that
he “looked” like a criminal and explained to the detective that his physical features gave him a criminal
appearance. What branch of criminology best explains Martha’s perception of her husband’s
appearance and alleged criminality?
a. classical criminology
b. contemporary criminology
c. positivist criminology
d. sociological criminology
62. As a result of her husband’s departure, Martha is forced to move her children into a small 2‑bedroom
public housing unit that is located in an urban neighborhood with high levels of poverty and poor
performing schools. What school of criminology promotes that Martha should be concerned for the
safety of her sons and also worried that they may start committing crime?
a. Chicago School
b. Detroit School
c. New York School
d. Richmond School
63. For months after her husband left, Martha tried to obtain full-time employment in order to better
provide for her sons. She applied to over 50 full-time jobs and never received a response. Martha
perceives that she is not being hired because she is a woman and is contemplating committing illegal
activities in order to provide for her children. Which view of the definition of crime is Martha most
likely to support at this point in her life?
a. conflict view
b. consensus view
c. criminal view
d. interactionist view
64. The lawyers on his team believe that acts prohibited by the criminal law constitute behaviors
considered unacceptable and impermissible. They believe that government should achieve a number
of social goals when outlawing certain behaviors. Which common goal is said to have been met by
applying criminal punishments that are designed to prevent crimes before they occur?
a. enforce social control
b. discourage revenge
c. teach moral values
d. deter criminal behavior
65.
a. classical
b. biological
c. conflict
d. process
66. are actions that depart from the social norm.
67. A measure is a measure that actually measures what it purports to measure.
68. The treatment of criminal offenders that is aimed at preventing future criminal behavior is .
69. is the study of the victim’s role in criminal events.
70. is the branch of social sciences that uses the scientific method of the natural sciences and suggests
that human behavior is a product of social, biological, psychological, or economic forces that can be empirically
measured.
71. A lack of norms or clear social standards is referred to as .
72. A is an act deemed socially harmful or dangerous and is prohibited under the criminal law.
73. The written code that defines crimes and their punishments is .
74. The is the foundation of Judeo-Christian moral teachings and a basis for the U.S. legal system.
75. A is a serious offense that carries a penalty of imprisonment, usually for one year or more.
76. Explain what it means to say that criminology is an interdisciplinary science. Identify and provide examples of the
included academic disciplines and how these disciplines are reflected in criminology.
77. Identify and discuss the various sub-areas that comprise the criminological enterprise.
78. While Lombroso’s version of strict biological determinism is no longer taken seriously, discuss the evolution of
Lombroso’s biological determinism and its relationship to contemporary biosocial theory.
79. Discuss the defining elements of positivist criminology. How do these elements contrast with the basic elements of
classical criminology?
80. Compare and contrast critical criminology and social structure theory?
81. Discuss the difference between deviant and criminal behavior.
82. Compare and contrast the consensus, conflict and interactionist views of crime.
83. By outlawing criminal behavior, the government expects to achieve a number of social goals. Discuss five of the
goals that the government hopes to achieve by outlawing these behaviors.
84. What are the differences between felonies and misdemeanors. Provide examples of each of these types of crimes.
85. Identify and explain the three ethical issues that impact criminological research.