61. Sociologists using a symbolic interaction perspective argue that a physical disability can become _____. In this case
society devalues the status.
a. formal deviance
b. informal deviance
c. a stigma
d. a crime
62. A disadvantaged group is more likely to be punished by the criminal justice system. Which perspective best explains
this?
a. Functionalist
b. Conflict
c. Postmodern
d. Feminist
63. A weakness of the conflict theory of deviance is its failure to recognize
a. the significance of power in group relationships.
b. how the injustices of society produce crime.
c. that laws protect most people, not just the affluent.
d. the origins of crime
64. A strength of the conflict theory in terms of understanding deviance is
a. its insight into the significance of power relationships.
b. its ability to see how the entire social system works for the benefit of all.
c. its recognition of the importance of shared values and beliefs.
d. its benefits in explaining new forms of deviance.
65. A weakness of the conflict theory in terms of understanding deviance is that it
a. does not address inequity and injustice.
b. ignores the importance of the social structure.
c. is less effective in explaining forms of deviance other than crime.
d. does not explain the slow pace at which the legal system changes.
66. According to the _____ people behave as they do because of the meanings they give to different situations.
a. functionalist theory
b. conflict theory
c. symbolic interaction theory
d. social control theory
67. W. I. Thomas explained deviance as
a. a normal response to social conditions.
b. behavior one learns from others.
c. behavior frequently associated with crime.
d. varied behavior dependent on one’s social bonds.
68. Which of these is not one of the factors that the symbolic interactionist theory uses to explain deviant behavior?
a. The meanings people attribute to a situation
b. How people respond to the meaning of a situation
c. The interaction between different groups
d. The strength of people’s attachment to social norms
69. The symbolic interactionist theories of deviance originated from?
a. The Industrial Revolution
b. The perspective of the Chicago School of sociology
c. The works of Karl Marx
d. The ideas of Emile Durkheim
70. The University of Chicago sociologist who defined deviance as a normal response to the social conditions in
which people find themselves is ______.
a. W. I. Thomas
b. Michael Dyson
c. Talcott Parsons
d. Robert Merton
71. According to Sutherland’s differential association theory, people become criminals when they
a. are more strongly socialized to break the law than to obey it.
b. are genetically predisposed to deviate.
c. lack socially approved means to realize socially established goals.
d. lack proper attachment to others.
72. According to the differential association theory, people become deviant
a. when other means of achievement are blocked.
b. by learning from members of their primary groups.
c. when they lack attachment to other people.
d. in protest over unjust circumstances.
73. The differential association theory explains deviance by
a. emphasizing how deviance is culturally transmitted.
b. focusing on who has the power to label behaviors as deviant.
c. making reference to societal goals and the means of achieving them.
d. noting that some people have more power than others to define what is considered deviant.
74. Youths raised by parents who are deviant are more likely to be deviant themselves. This is an illustration of the
a. labeling theory.
b. functionalist theory.
c. differential association theory.
d. social control theory.
75. A problem with differential association theory is that it
a. does not explain how people who are not members of deviant cultures become deviants.
b. fails to account for socialization.
c. ignores the influence of friends and family.
d. does not explain how deviance is learned.
76. The perspective that uses a microsociological approach includes _____.
a. functionalism
b. conflict
c. symbolic interactionism
d. criminology
77. Social labeling theory focuses on who in society can determine that others are deviant and are able to apply
sanctions. This aspect of social labeling theory makes it most associated with _____.
a. functionalism
b. social exchange theory
c. symbolic interactionism
d. the feminist theory
78. A high school student acts bored in class and the teacher decides she is a bad student. This teacher discusses the
student with other teachers who then treat that student as if she were a bad student. This describes the process
of _____.
a. differential association
b. cultural transmission
c. labeling
d. weakening social bonds
79. Labeling theorists mention that once a person is labeled deviant
a. he or she will associate exclusively with others who are considered deviant.
b. he or she will no longer share an interest in socially desirable goals.
c. it will be difficult for him or her to reestablish a nondeviant identity.
d. he or she will turn to a life of crime.
80. Labeling theorists would explain recidivism among those released from prison as
a. behavior caused by the company they keep upon their release.
b. resulting from their anger at having been incarcerated.
c. a function of biology.
d. behavior caused by the difficulty in changing their classification as deviants.
81. When a person in a position of authority processes an individual without questioning the basis for the rules and
procedures, he or she is engaging in _____.
a. consensus
b. labeling
c. exploitation
d. social control
82. In their research on the American prison system, Bruce Western (2007) and Jeffrey Reiman (2007) note that the
prison system is designed to
a. train and socialize prisoners into a career of secondary deviance.
b. help prisoners repay their debt to society.
c. give prisoners marketable skills that will keep them from returning to prison.
d. make prisoners more respectable.
83. Which of these statements about deviant identity from a labeling perspective is false?
a. A deviant identity usually emerges over time.
b. A deviant identity is developed through a process of interaction with others.
c. Deviant identity involves how other people view the target of the deviant label.
d. A deviant identity is simple to change.
84. Which of the following is false with respect to deviant communities?
a. Joining a deviant community closes one off from conventional society and tends to solidify deviant careers.
b. Subcultural norms and values reinforce the deviant label both inside and outside the deviant group, thus
reinforcing deviant behavior.
c.
Disapproval of an individual member from the out-group may only enhance one’s status within the in-
group.
d. Deviant communities are often indistinguishable from normative society to outsiders.
85. Sociologists have found that deviant communities
a. generally share most of the same values and norms as the dominant community.
b. are a source of support for previously labeled people who want to try and return to a nondeviant identity.
c. often develop their own emblems, language, and dress.
d. exist mostly in large urban areas.
86. The strength of the labeling theory is that it
a. recognizes the nature of a shared value system in society.
b. acknowledges that the judgments people make about perceived deviance have powerful effects.
c. emphasizes economic inequality as the primary source of deviance.
d. explains why deviant behavior occurs.
87. The primary weakness of the labeling theory is
a. that it overemphasizes social attachment.
b. its disregard for the role of those with power in creating deviance.
c. that it does not explain the reasons for the behavior that comes to be labeled as deviant.
d. that it overstates the subjective nature of identifying deviance.
88. The functionalist theory on mental illness suggests that
a. mentally il l people aren’t necessarily “sick,” but are the victims of societal response to their behavior.
b. people with the fewest resources are most likely to be mentally ill.
c. identifying behaviors as mental illness serves as a means of reinforcing conformity to societal norms and
values.
d. mental illness does not exist, only individual responses to oddities exist.
89. Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz argues that there is no such thing as mental illness, but that
a. some situations are just crazy.
b. there are only people’s reactions to what they perceive as unusual behavior.
c. some psychiatric disorders are not considered illnesses.
d. some people like the attention that they get because of the stigma associated with mental illness.
90. A(n) _____ is an attribute that is socially devalued and discredited.
a. achieved status
b. social stigma
c. deviant career
d. nonconforming behavior
91. What is the sociological relationship between deviance and stigma?
a. People who are stigmatized are frequently labeled as deviant.
b. People who are stigmatized are never labeled deviant.
c. When someone is stigmatized, the label of deviant is rejected.
d. There is no relationship between deviance and stigma.
92. According to some sociologists, when some people are stigmatized
a. it helps elevate their social status.
b. they are often overlooked by others.
c. it reinforces “normalness” in others.
d. it has little impact on their overall identity.
93. Which of the following would be of the least interest to sociologists studying drug and alcohol use?
a. How definitions of alcohol and drug abuse change over time
b. Why using one substance is considered more deviant than another
c. The hormone levels of the people who are most likely to use drugs
d. The stigmatizedperson’ssocial groups
94. John want to be a sociology major who studies the social cause of crime. He is majoring in ___________ .
a. deviant sociology
b. criminology
c. criminal justice
d. victimology
95. Which of the following problems are both the Uniform Crime Report and National Crime Victimization Survey
subject to?
a. Overreporting
b. Underreporting
c. Changing definitions
d. Stereotypes
96. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report stresses _____ crimes.
a. violent
b. official
c. index
d. victimless
97. Which of the following types of crimes is the least likely to be rigorously enforced?
a. Personal crimes
b. Property crimes
c. Victimless crimes
d. Violent crimes
98. Which of the following is true regarding criminal violence?
a. Criminal violence is increasing and is random.
b. Criminal violence is decreasing and is random.
c. Criminal violence is increasing and is not random.
d. Criminal violence is decreasing and is not random.
99. According to sociologists studying crime,
a. both organized crime and corporate crime have an institutionalized character.
b. organized crime is a term that is applied only to the Mafia in the U.S.
c. financial loss from street crime is greater than that from organized or corporate crime.
d. the media images of crime are relatively accurate.