Deviance And Social Control Full Test Bank Chapter 8

Experience Sociology, 4e (Croteau)

Chapter 8 Deviance and Social Control

1) Which factor helps define the boundary between normal and abnormal?

A) conformity

B) nonconformity

C) use of force

D) conditioning

2) Deviance is best defined as which of the following?

A) anything outside of the norm

B) behavior that people disapprove of

C) behavior that does not conform to norms and expectations

D) behavior that is inherently abnormal

3) What we define as normal and abnormal behavior depends on

A) evidence of abnormality.

B) empirical research.

C) social context.

D) individual opinion.

4) According to Emile Durkheim's definition, an act is deviant or criminal because it

A) offends social norms.

B) is essentially wrong by any standard.

C) is inherently immoral.

D) is illegal.

5) Which of the following accurately describes deviance?

A) It is defined as immoral and wrong.

B) It resists change.

C) It depends on a public condemnation.

D) It changes with time and social context.

6) What did Emile Durkheim mean by collective conscience?

A) collective guilt

B) shared values, norms, and beliefs in a community

C) capacity for morality

D) ability to distinguish right from wrong

7) Divorce was once considered deviant, and in many parts of the world it still is. Americans today hardly think of divorce as something abnormal. Which reason is responsible for the redefinition of divorce as no longer deviant?

A) change in social context

B) social progress

C) decline in morality

D) decline in religious authority

8) A behavior comes to be defined as deviant because

A) it is contrary to a moral code.

B) most believe that it is deviant.

C) it is publicly labeled as deviant.

D) it is inherently and profoundly wrong.

9) From the sociological perspective on deviance, how does a person become an alcoholic?

A) He or she has a very high blood-alcohol level.

B) He or she exhibits behavior indicative of intoxication.

C) He or she commits a public outrage.

D) He or she is labeled as such.

10) A person comes to be considered a deviant when publicly marked with such a designation, and typically acknowledges this definition as part of his or her identity. This is a definition of what theory?

A) strain theory

B) deviance theory

C) labeling theory

D) rational choice theory

11) Labeling theory is associated with which of the following sociological perspectives?

A) feminist

B) conflict

C) symbolic interactionist

D) functionalist

12) An ex-convict has a difficult time finding employment because his criminal record has become his

A) master status.

B) secondary deviance.

C) internalized self.

D) designation as abnormal.

13) Those defined as deviant often suffer a ________ attached to their deviance. It is associated with shame, loss of status, discrimination, and social isolation.

A) master status

B) secondary deviance

C) stigma

D) loss of self

14) A child who is continuously derided by his parents as "slow" will internalize this label as part of his identity. Instead of trying to succeed in school, he drops out and turns to drugs and alcohol. This is an example of

A) induced deviance.

B) secondary deviance.

C) social conditioning.

D) strain theory.

15) From the functionalist perspective, deviance serves a purpose in society. Which function does deviance perform?

A) It benefits some people economically.

B) It provides alternative opportunities.

C) It defines boundaries between right and wrong.

D) It helps the poor.

16) In public we behave ourselves according to a set of rules and expectations, even though no written rules exist to hold us accountable. Why do we still behave "normally"?

A) It is natural.

B) Many rules are implicit.

C) Life is easier if we do so.

D) It is the right thing to do.

17) How does deviance contribute to group solidarity?

A) Deviance unites people against a common enemy.

B) Overcoming deviance fosters bonding.

C) People with common deviant dispositions bond.

D) Reformed deviants crave group acceptance.

18) From the functionalist perspective, a society without deviance would be excessively conformist. Such a society would

A) be close to an ideal society.

B) be highly productive and innovative.

C) strive for perfection.

D) limit change and innovation.

19) From the sociological perspective, what causes people to engage in deviant behavior?

A) genetic disposition

B) rational choice

C) psychological abnormality

D) loss of morality in society

20) People sometimes commit acts that contradict most any moral code. From a sociological standpoint, what explains such deviant behavior?

A) individual immorality

B) social immorality

C) a set of social conditions

D) antisocial personality

21) The tendency to define a deviant behavior as an illness, for which treatment is best left to medical professionals, is referred to as ________ deviance.

A) illness

B) medical

C) medicalization of

D) pathology of

22) The prevailing explanation of alcoholism is now that of an illness. In the past, what was the main perspective on the causes of alcoholism?

A) psychological dispositions

B) moral failure

C) genetic disposition

D) lack of self-control

23) The focus on underlying medical issues when it comes to explaining deviance also changes how we view and treat deviants. Because the focus is on the medical cause, we are now more likely to treat deviants

A) with pity rather than scorn.

B) without the stigma attached.

C) as requiring institutionalization.

D) as beyond help.

24) Which of the following has contributed to the shift toward the more medically centered perspective of deviance?

A) increase in mental health problems

B) unhealthy diet and lifestyle

C) growing power of the medical profession

D) improvement in medical technology

25) The first stage in the medicalization of deviance is to

A) define a behaviour or condition as deviant.

B) discover a medical explanation of the deviant behavior or condition.

C) appeal to government officials to legitimize the medical label.

D) institutionalize the medical label.

26) Which is NOT a factor driving the medicalization of deviance?

A) power of pharmaceutical companies

B) direct consumer advertising

C) improvement in diagnostic ability

D) growing power of the medical profession

27) In the final stage of the medicalization of deviance, the medical definition of deviance becomes accepted and usually goes uncontested because

A) it is a more accurate understanding of deviance.

B) it becomes institutionalized.

C) it is scientifically proven.

D) new technology allows for better diagnosis.

28) The medicalization of deviance can also be reversed. Which of the following is an example of demedicalization?

A) the current definition of antisocial behavior

B) the current definition of mental illness

C) the current definition of homosexuality

D) the current definition of learning problems

29) Deviance is learned through interaction with members of a deviant group. This defines which theoretical perspective?

A) differential association theory

B) strain theory

C) innovation theory

D) juvenile association theory

30) Once a person is socialized into the subculture of a deviant group, his or her deviant behavior can be controlled by

A) limiting social connections with the deviant group.

B) encouraging resocialization into social norms.

C) rewarding positive behavior.

D) medicalization.

31) Individuals typically engage in deviant behavior only on a temporary basis. Long-term deviance requires

A) family support.

B) financial support.

C) the support of a deviant subculture.

D) the support of authorities.

32) Deviant subcultures provide their members with

A) an identity and self-worth.

B) stable environments.

C) useful skills.

D) future opportunities.

33) Some deviant acts are committed without membership in a deviant subculture and without the support of others. This type of deviance is known as

A) sociopathic behavior.

B) antisocial behavior.

C) unsupported deviance.

D) loner deviance.

34) Strain theory suggests that deviance has its roots in

A) inequality.

B) social pressure.

C) improper socialization.

D) nonconformist conditioning.

35) Deviance tends to occur when a major discrepancy exists between culturally defined goals and the means of achieving those goals. Which theoretical perspective of deviance does this statement represent?

A) medicalization theory

B) strain theory

C) differential association theory

D) control theory

36) Strain theory proposes that when ________, people resort to deviant means to accomplish socially defined goals.

A) pressured by expectations

B) conventional opportunities are blocked

C) influenced by a deviant subculture

D) opportunities arise

37) According to Elijah Anderson's research, the "code of the street" defines life in poor neighborhoods. What does he mean by the term?

A) a dysfunctional community

B) an alternative social structure

C) a crime-ridden environment

D) an unstructured community

38) Consistent with the premises of strain theory, research finds that juvenile delinquency and gang membership is primarily caused by

A) social pressure.

B) blocked opportunities.

C) broken family structures.

D) moral failure.

39) Sociologist Katherine Mason found that obese adults have

A) higher incomes than their thinner counterparts.

B) lower incomes than their thinner counterparts.

C) higher education levels than their thinner counterparts.

D) lower education levels than their thinner counterparts.

40) Eating disorders are the result of which type of behavior?

A) overconformist

B) deviant

C) obsessive

D) irrational

41) The negative attitudes held by people in the United States toward obese individuals is

A) now accepted as the new normal.

B) not stigmatizing because excess fat is unhealthy.

C) rooted in norms that define fat bodies as deviant.

D) understandable because weight is something that can be controlled.

42) Following cultural expectations excessively defines which type of behavior?

A) deviance

B) overconformity

C) obsession

D) obedience

43) Overconformist behavior that is met with a positive response is called

A) overconformity.

B) positive deviance.

C) approved behavior.

D) orderly conduct.

44) An on-looker who rushes into a burning building despite the danger is demonstrating what type of behavior?

A) positive deviance

B) deviance

C) overconformity

D) conformist behavior

45) A cultural shift in which a formerly deviant behavior is reclassified as acceptable is referred to as

A) acceptance.

B) compensation.

C) normalization.

D) restructuring.

46) Cosmetic surgery has lost the stigma previously associated with it. This cultural shift is an example of

A) compensation.

B) acceptance.

C) a new paradigm.

D) normalization.

47) The efforts of disability rights activists to remove the stigma attached to disabilities demonstrate how the definition of normal versus abnormal depends upon

A) the nature of the affliction.

B) cultural definition.

C) how individuals feel.

D) the degree of abnormality.

48) Power is an important factor to consider in the understanding of deviance because

A) the powerful can afford to be deviant.

B) the more powerful can defend themselves.

C) some groups have the power to define deviance.

D) some people have power to overcome deviance.

49) Women in the military are still considered deviant by some. How does power play a role here?

A) Women do not have enough power to be soldiers.

B) Women have limited power to defend their rights.

C) Men have traditionally defined gender-appropriate roles.

D) Women need more power to overcome prejudice.

50) Why is white-collar crime rarely prosecuted, and why do its perpetrators typically go unpunished?

A) It is less immoral than non-white-collar crime.

B) White-collar crime is rare.

C) White-collar crime typically inflicts less harm on others than other types of crime.

D) White-collar perpetrators have high status and power.

51) We mostly abide by the rules and norms imposed on us by our culture because nonconformity is typically punished and conformity rewarded. This social mechanism is referred to as

A) social control.

B) collective conscience.

C) implicit structure.

D) group solidarity.

52) People follow social rules and norms because

A) they are moral.

B) people are naturally obedient.

C) people need guidance.

D) they have internalized them.

53) From the functionalist perspective, self-policing is

A) limiting freedom in society.

B) necessary for both the individual and society.

C) oppressive of individuals.

D) not necessary to preserve order.

54) Michel Foucault suggests that because we have internalized social norms and are ready to self-police, we are subject to social control in the form of

A) structural domination.

B) coercive structure.

C) surveillance.

D) a rigid order.

55) Social institutions charged with the enforcement of norms and rules and the power to punish violators are referred to as

A) governments.

B) agents of social control.

C) the powerful.

D) the dominant elite.

56) Our behavior is regulated by the degree to which we are attached to major social institutions. This defines which theoretical perspective?

A) strain theory

B) rational choice theory

C) differential association theory

D) control theory

57) On what does control theory focus on in order to understand why people engage in deviant behavior?

A) why people break rules

B) why people follow rules

C) how institutions control people

D) the importance of attachment

58) What is the most widely recognized form of electronic surveillance on the internet?

A) JavaScript

B) cookies

C) beacons

D) scraping

59) Which of the following best describes Jeremy Bentham's panopticon?

A) a rehabilitation center that focuses on the needs of the inmates

B) a type of prison where guards look out at all inmates from a central location

C) a type of prison that allows guards to give inmates independence

D) an institution that focuses on the mental health of inmates

60) The 2018 Cambridge Analytica case illustrates the intensification of which of the following types of strategies?

A) mining

B) scraping

C) beacons

D) cookies

61) Some people hope that marijuana will soon be legal. They hope for the ________ of marijuana.

A) marketization

B) decriminalization

C) monetization

D) distribution

62) A crime motivated by a bias against someone's race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability is called a(n)

A) biased crime.

B) immoral act.

C) hate crime.

D) prejudiced behavior.

63) Tax evasion is considered

A) a minor crime.

B) a white-collar crime.

C) an act of civil disobedience.

D) not necessarily illegal.

64) White-collar crime

A) is infrequent.

B) is limited in the harm it causes.

C) has serious costs, including physical injury.

D) is limited to financial costs and consequences.

65) What does the crime rate figure represent?

A) sum of crimes committed

B) crime incidence relative to population size

C) sum of arrests

D) number of people in prison

66) What has been the trend in crime rates since the 1990s?

A) steady increase

B) dramatic increase

C) steady decline

D) virtually no change

67) Which of the following is an important factor that contributed to the declining trend in crime rates in the 1990s?

A) decline in poverty and unemployment

B) political change

C) traditional family forms

D) change in gun laws

68) The dramatic increase in incarceration rates since the 1980s was caused by

A) an increase in overall crime rates.

B) an increase in violent crime rates.

C) changes to the prison system.

D) policy changes.

69) What best describes the realities of equality before the law in the United States?

A) The chances of arrest and punishment are equal for all.

B) The poor face a greater likelihood of arrest and punishment.

C) The poor are more likely to get arrested but not punished.

D) The rich are equally likely to be punished, but less likely to be arrested.

70) The argument that the death penalty is justified because the most horrendous crimes deserve the most severe punishment is an example of which rationale for punishment?

A) deterrence

B) restoration

C) retribution

D) protection

71) The belief that offenders need to be incarcerated to eliminate threat and prevent harm to the public is an example of which rationale for punishment?

A) elimination

B) protection

C) restoration

D) neutralization

72) Which rationale for punishment advocates efforts to resocialize offenders by improving their training and education to increase their chances for reintegration?

A) restoration

B) rehabilitation

C) recidivism

D) retribution

73) Some have argued that recidivism rates indicate the American criminal justice system ________ in preventing chronic crime.

A) is ineffective

B) is effective

C) has made significant progress

D) has stepped up efforts

74) Which of the following is most accurate regarding race and the justice system in the United States?

A) Race is not a factor in the justice system.

B) Whites are more likely to be arrested and punished.

C) Black men are almost six times more likely to be imprisoned than white men.

D) White women are more likely to be imprisoned than Hispanic women.

75) The foundation of the racial disparity in the justice system is

A) long-term economic inequality.

B) prejudice.

C) corruption in the system.

D) differential value systems.

76) Which statement best describes recidivism rates in the United States?

A) Three-quarters are rearrested within five years.

B) Recidivism is low.

C) Many programs exist to prevent recidivism.

D) A majority commit new crimes.

77) Ex-prisoners have a difficult time reintegrating into the community. Which is the most stubborn obstacle that prevents their transition into normal life?

A) broken ties to community

B) stigma attached to their criminal status

C) lack of employment opportunity

D) lack of education

78) Which statement best describes capital punishment in the United States?

A) All states have capital punishment provisions.

B) Capital punishment is a cost-saving solution.

C) Capital punishment serves as a deterrent.

D) A majority of states have capital punishment provisions.

79) In which of the following areas of the United States do most executions take place?

A) Washington, D.C.

B) the southern states

C) the Northeast

D) the West

80) Which statement best describes the effectiveness of capital punishment?

A) It is a crime deterrent.

B) It lowers the murder rate.

C) It is an ineffective deterrent.

D) It saves taxpayers money.

81) Which statement best describes Americans' opinions on capital punishment?

A) More people favor capital punishment now than in the past.

B) People who favor capital punishment are typically racially tolerant.

C) Whites are more likely than people of color to be in favor of capital punishment.

D) Opinion is unrelated to race.

82) Which statement is accurate concerning capital punishment worldwide?

A) Most countries have the death penalty.

B) Most countries no longer use the death penalty.

C) Five European countries still practice the death penalty.

D) Only democratic nations have abolished the death penalty.

83) Nonconformist activities or styles are sometimes turned into commercial products. This is called

A) direct marketing.

B) consumer rebellion.

C) commercialization of deviance.

D) radical chic.

84) Why are nonconformist activities or styles attractive as commercial products?

A) To many people, they represent authenticity.

B) They are easily marketable.

C) They attract mass attention.

D) For a significant portion of the population, they cater to preexisting dispositions.

85) Punk rock based its appeal on the rejection of mainstream culture and its artifacts. It lost its nonconformist credibility once its symbols were sold in stores. This scenario is consistent with which concept?

A) normalization

B) legalization

C) overconformity

D) commercialization of deviance

86) The boundaries between what is normal and what is deviant are clear-cut and have remained consistent over time.

87) Deviance can play a positive role in society.

88) Deviant behavior reinforces conformity within society.

89) Deviance contributes to change and innovation in society.

90) Deviant people are known to push boundaries, which can help facilitate growth and change in social structures.

91) Individual immorality often explains deviant behavior.

92) Sociologists now agree that many forms of deviant behavior have their roots in a medical condition.

93) Alcoholism is still considered to be a deviant behavior.

94) Today, homosexuality is an example of the medicalization of a behavior.

95) People can engage in deviant behavior on the basis of a rational choice—the calculation of costs and benefits.

96) Since weight is seen as something individuals can control through choices, heavy people are stigmatized by cultural messages that they have only themselves to blame.

97) Because of the normalization of cosmetic surgery, we may be entering a period when people who refuse to subject themselves to it are increasingly seen as deviant.

98) The identifying code installed on your computer when you visit a website such as Amazon.com is known as "fourth-party cookies."

99) Public-order crimes are the most common type of crime.

100) Playful deviance takes place apart from everyday life and is considered a short-term activity.