Chapter 8: Urban Gangs and Violence

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic shared by large cities experiencing serious gang violence?

A. socioeconomic disadvantage

B. large resources for indigent defense

C. racial/ethnic heterogeneity

D. large immigrant population

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: IntroductionDifficulty Level: Easy

2. According to Howell, Egley, and colleagues, which of the following is a primary indicator of serious gang violence?

A. assault

B. rape

C. armed robbery

D. homicide

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Easy

3. From 1996 to 2009, cities in which state evidenced the greatest proportion of gang-related homicides?

A. Illinois

B. Massachusetts

C. California

D. Texas

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

4. Which region of the country experiences generally low and relatively stable trends in gang violence?

A. Northeast

B. West

C. Midwest

D. South

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

5. Which of the following motives for gang homicides refers to a feud between the victim and the offender(s)?

A. drug-related disputes

B. personal vendettas

C. rolling out

D. gang rivalries

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

6. Which of the following is true of all the cities profiled in the case studies on gang problems in cities?

A. They are considered larger cities.

B. They each have very small annual homicide rates.

C. They are smaller cities.

D. They are considered medium-sized cities.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

7. The case study of Abilene, TX, reveals it is a ______ city with a ______ gang problem.

A. small; small

B. small; large

C. large; small

D. large; large

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

8. All of the following are examples of conditions associated with the formation of violent gangs across the country, EXCEPT ______.

A. social unrest from changing urban structures

B. shared socioeconomic disadvantages

C. blocked access to well-paying jobs

D. decreased levels of immigration

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs NationwideDifficulty Level: Medium

9. When are law enforcement agents most likely to deny a gang problem?

A. never

B. during the initial stages

C. at its height

D. as gang membership is declining

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large Cities

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. All of the following are components of common law enforcement reactions to gang presence in communities EXCEPT ______.

A. denial

B. minimization

C. recognition

D. overreaction

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large CitiesDifficulty Level: Easy

11. Springfield’s “C3” approach for combating gang activity implies all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A. it was modeled after both armed services strategy and community policing programs

B. intelligence gathering is a critical component

C. the importance of engaging local, non-gang-involved residents

D. gang-involved youth need to be temporarily removed from their communities to successfully intervene in their problematic behaviors

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large CitiesDifficulty Level: Hard

12. The vast majority of gang members in Boise are ______.

A. White

B. Black

C. Latino

D. Asian

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large CitiesDifficulty Level: Easy

13. Which of the following is NOT an example of a strategy employed by Inglewood’s police in response to the city’s gang problems?

A. controlling police-involved shootings

B. patrols to hotspots of gang activity

C. stop and frisk policing

D. facilitating employment opportunities for gang members

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large CitiesDifficulty Level: Medium

14. Which of the following is NOT an example of a contextual factor that is believed to be associated with greater gang activity in larger cities?

A. A city that has higher than average levels of drug activity

B. A city with a large budget for its prosecutors

C. A city with above-average correctional spending compared with federal averages

D. A city without a “pulling levers” program

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Contextual Characteristics That Contribute to Serious Gang ProblemsDifficulty Level: Medium

15. Findings in Pittsburgh, PA, that non-gang-related drug trafficking coexists with gang involvement in the drug trade are similar to what phenomenon described by Ousey and Lee (2004)?

A. preexisting social conditions

B. drug-related factors

C. period effect

D. grid squares

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Contextual Characteristics That Contribute to Serious Gang ProblemsDifficulty Level: Hard

16. Which of the following is an example of how social networks can aid understanding to the observed uneven risk of homicide in high-risk communities?

A. Network analyses reveal a recent homicide victim was the leader of a local gang.

B. Network analyses can better identify individuals who live in poor neighborhoods.

C. Network analyses illustrate how gang-related violence is typically anonymous and random.

D. Network analyses are typically not used to study gang-related homicides.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs NationwideDifficulty Level: Medium

17. In a given large city, which of the following is NOT a contextual influence on serious street gang violence?

A. access to firearms

B. levels of drug activity

C. levels of poverty

D. number of police officers

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Contextual Characteristics That Contribute to Serious Gang ProblemsDifficulty Level: Medium

18. Which of the following is NOT a finding from research in Boston and Chicago regarding the correlates of gang-related homicide?

A. seeking payback

B. pursuing improved social status

C. social group processes

D. skipping school

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs NationwideDifficulty Level: Medium

19. Out of all homicides, the proportion associated with gangs has been relatively stable over the past 20 years despite which co-occurring phenomenon?

A. decreased immigration

B. the growth of rural populations

C. increased gun control

D. a sharp decline in the national crime rate

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Concluding Observations

Difficulty Level: Medium

Multiple Response

1. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following is measured using the National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS)?

A. number of active gangs in a given jurisdiction

B. number of gang members in a given jurisdiction

C. number of gang homicides in a given jurisdiction

D. level of immigration in a given jurisdiction

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Intensity of Gangs in CitiesDifficulty Level: Medium

2. SELECT ALLTHAT APPLY. Egley and Howell (2010) define the “very largest cities” as those having populations of what size?

A. greater than 100,000 people

B. greater than 150,000 people

C. greater than 200,000 people

D. greater than 250,000 people

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Easy

3. SELECT ALLTHAT APPLY. Which of the following structural characteristics of gangs do Egley and Howell (2010) associate with higher levels of gang-related homicides?

A. age

B. gender

C. geographic territory

D. race/ethnicity

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A National Perspective of Gang StructuresDifficulty Level: Medium

4. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. What does the “O” in “OG” stand for?

A. official

B. old

C. original

D. other

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large CitiesDifficulty Level: Easy

5. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are proposed explanations for the connection between gangs and the geography of violent crime?

A. Gang members are strongly attached to the territory their group controls.

B. Gang alliances can extend territorial ownership.

C. Gang members defend their territory from other groups.

D. Gangs randomly select blocks throughout the city to control.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs NationwideDifficulty Level: Medium

6. Which of the following factors does law enforcement view as the most influential in local gang violence?

A. carrying weapons

B. number of gangs

C. intergang conflict

D. drug-related activity

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Availability of Crime FacilitatorsDifficulty Level: Easy

True/False

1. Nearly 100% of all gang homicides take place in a small number of larger cities and their surrounding counties.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Easy

2. The authors’ analysis of the UCR (Uniform Crime Reports) reveals that homicides reported in the majority of large cities were increasingly attributable to gang activity between 1996 and 2012.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

3. Relative to other large cities, Chicago reported the highest proportion of gang-related homicides in 2012.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

4. The movie Boyz n the Hood was inspired by a city with the lowest proportion of gang-related homicides between 1996 and 2012.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large CitiesDifficulty Level: Medium

5. In Springfield, MA, the local police department was the first arm of law enforcement to recognize an emerging trend in gang-driven violence.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large CitiesDifficulty Level: Medium

6. New Jersey’s Department of Corrections created a gang management unit to control violence in prisons that was associated with activity on the streets.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Paterson, New Jersey Case StudyDifficulty Level: Easy

7. Youth gang members are more likely than non-gang members to carry a gun.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Availability of Crime FacilitatorsDifficulty Level: Medium

8. Gang membership is not related to victimization risk.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs NationwideDifficulty Level: Easy

9. Structural characteristics of large cities have no influence on a city’s level of gang activity.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: A National Perspective of Gang StructuresDifficulty Level: Hard

10. The notion that violence is “passed on” in gang networks reflects the norms of retaliation and respect.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs NationwideDifficulty Level: Medium

11. There is an inverse relationship between a location’s population and reported gang problems.

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: A National Perspective of Gang StructuresDifficulty Level: Hard

Short Answer

1. What three main observations did Howell, Egley, and colleagues (2011) make in their trajectory models of gang-related homicides in very large cities?

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Serious Gang Problem TrendsDifficulty Level: Medium

2. What are three of the five indicators of gang institutionalization proposed by Hagedorn (2008)?

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs NationwideDifficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Describe the concept of “cohesion.” How does it apply to gangs and their members and influence their levels of violence?

Learning Objective: N/A

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: A Social Network Approach to Gang CohesionDifficulty Level: Hard