Test Bank for The Real World An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd Edition: Ferris

Test Bank for The Real World An Introduction to

Sociology, 2nd Edition: Ferris

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CHAPTER 7 Deviance

TRUE/FALSE

1. According to sociologists, most normal people have never engaged in any acts of deviance.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

2. Deviance is an objective or unchanging phenomenon that transcends culture, history, and

situational context.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

3. Deviance is always defined in the same way, regardless of the historical, cultural, or
situational context in which it occurs.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

4. Sociologists can say that deviance is relative because whether a behavior is considered deviant
depends upon the historical, cultural, and/or situational context in which it occurs.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

5. As society changes and different groups gain access to power, the definitions of crime and
deviance will remain the same.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

6. Sociologists argue that no behavior, not even one designed to kill a great number of people, is
inherently deviant.

ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

7. When sociologists use the term “deviant,” they are making both a social and a moral
judgment.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

8. Throughout history prison has been the most common means of punishment for criminals and
deviants.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual
 9. Recently plastic surgeons in the United States have begun doing nose jobs that are relatively
temporary, that is, they inject the nose with a filler like Radiesse or ArteFill that will be
absorbed by the body after several years. Although some people were skeptical of temporary
nose jobs at first, since the United States is so influential, this practice will never be
considered deviant elsewhere.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Pages 180–181

OBJ: Deviance across Cultures (II) NOT: Applied

10. According to structural functionalist theory, the function of deviance is to help clarify moral
boundaries and affirm social norms.

ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: Page 183 OBJ: Functionalism (III.A)

NOT: Factual

11. According to the sociologist Howard Becker, there are no inherently deviant acts, only
societal reactions to acts that make them deviant.

ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: Page 186

OBJ: Symbolic Interactionism (III.D) NOT: Factual

12. The differential association theory of deviance focuses on peer pressure and “bad influences”
to show how deviance is a process of social learning.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Page 186

OBJ: Differential Association (III.D.i) NOT: Factual

13. According to labeling theory, deviance is defined as an act or attribute that is inherently
wrong, bad, or abnormal.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Page 186 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Factual

14. According to labeling theory, the labels that people are given affect their own and others’
perceptions of them, thus channeling their behavior either into deviance or into conformity.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Page 186 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Factual

15. Basically no one chooses to be called a deviant.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: Stigma (IV)

NOT: Factual

16. The sociologist David Matza argues that anyone who studies deviance must try to avoid moral
judgments, no matter what sort of individuals or situations they encounter.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Page 194 OBJ: Studying Deviance (V)
NOT: Factual

17. Higher crime rates in poor urban areas may not actually be the result of increased criminal
behavior.
 ANS: T DIF: Medium REF: Page 197 OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i)
NOT: Factual

18. The peak age for committing both property and violent crimes is under twenty years old.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Page 199 OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i)

NOT: Factual

19. Men and women are about equally likely to commit crimes.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Page 200 OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i)

NOT: Factual

20. Sociological research has consistently shown that, as punishments become more severe, the
crime rate declines.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: Page 200 OBJ: Punishment (V.B.iii)

NOT: Factual

21. There is almost always a strong causal link between the cost of a punishment and the benefit
of committing a crime. That is, if the punishment is more severe, people are less likely to
commit the crime.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: Page 200 OBJ: Punishment (V.B.iii)

NOT: Applied

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Which of the following would sociologists consider the best definition of deviance?
a. actions that are harmful to society
b. violations of social norms
c. criminal activities
d. immoral or unethical behaviors
e. all of the above
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

2. In order for a behavior, trait, or belief to be considered deviant, it must:

a. inspire feelings of revulsion or disgust
b. depart from a norm and generate a negative reaction
c. break some social norm
d. cause harm or injury to someone
e. violate a law
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

3. Today using the wrong fork to eat a salad at a dinner party would not usually qualify as
deviance. Why not?
a. American society no longer has rules and etiquette governing which utensil to use
 for salads.
b. That sort of norm violation is seen as an intentional rebellion against convention.
c. Most dinners are eaten with friends, who don’t apply sanctions for deviant
behavior.
d. There aren’t norms governing food and eating.
e. It is not a serious enough norm violation to provoke sanctions.
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Applied

4. Which of the following is NOT one of the topics that is examined when sociologists study
deviance?
a. how norms and rules are created
b. how some norms become especially important in a given society
c. who is subject to the rules, and how violations are identified
d. which norms are universal and always identified as deviant across cultures and
times
e. how people who violate rules and norms see themselves
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

5. Traditionally most of the sociological literature on deviance focuses on:

a. crime
b. mental illness
c. political corruption
d. the extremely wealthy
e. the emotional appeal of deviant acts
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Factual

6. In the United States today, many people are bothered by “double dipping, or dipping food that
you have already bitten into a sauce that others are using. Recently Mythbusters examined
double dipping and found that the risk of sharing germs is negligible. Is double dipping still
deviant?
a. Now that the myth has been debunked, double dipping is no longer deviant.
b. Double dipping is still deviant whenever it receives a negative reaction.
c. Double dipping is always, under all circumstances, a deviant act.
d. Double dipping is still a deviant act, as it’s considered rude, even though no one
cares about it or reacts to it.
e. Even though many people still get angry about double dipping, it was never really
deviant because it’s harmless.
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 180 OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)
NOT: Applied

7. Why was imprisonment such a rare type of punishment before the nineteenth century?
a. Earlier societies did not have sufficient resources to operate prisons.
b. Earlier societies believed that physical punishments like branding were more likely
to deter future crime.
c. Earlier societies were crueler and therefore more accepting of harsh physical
 punishment.
d. Earlier societies believed that punishments like shunning and banishment were
more humane.
e. Earlier societies had much less crime and so did not require any particular system
of punishment.
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 180
OBJ: Deviance Across Cultures (II) NOT: Factual

8. In colonial America, corporal punishments like branding or amputation were commonly used.
What were these punishments designed to do?
a. They were designed to cause pain.
b. They were designed to mark the offender.
c. They were designed to fit the crime.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 181
OBJ: Deviance Across Cultures (II) NOT: Factual

9. Which of the following is true regarding prison as a mechanism for punishing crime?
a. Throughout history most societies have used prison to punish at least the most
serious crimes.
b. Historically only relatively humane and ethical societies have used prison as a
form of punishment.
c. Even today prison is extremely rarely used.
d. Prison was rarely used before the nineteenth century.
e. Prison is commonly used as a punishment because it is extremely cost effective.
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Page 180
OBJ: Deviance Across Cultures (II) NOT: Factual

10. The Amish have neither the resources nor the desire to use prison as a sanction against
members of their community who violate the rules. What sanction do they use instead?
a. Various methods of corporal punishment are used, whereby petty criminals may be
branded, have their ears cropped, their noses slit, or even their fingers cut off.
b. Offenders are flogged or put in stocks to be publicly humiliated for a short period
of time.
c. Monetary fines are used for most norm violations.
d. Meidung, or shunning, a process whereby no one within the community will
associate or even talk with a rule breaker for a set period of time, is used.
e. Banishment is used, whereby violators are forced to leave the community and
create a new life somewhere else.
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Page 181
OBJ: Deviance Across Cultures (II) NOT: Factual

11. In colonial America, a pickpocket might have had a hand cut off as punishment. Why was this
particular method of punishment chosen?
a. The hand is a part of the body that can usually be safely amputated without risk of
infection.
b. It allows an offender to start his life over by moving to a new community and
 claiming that he lost his hand in an accident.
c. It was easy and convenient.
d. It was considered symbolically appropriate to remove the part of the body most
directly connected with the crime.
e. It was considered one of the most painful punishments that could be administered.
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Page 181
OBJ: Deviance Across Cultures (II) NOT: Factual

12. Although branding is no longer used as a form of punishment in the United States, some
subcultures have adopted it as a form of body art. This demonstrates that:
a. branding must still really be a form of punishment
b. what is considered deviant changes over time
c. many people find punishment desirable
d. some acts are simply inherently deviant
e. all of the above
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 181 OBJ: Body Modification (II.A)
NOT: Factual

13. Imagine that a powerful and influential person decided to heavily tattoo her own face with
symbols and images that told parts of her life story. Would she be treated as a deviant?
a. No, powerful people are often allowed to do things that others find strange.
b. Yes, any culture would consider that to be a deviant act.
c. Yes, but there would be no negative reaction for fear of causing offense.
d. No, there are several cultures where this sort of behavior is very common.
e. Yes, it would be in the United States, though there are other cultures that would
consider it normal or desirable.
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 181 OBJ: Body Modification (II.A)
NOT: Applied

14. Many people, especially young women, worry about maintaining a tan. Sometimes, if they
don’t have the time to tan naturally, they go to a tanning salon or use chemicals to simulate a
tan. In some cultures, this might seem bizarre, which can help us to realize that:
a. the line between beauty and deviance is fluid and changes across time and place
b. Americans are very, very deviant
c. there are some types of body modification that are never tolerated anywhere
d. the rest of the world is not yet as normal as the United States and keeps backward
practices and superstitions
e. people who get fake tans are deviant
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 181 OBJ: Body Modification (II.A)
NOT: Applied

15. Which of the following is true of entomophagy, the eating of insects?

a. The 1,462 species of edible insects are very environmentally friendly to raise.
b. There are few taboos as strong in the contemporary United States as the one
against eating bugs.
c. Many bugs have a better feed-to-meat ratio than other animals.
d. Many bugs have a better protein-to-fat ratio than other animals that are raised for
meat.
 e. all of the above
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 183 OBJ: Food (II.B)
NOT: Factual

16. Which of the following describes how deviance can be explained from the functionalist
perspective?
a. Deviance breaks down social cohesion and leads to revolution.
b. Deviance makes it easier for the upper class to control the poor.
c. Deviance helps the upper class maintain its power and influence in society.
d. Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms.
e. Functionalist theory has no explanation for deviance because it has no societal
function.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 183 OBJ: Functionalism (III.A)
NOT: Factual

17. When a politician is caught cheating on his spouse, there are usually serious consequences,
and sometimes the politician is forced to resign from his office when his constituents loudly
express their unhappiness with such behavior. According to Emile Durkheim, what function
does this reaction serve?
a. It helps to deter politicians from cheating in the future.
b. It helps to clarify moral boundaries, reinforcing the idea that marital infidelity is
wrong.
c. The anger and public outcry helps to rehabilitate the offender, so that he won’t
give in to the temptation to cheat in the future.
d. Being forced out of office prevents him from ever cheating again.
e. It helps to protect the family of the politician, who need scrutiny and media
coverage in order to move on.
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 183 OBJ: Functionalism (III.A)
NOT: Applied

18. Many Americans are outraged by the number of illegal immigrants who enter the country
every year, despite the fact that some studies show that such immigrants are, on the whole,
economically beneficial. What function would this anger serve in our society?
a. It helps to prevent illegal immigration.
b. It helps to punish people who violate immigration laws, as widespread anger
makes it easier to pass harsh immigration laws.
c. It ensures that most business owners will never employ illegal immigrants.
d. It helps to teach the illegal immigrants a lesson, rehabilitating them so that they
can return to their own countries as productive citizens.
e. It helps to promote social cohesion, as our society can come together in shared
anger at a relatively small group of outsiders.
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 184 OBJ: Functionalism (III.A)
NOT: Applied

19. Because laws represent the interests of those in power, crimes committed by the upper classes
are typically treated more leniently than crimes committed by the lower classes. This
argument is consistent with:
a. differential association theory
 b. conflict theory
c. principled deviance
d. lack of deterrence
e. functionalist theory
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 184 OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B)
NOT: Factual

20. Karl believes that our criminal law excuses big corporations for polluting the planet,
manufacturing unsafe products, and manipulating prices. At the same time, he sees homeless
people imprisoned for stealing food. Karl has taken a ____________ perspective to explain
the working of society.
a. structural functionalist
b. symbolic interactionist
c. conflict theory
d. pragmatic analytical
e. retreatist
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 184 OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B)
NOT: Applied

21. What theory argues that punishments for rule violators are unequally distributed, with those
near the top of society subject to more lenient rules and sanctions than those at the bottom?
a. dramaturgy
b. labeling theory
c. conflict theory
d. functionalist theory
e. symbolic interactionism
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 184 OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B)
NOT: Factual

22. According to conflict theory, why are vagrancy laws passed?

a. to improve public health by preventing the spread of disease
b. to prevent the sort of crime that is often associated with vagrant populations
c. to ensure that someone is paying attention to the homeless to make sure that they
receive help and assistance from the government
d. because the working poor demand them, as their communities are the most likely
to have vagrant populations
e. as a way of targeting groups who threaten society’s elites
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Pages 184–185
OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B) NOT: Factual

23. Stealing avocados, or almost any other agricultural product, is a felony in California if the
product is worth more than $100. Supporters of the law believe that it is the only way to
protect farmers from vagrants and transients who can ruin the viability of small farms.
However if you believe that such laws also target homeless people who are simply trying to
eat, and that they are punished because they have almost no power within society, then you
are probably:
a. a conflict theorist
b. a functionalist
 c. a symbolic interactionist
d. a follower of Robert Merton
e. a deviant
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Pages 184–185
OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B) NOT: Applied

24. If an upper-middle-class white college student is sentenced to rehab for the same drug crime
that a lower-class black man is sentenced to jail for committing, what might a conflict theorist
conclude about deviance?
a. Differential levels of punishment are functional, as they keep the most productive
members of society out of jail.
b. We need to punish criminals from the lower class more harshly, as they are more
likely to reoffend.
c. The two criminals probably had very different motives for committing their
crimes, and this explains the difference in punishment.
d. The rules are applied unequally, and those with power or influence are punished
much less harshly.
e. The system makes occasional errors, but most of the time, everyone is treated
equally.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 185 OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B)
NOT: Applied

25. Kate Bornstein argues that civil-rights legislation designed to protect people with alternative
sexualities mostly helps straight-acting, straight-appearing people because:
a. straight-acting, straight-appearing people have never been labeled deviant
b. in order to generate social cohesion, we have to find someone to discriminate
against
c. the more someone deviates from the “perfect identity,” the less power they have
d. such legislation is designed to help punish those who are extremely different from
the mainstream
e. those who can’t “pass” as straight in public are rebels
ANS: C DIF: Hard REF: Page 184 OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B)
NOT: Applied

26. In “The Saints and the Roughnecks,” William Chambliss followed two groups of high school
students. The Saints were boys from middle-class homes, while the Roughnecks were from
lower-class households. What would you expect Chambliss to have found?
a. School authorities were lenient toward the Roughnecks because they had rough
upbringings.
b. The Roughnecks were judged much more harshly for their deviance.
c. The Saints were punished more severely and more often.
d. Both groups were treated more or less equally.
e. The Saints were held to a much higher standard, because they were from “good”
families.
ANS: B DIF: Hard REF: Page 185 OBJ: Conflict Theory (III.B)
NOT: Applied
27. According to the structural strain theory of deviance, as articulated by Robert Merton, one of
the principal reasons that people turn to deviant behavior in the United States is that:
a. there are a lot of people with inborn antisocial tendencies
b. American society is very lax in enforcing laws
c. deviant behavior is glamorized in the media and therefore becomes increasingly
attractive to young people
d. deviant behavior has become so widespread that many people think of it as normal
e. the goal of success is shared by a majority of people, but not everyone has equal
means to achieve that goal
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 185 OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)
NOT: Factual

28. In Office Space, the character Peter Gibbons spends much of the movie trying to find
unconventional and even illegal ways of making more money. According to Robert Merton’s
typology, what category does Peter fit into?
a. ritualist
b. rebel
c. innovator
d. retreatist
e. none of the above
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 185 OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)
NOT: Applied

29. Robert Merton developed structural strain theory to explain why deviance happens. What sort
of strain does the theory’s name refer to?
a. strain between criminals and law enforcement
b. strain between deviant and nondeviant citizens
c. strain between social norms that are codified in laws and those that are not
d. strain between different value systems within a society
e. strain between socially approved goals and the means that an individual has for
realizing them
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 185 OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)
NOT: Factual

30. Robert Merton’s structural strain theory sees deviance as the result of a person’s position in a
social structure. What do you think that Jack Katz, author of Seductions of Crime, would say
about structural strain theory?
a. Merton’s analysis fails because it doesn’t understand that some people will reject
both mainstream cultural goals and the institutionalized means to achieve them.
b. Merton’s analysis was correct, in that background factors are almost always the
most effective way to predict who will commit deviant acts.
c. Merton is right, but his analysis focuses too much on face-to-face interaction.
d. A focus on social position misses the emotional appeal that a deviant act has for an
individual.
e. Merton needs to look at a broader range of background factors, including age and
sexuality.
ANS: D DIF: Hard REF: Pages 185, 194
OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C) NOT: Conceptual
31. If you decided that you could never get into a good school and so could never get a good job,
you might decide to sell crack cocaine instead as a way to make a living. According to Robert
Merton, what sort of deviant would you be?
a. a conformist
b. a ritualist
c. an innovator
d. a rebel
e. an extremist
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 185 OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)
NOT: Applied

32. In the 1960s Timothy Leary famously advised everyone to “turn on, tune in, and drop out,”
and, although he insisted that it meant more, most people assumed he was telling them to “get
stoned and abandon all constructive activity.” How would Robert Merton’s structural strain
theory classify someone who took this advice?
a. as a member of a counterculture
b. as a conformist
c. as a retreatist
d. as an innovator
e. as a rebel
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 185 OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)
NOT: Applied

33. According to Robert Merton’s structural strain theory, which of the following individuals
would be LEAST likely to be a deviant?
a. a young widow who has never been to college
b. a middle manager who no longer has any hope of being promoted, but continues to
zealously follow the rules
c. a middle-aged man who decides that his job is pointless and his life shallow and
materialistic, so he moves to the woods and devotes himself to bird-watching
d. a white college student from a middle-class family who’s experimenting with
drugs while in college and is interested in sports
e. an illegal immigrant who has managed to get a job as a night janitor
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Page 185 OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)
NOT: Applied
34. Examine this graphic depiction of Robert Merton’s typology of deviance. Why do you think
that those who embrace both new means and new goals are depicted as being just barely
connected to the other types that Merton described?
a. They advocate a radical alternative to the existing social order and are trying to
break free from everyone else.
b. They are the most deviant and the most likely to receive harsh sanctions for their
deviance.
c. They are typically the most powerful and privileged.
d. They seek financial success through unconventional means.
e. They are the only people who experience strain between the goals that society says
they should work toward and the means available to them.
ANS: A DIF: Hard REF: Page 185 OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)
NOT: Applied

35. The parents of a deviant child often want to find some way to excuse their offspring’s
behavior, and it’s common to hear them say, “He just fell in with a bad crowd.” Which
symbolic interactionist theory of deviance does this explanation most closely resemble?
a. differential association
b. labeling theory
c. self-fulfilling prophecy
d. structural strain theory
e. in-group orientation
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 186
OBJ: Differential Association (III.D.i) NOT: Applied
36. Nowhere to Grow by Les Whitbeck and Dan Hoyt explored the lives of homeless and
runaway teens in the Midwest. The authors found that “associating with deviant peers” had a
dramatic effect on a wide range of deviant behaviors, including increasing “the likelihood of
serious substance abuse almost 32 times.” What theory of deviance considers the way that
such interpersonal relationships help to predict deviant behavior?
a. self-fulfilling prophecy
b. deviance avowal
c. retreatism
d. differential association
e. labeling theory
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 186
OBJ: Differential Association (III.D.i) NOT: Applied

37. The idea that individuals learn to be deviant by interacting with others who are already
deviant is called:
a. conflict theory
b. self-fulfilling prophecy
c. secondary deviance
d. differential association theory
e. labeling theory
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 186
OBJ: Differential Association (III.D.i) NOT: Factual

38. When a parent argues that her child has simply fallen in with a bad crowd, what theory of
deviance is she expressing?
a. structural strain theory
b. labeling theory
c. deviance avowal
d. structural functionalism
e. differential association theory
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 186
OBJ: Differential Association (III.D.i) NOT: Factual

39. The fact that many individuals who engage in deviant behaviors have never associated with
other deviants is evidence against which theory?
a. self-fulfilling prophecy theory
b. differential association theory
c. conflict theory
d. structural strain theory
e. primary deviance
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 186
OBJ: Differential Association (III.D.i) NOT: Factual

40. In “On Being Sane in Insane Places,” David Rosenhan suggests that:
a. although it may be difficult for the rest of us, psychiatrists can easily differentiate
between those who are sane and those who are insane
b. staff working in mental hospitals often take on the behavioral characteristics of
patients
 c. researchers posing as “pseudopatients” in a mental hospital, but otherwise acting
normally, were nonetheless treated as insane by the hospital staff
d. mental patients were unable to determine who among them were really researchers
posing as “pseudopatients”
e. all of the above
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 186 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Factual

41. According to labeling theory, why were none of the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan’s “On
Being Sane in Insane Places” discovered?
a. They all were really mentally ill, at least to some extent.
b. They did everything they could to simulate mental illness.
c. They were well coached in the symptoms that real patients would experience.
d. Psychiatry is not a real science.
e. Once a person has been labeled “mentally ill,” it is very hard for anyone to see past
the label.
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 186 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Factual

42. Which group of people within the hospital were able to tell that the pseudopatients in David
Rosenhan’s “On Being Sane in Insane Places” were not actually mentally ill?
a. the doctors
b. only the older, more experienced doctors
c. the other patients
d. the nursing staff
e. the orderlies
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 186 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Factual

43. What happened to the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan’s “On Being Sane in Insane
Places”?
a. Several of them finally had to break out.
b. One of them turned out to be genuinely mentally ill and was never released.
c. They were all released once doctors realized that they were not actually mentally
ill.
d. They were released shortly after being admitted.
e. They were all finally released, but the diagnoses were that their “illnesses” were
“in remission.”
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Pages 186–187
OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii) NOT: Factual

44. Under what circumstances does a deviant label lead from primary to secondary deviance?
a. when the deviant label is applied by a large number of people
b. when the deviant label is applied by someone very powerful
c. when the deviant label is internalized
d. when the deviant label is applied later in life
e. when the deviant label concerns a very minor type of deviance
 ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 187 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Factual

45. In his book Streetwise, Elijah Anderson argues that young African American men are more
likely to be arrested because:
a. they commit more flagrant crimes
b. they are more likely to engage in deviant behavior
c. their acts of deviance more often involve drugs, which are considered especially
deviant by contemporary society
d. they are more likely to be poor
e. both police and community members perceive them as more criminal than others
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 190 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Factual

46. “The Saints and the Roughnecks” by William Chambliss followed two groups of boys over
the course of several years. Both groups did many deviant things. The Saints, eight young
men from “white upper-middle-class families” potentially presented the greater danger to their
community by driving drunk and vandalizing stop signs. However it was the Roughnecks, six
“lower-class white boys” who were “constantly in trouble with the police.” Very different
backgrounds and very similar actions produced very different expectations. Those
expectations, or prophecies, had real consequences. All but one of the Saints went on to
college and then to professional positions. Only two of the Roughnecks went on to college,
both on athletic scholarships, while several of the rest adopted deviant lifestyles and careers,
also known as:
a. differential association
b. positive deviance
c. primary deviance
d. secondary deviance
e. stigma
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Page 187 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Applied

47. How do self-fulfilling prophecies work?

a. We respond not only to the objective features of a situation, but also to its
meaning. Once meaning has been assigned to our behavior, the consequences of
that behavior are determined by the meaning.
b. We learn to be deviant through our interactions with others who break the rules.
c. We tend to respond to the physical and social marks that discredit our identities
and leave us vulnerable to negative social judgments.
d. Our social locations are a crucial factor in determining how others see us, therefore
social status is the most important determinant of deviance.
e. Our backgrounds do not determine deviance, rather the in-the-moment emotional
experience of a deviant action makes it seem like a good or bad idea.
ANS: A DIF: Hard REF: Page 190
OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii) NOT: Conceptual

48. Robert Merton once observed that the self-fulfilling prophecy is a peculiarly sociological
concept. Why?
 a. It focuses on aspects of behavior that have nothing to do with individual
psychology.
b. It is only useful in explaining large-scale social change, not personal or local
events.
c. It only helps to explain events where peer pressure was a key factor.
d. The objective features of a situation are almost always more important than the
human interpretation of them.
e. Predictions of the return of Haley’s comet do not influence its orbit.
ANS: E DIF: Hard REF: Page 190
OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii) NOT: Conceptual

49. When David Rosenhan designed the experiment that he described in “On Being Sane in
Insane Places,” he gave very specific instructions to his research assistants to be honest and
truthful about everything except to claim they were hearing voices and to give a fake name.
Why was it important that they not use their real identity?
a. Using fake names helped them play their roles.
b. What they were doing was illegal, and they needed to have cover identities.
c. They could walk away from their assumed identities, and in so doing walk away
from their labels as well.
d. They could keep doctors from finding their medical records and exposing them as
fakes.
e. They didn’t want to be recognized by acquaintances.
ANS: C DIF: Hard REF: Pages 186–187
OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii) NOT: Conceptual

50. A person arrived at a company party dressed in a bunny costume, only to discover that the
party was not a costume party. Although he had been tricked by a coworker, from then on
everyone saw him as crazy and eccentric, and eventually he came to think of himself in this
way too. The initial mistake at the party is an example of:
a. passing
b. stigma
c. primary deviance
d. a self-fulfilling prophecy
e. tertiary deviation
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 187 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)
NOT: Applied

51. “The Saints and the Roughnecks” by William Chambliss describes two groups of boys in a
small town. Both groups of boys engaged in a considerable amount of deviance, but it was the
Roughnecks, even though their deviance was less dangerous to the community, who were
constantly in trouble with the police. As a result, all but one of the Saints went on to college
and to professional careers while only two of the Roughnecks went on to college. Given this,
which of the following statements is true?
a. Labels are not 100 percent deterministic.
b. The Saints engaged in tertiary deviance.
c. The Roughnecks were never guilty of any act of primary deviance.
d. The behavior of these two groups is best explained by functionalist theory.
e. Self-fulfilling prophecies have an almost total power over our futures.
 ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 190
OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii) NOT: Applied

52. W.I. Thomas famously argued that “if men define situations as real, then:
a. others will label them as deviant”
b. it will lead to tertiary deviance”
c. they will be forced to provide evidence”
d. those situations will be studied”
e. they are real in their consequences”
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 190
OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii) NOT: Factual

53. What did Robert Merton call a prediction that came true only because the prediction was
made?
a. a defining prophecy
b. a Thomas prediction
c. a self-fulfilling prophecy
d. a sociological prediction
e. a labeling prophecy
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 190
OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii) NOT: Factual

54. As Eliza Doolittle says in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, “The difference between a lady
and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated.” Which theory of deviance
also refers to this dynamic?
a. structural strain theory
b. conflict theory
c. passing
d. the self-fulfilling prophecy
e. secondary deviance
ANS: D DIF: Hard REF: Page 190
OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii) NOT: Conceptual

55. David Rosenhan argues that misdiagnosis is particularly a problem for psychologists, as a
diagnosis of a mental illness is as influential on the patient as it is on her relatives and friends.
It should not surprise anyone that the diagnosis acts as a(n):
a. act of tertiary deviance
b. sign of structural strain
c. gesture of passing
d. part of the emotional foreground
e. self-fulfilling prophecy
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 190
OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii) NOT: Applied

56. Which kinds of departures from the norm can have a stigmatizing effect on an individual’s
identity?
a. physical disability
 b. alcohol addiction
c. mental illness
d. having served time in jail
e. all of the above
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 190 OBJ: Stigma (IV)
NOT: Factual

57. What aspects of stigma are symbolic interactionists interested in?

a. how people manage their stigmatized identities on an everyday basis
b. how stigma is related to larger issues of social structure
c. which stigmas are fair and which are unjustly applied
d. how stigma can make a positive contribution to someone’s life
e. all of the above
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 190 OBJ: Stigma (IV)
NOT: Factual

58. The poet Lucy Grealy had a series of operations as a child that eventually resulted in the
removal of one-third of her jaw. As a result she experienced:
a. stigma
b. a life of crime
c. passing
d. strain
e. rebellion
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 192 OBJ: Stigma (IV)
NOT: Applied

59. Shortly after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there
were a number of attacks on Arab Americans (and people who were mistakenly identified as
Arab Americans), as their identity had become stigmatized. What sort of stigma was this?
a. moral stigma
b. symbolic stigma
c. religious stigma
d. tribal stigma
e. physical stigma
ANS: D DIF: Hard REF: Page 190 OBJ: Stigma (IV)

60. When the suburb of Lakewood, California, was first built in 1950, it refused to sell houses to
Jewish families, as well as African Americans and Hispanics. However, within a few years,
the developers reversed this policy and started selling homes to families regardless of
religious faith or ethnicity. What does this tell us about stigma?
a. That stigma leaves permanent marks on those it affects.
b. That stigma is only a problem in areas where money is involved.
c. That stigmatized identities can be overcome through passing.
d. That people with stigmatized identities usually become “outsiders” who embrace
their deviance.
e. That stigmatized identities change over time.
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 190 OBJ: Stigma (IV)
 NOT: Applied

61. Dan Savage, a nationally syndicated sex advice columnist, has repeatedly expressed his
frustration with gay men who describe themselves in personal ads as “straight-acting,
straight-appearing.” He believes that these men need to be open about who they are, rather
than attempting to manage their stigmatized identity by:
a. passing
b. in-group orientation
c. deviance avowal
d. symbolic interactionism
e. conflict and argument
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: Passing (IV.A)
NOT: Applied

62. Although gays and lesbians in the United States have always been stigmatized, there are
several different ways in which individuals have chosen to manage that stigma. When
gay-rights activists chant the slogan, “we’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” what strategy
are they using?
a. passing
b. assimilation
c. bureaucratic mediation
d. in-group orientation
e. deviance avowal
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: Stigma (IV)
NOT: Applied

63. In the early 1950s, many Americans became interested in riding motorcycles as a hobby. At
the same time, “bikers” were beginning to develop their modern reputation as antisocial thugs,
criminals, and outlaws. One official of a national motorcycle organization argued that a few
bad apples shouldn’t be allowed to ruin all motorcyclists’ reputations, and that it was only 1
percent of motorcyclists who were really bad. After this interview was published, some bikers
started wearing a “one percenter” patch on their leather jackets, a gesture that Erving Goffman
would call:
a. antisocial behavior
b. passing
c. overt deviance
d. deviance avowal
e. in-group orientation
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Page 191 OBJ: Stigma (IV)
NOT: Applied

64. Some light-skinned African Americans dealt with stigma by passing as white. But many
African Americans couldn’t pass, and others refused to do so; consequently when they
attempted to deal with stigma, they were much more likely to do so via in-group orientation.
Which of the following actions would be an example of in-group orientation?
a. using chemical products to straighten curly hair or lighten skin
b. joining a radical group that advocated black separatism and wanted most African
Americans to leave the United States
 c. buying weapons to defend against violent attacks
d. focusing attention on athletics or other areas where African Americans were more
likely to experience success
e. embracing James Brown’s song, “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud”
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: Stigma (IV)
NOT: Applied

65. Which of the following is a strategy to negotiate everyday interactions with a stigmatized
identity?
a. retreat
b. escapism
c. interactionism
d. functionalism
e. passing
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: Passing (IV.A)
NOT: Factual

66. According to Erving Goffman, stigmatized individuals who don’t believe that they should
have to change or conceal their identities to make “normal” people more comfortable have:
a. deviance plus
b. in-group orientation
c. self-esteem
d. desistance
e. out-group orientation
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: In-Group Orientation (IV.B)
NOT: Factual

67. What does Howard Becker call individuals who specifically choose to embrace a deviant
identity?
a. rebels
b. nonconformists
c. anabaptists
d. avowal specialists
e. outsiders
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: Deviance Avowal (IV.C)
NOT: Factual

68. Individuals who conceive of deviance as a role, rather than as an isolated behavior, sometimes
initiate the labeling process against themselves. This is called:
a. violation phobia
b. nonconformity
c. deviance avowal
d. deviance desistance
e. deviophilia
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 191 OBJ: Deviance Avowal (IV.C)
NOT: Factual
69. For alcoholics deviance avowal may be a very useful step because:
a. it helps them avoid the pressure of having to fit into conventional society
b. the first step to recovery from alcoholism is admitting that you have a problem
c. it allows them to take pride in their deviant behavior
d. it helps them to find other individuals with similar deviant behaviors, so they can
drink together
e. it helps them avoid the shame and stigma of alcoholism
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 191 OBJ: Deviance Avowal (IV.C)
NOT: Applied

70. When studying deviance, sociologists often focus on the most obvious and extreme forms of
deviant behavior. What are the consequences of this approach?
a. Only deviant individuals who receive media attention will be studied.
b. Only those deviant individuals who embrace their deviant labels will be studied.
c. Only the deviant behaviors of the rich and powerful will be studied.
d. The values and norms of the powerful are left unexamined, while the deviance of
the poor is scrutinized.
e. Few, if any, of the most serious problems in a given society can be addressed.
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Pages 193–194
OBJ: Studying Deviance (V) NOT: Factual

71. Sociologists who study deviance tend to focus only on the most extreme and obvious forms of
deviance. This approach is sometimes called:
a. the outsider’s approach
b. the Marxist approach
c. the structural functionalist approach
d. the nuts and sluts approach
e. the hyperphagous approach
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 193 OBJ: Studying Deviance (V)
NOT: Factual

72. What did Verta Taylor and Leila Rupp do in order to gain a naturalistic understanding of drag
queens for their book Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret?
a. conducted extensive life-history interviews
b. videotaped a great number of performances
c. interviewed audience members as well as performers
d. performed statistical analysis of the surveys that they handed out to audiences at
the drag shows they attended
e. took the stage and performed with the drag queens they were studying
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 194 OBJ: Studying Deviance (V)
NOT: Factual

73. In Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn, Karen McCarthy Brown studied practitioners
of the Vodou religion living in the United States. However she went far beyond the usual role
of scientific observer and became a member of the religious group that she was studying. She
also gave her key informant, Mama Lola, veto power over certain elements of her work. Why
would this be helpful?
a. It helped her learn all the dirty secrets that practitioners of Vodou wouldn’t tell
 outsiders.
b. It gave her better insight into how to convert practitioners away from Vodou.
c. It helped her set aside her preconceived notions about Vodou in order to
understand it on its own terms.
d. It wouldn’t be; it probably crippled her ability to make objective judgments.
e. It made it much easier for her publisher to sell the book to chain bookstores.
ANS: C DIF: Hard REF: Page 194 OBJ: Studying Deviance (V)
NOT: Applied

74. Most sociological studies of deviance focus on elements of an individual’s background that
would predispose her to act in deviant ways. What is the key problem with such an approach?
a. It leans too much on depictions of deviance in the media.
b. It cannot explain why some people with very similar backgrounds act differently.
c. It requires a great deal of statistical analysis.
d. It focuses too much on the emotional appeal of certain types of crime.
e. all of the above
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Factual

75. Instead of solely examining background factors, what does the sociologist Jack Katz think that
sociologists should study when trying to understand deviance?
a. the deviant’s own experience of committing a deviant act
b. the correlation between deviance and poverty
c. the way that deviance tends to be handed down through generations
d. the role that poverty plays in encouraging deviance
e. the hidden correlation between crime and marital status
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Factual

76. According to Jack Katz, what do muggers gain from their crimes?
a. Nothing, they are caught too fast.
b. He argues that they are often trying to return to prison, where they feel more
secure.
c. He argues that they mug individuals who they suspect may be carrying illegal
drugs instead of money.
d. He argues that they mug for a sense of satisfaction and excitement.
e. He argues that they mug for a steady living that allows them to eventually move up
in social status.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Factual

77. According to Jack Katz in Seductions of Crime, why might teenagers shoplift?
a. They feel strain between their means and the goals that society tells them are
desirable.
b. They want the thrill of getting away with breaking the rules.
c. Society tells them that they should achieve material success, but they don’t have
the means to achieve this goal in conventional ways.
d. They come from a low socioeconomic class.
 e. Young people are inherently predisposed to crime.
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Factual

78. Given Jack Katz’s theory of crime, what do you think would be the best subtitle for his book
Seductions of Crime?
a. Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives of Delinquent Boys
b. The World of the New Urban Poor
c. Social Structure and Anomie
d. Moral and Sensual Attractions of Doing Evil
e. Pursuits and Careers of Persistent Thieves
ANS: D DIF: Hard REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Applied

79. Construction crews are constantly annoyed at the way people, mostly teenage boys, steal
orange cones and flashing pylons that mark construction zones. According to Jack Katz, why
does this sort of deviance happen?
a. The thieves find these items aesthetically appealing, but don’t know where to buy
them.
b. The thieves are afflicted with a psychological disorder like kleptomania, which
compels them to steal.
c. The thieves are usually planning on reselling the materials on the black market.
d. This sort of deviance produces a rush of energy and excitement.
e. This sort of deviance is often motivated by a genuine need for the construction
materials stolen.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Applied

80. Which of the following statements helps explain why Jack Katz thought his book, Seductions
of Crime, explained deviance in a new way?
a. Conflict theorists have frequently argued that differences in economic resources
give elites the ability to control the coercive apparatus of the state. Pronounced
economic differences also provide elites with a need to maintain order.
b. Three decades ago, criminologists widely decried the failure of rehabilitative
efforts to reduce recidivism. This “nothing works” attitude permeated the field of
criminal justice, and a period of punitive justice was ushered in.
c. The social science literature contains only scattered evidence of what it means,
feels, sounds, tastes, or looks like to commit a particular crime.
d. Society should be considered as a cross between the cultural “goals” that it
believes its members should strive for, and the “means” that are believed, legally
or morally, to be legitimate ways that individuals should attain these goals.
e. The discussion of positivist theories centering on peculiarities or abnormalities of
the individual considers theories related to physical appearance, mental deficiency
and feeblemindedness, hereditary and biological defectiveness, and psychiatry.
ANS: C DIF: Hard REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Conceptual
81. According to Jack Katz, there are several reasons why adolescents might shoplift, the first
being the material appeal of the objects that are taken, but more importantly:
a. they can gain entrance to gangs if they are successful
b. they are often carrying out a vendetta against a particular store or small business
owner
c. it’s a cure for the perpetual poverty of teenagers
d. they regard “getting away with it” as a demonstration of personal competence
e. they usually need to make money by selling the objects that they steal
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 194
OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A) NOT: Conceptual

82. What do we call norm violations that are codified into law?
a. crimes
b. taboos
c. violent crimes
d. mores
e. statues
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 197 OBJ: Crime (V.B)
NOT: Factual

83. An individual who works at a bookstore routinely takes home ballpoint pens and Post-it
Notes, uses the copy machine to make personal copies, and makes long-distance phone calls
on the store’s line. However, he would never consider stealing money from the cash register,
even if he knew that he could get away with it. What is this attitude called?
a. business nonconformity
b. property trespass
c. cash register honesty
d. partial deviance
e. misdemeanor deviance
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 199 OBJ: Crime (V.B)
NOT: Applied

84. The vast majority of crimes come to the attention of the police in response to citizen
complaints. If citizens don’t think a crime is serious enough or feel that nothing can be done,
they don’t usually bother to inform the authorities. This means that there might be serious bias
in the:
a. symbolic interactionist theory of deviance
b. way that conflict theorists understand deviance
c. definition of cash register honesty
d. value of punishment for deterrence
e. uniform crime report
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 197
OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii) NOT: Applied

85. Your professor is almost certainly an honest, upstanding employee who would never steal
from her employer. Or would she? While it seems very unlikely that she would steal money
from the school, it seems more likely that she might use the photocopy machine to make
personal copies, a practice that could be described as:
 a. structural strain
b. cash register honesty
c. secondary deviance
d. demographic deviance
e. deviance avowal
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 199 OBJ: Crime (V.B)
NOT: Applied

86. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why it is particularly problematic that the
United States deports gang members who immigrated here as children?
a. They have only the haziest memories of their “homelands.”
b. They had never thought of themselves as anything but American.
c. They are often only fluent in English.
d. They have many valuable skills that are lost to the U.S. economy when they are
deported.
e. Some have been born in refugee camps and never lived in the country they are
being deported to.
ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: Pages 188–189
OBJ: Crime (V.B) NOT: Factual

87. Tuy Sobil was a member of the Crips in Long Beach, California, before he was deported to
Cambodia. What did he do once he arrived?
a. taught children to break-dance
b. started a business smuggling drugs back to his old gang in California
c. got a job with an international relief organization and helped farmers learn better
ways to grow rice
d. became homeless because he had few resources to survive in what was, to him, a
totally foreign country
e. started a new branch of the Crips in Cambodia, with local recruits
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Pages 188–189
OBJ: Crime (V.B) NOT: Factual

88. Which of the following might make sociologists doubt that higher crime rates in urban areas,
as reported by the Uniform Crime Report, actually reflect higher levels of criminal activity?
a. Police are more likely to concentrate their efforts in such areas.
b. Poor people are more likely to be the victims of crime.
c. Police tend to be less suspicious of poor people.
d. The same factors that cause an urban area to be economically depressed also cause
crime to increase.
e. Poor areas tend to lack jobs and receive less funding for their schools.
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 197
OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii) NOT: Factual

89. What do sociologists call the tendency for individuals to age out of criminal activity?
a. deviance avoidance
b. differential association
c. deviance strain
d. desistance
 e. incapacitation
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 199 OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i)
NOT: Factual

90. Which of these factors make sociologists question the relationship between youth and crime?
a. Official crime statistics show that middle-aged people commit a large percentage
of the crimes in our society.
b. Young people may commit crimes that are more visible and therefore are arrested
more often.
c. Young people may commit more property crimes, but older people commit more
violent crimes.
d. The Uniform Crime Report shows that young people commit only a small
percentage of crimes.
e. all of the above
ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: Page 200 OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i)
NOT: Factual

91. What evidence shows that the number of women who commit crimes is related to social
structure?
a. Female arrest rates have remained remarkably steady over the course of American
history.
b. Male and female arrest rates tend to change at about the same rate.
c. Women and men tend to be arrested at an equal rate.
d. There are approximately as many women in prison as men.
e. As women have gained greater power in the labor market, female arrest rates have
increased.
ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: Page 200 OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i)
NOT: Factual

92. Martha Stewart was convicted of obstruction of justice after lying to the FBI during an
investigation of her sale of ImClone Systems stock, whose value dramatically fell
immediately after she sold it. Her conviction was unusual, as this sort of white-collar crime is
much more likely to be dealt with in civil, rather than criminal, court. How does the tendency
to deal with white-collar criminals in civil court bias our understanding of the demographics
of crime?
a. It causes us to underestimate the number of property crimes committed each year.
b. It encourages us to equate cash register honesty with real honesty.
c. It leads us to overestimate the relationship between poverty and crime.
d. It creates a false relationship between gender and crime.
e. It leads us to underestimate the extent of desistance.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Pages 197–198
OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i) NOT: Conceptual

93. How does the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report measure crime?
a. A random sample of citizens are asked what crimes they have been the victims of
in the last twelve months.
b. A random sample of police officers are asked what crime levels they have
observed.
 c. Every crime reported by over 17,000 law enforcement agencies in the United
States is tabulated.
d. The convictions of every district attorney in the United States are tabulated.
e. Insurance claims are examined to see what damage was caused by crime.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 197
OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii) NOT: Factual

94. Which of the following is NOT considered a violent crime by the Uniform Crime Report?
a. burglary
b. rape
c. aggravated assault
d. robbery
e. murder
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 197
OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii) NOT: Factual

95. What is the Uniform Crime Report used for?

a. to assign federal law-enforcement funding to different areas
b. to understand all the norm violations that occur
c. to understand the interplay of taboos and mores
d. to understand sentencing guidelines as they relate to race and class
e. to make comparisons in crime rates between years and geographic regions
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 197
OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii) NOT: Factual

96. According to the Uniform Crime Report, murder is most likely to be committed by:
a. a parent or guardian
b. someone over the age of 40
c. a friend or relative
d. a stranger
e. a gang member
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 197
OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii) NOT: Factual
97. What can you conclude from looking at figure 7.2, showing crime rates in the United States
from 1986 to 2005?
a. The most dramatic change was in the number of forcible rapes happening each
year.
b. There is far more violent crime than there is property crime.
c. Motor-vehicle theft is, numerically, the worst problem.
d. Rates of violent crime fell dramatically near the end of the 1990s and into the new
century.
e. There was almost no change in rates of property crime.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Page 198
OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii) NOT: Factual

98. Which of the following is NOT a justification for punishment in the United States today?
a. rehabilitation of the criminal
b. preventing crime in the future
 c. reimbursement of the victim
d. retribution for the crime
e. incapacitation of the criminal
ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: Page 200 OBJ: Punishment (V.B.iii)
NOT: Factual

99. What is the justification for harsh sentencing guidelines, like California’s “three strikes” law?
a. deterrence of future crime
b. rehabilitation of the criminal
c. retribution for crimes in proportion to their damage
d. desistance
e. the reform of individual criminals
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Page 200 OBJ: Punishment (V.B.iii)
NOT: Factual

100. In the United States, legislatures, police, courts, and prisons make up the:
a. prison-industrial complex
b. deviance system
c. positive deviance
d. judgment system
e. criminal justice system
ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: Page 200 OBJ: Punishment (V.B.iii)
NOT: Factual

101. Many people today argue that convicted sex offenders should be chemically castrated or held
in protective custody beyond their original sentences. What is the logic of these punishments?
a. social justice
b. incapacitation
c. deterrence
d. retribution
e. rehabilitation
ANS: B DIF: Hard REF: Page 200 OBJ: Punishment (V.B.iii)
NOT: Applied

102. How do sociologists define positive deviance?

a. deviance that relates to a criminal record
b. deviance that actively harms someone physically
c. instances where a rule violation is, or seems to be, an admirable act that should be
supported
d. deviance that is active and is openly embraced
e. the form of acts that come with secondary deviance
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Page 201 OBJ: Positive Deviance (VI)
NOT: Factual
103. Today ecoterrorists in America have taken many radical actions, including burning down ski
lodges, blowing up Hummers, freeing lab animals, and chaining themselves to trees. These
actions are often seen as extremely deviant, but many of the perpetrators believe that in the
future they will be hailed as heroes, in which case their actions will be seen as:
a. positive deviance
b. symbolic deviance
c. rehabilitation
d. violent crime
e. in-group orientation
ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: Page 201 OBJ: Positive Deviance (VI)
NOT: Applied

ESSAY

1. Explain the concept of cash register honesty.

ANS:

People who practice cash register honesty would probably never steal money or valuable
goods from their employers, even when presented with the perfect opportunity. But they
wouldn’t hesitate to steal less valuable items like pens or Post-it notes from the office, to
waste time on the clock surfing the internet, to take long breaks, or to sneak out of work a
little early. A good answer will also mention that a majority of people practice cash register
honesty and that most of them would be shocked at the idea that these little indiscretions make
them less than honest.

OBJ: Crime (V.B)

2. What is positive deviance? How does its existence support functionalist thought?

ANS:

Positive deviance is a principled act that is considered deviant in the context in which it is
committed, but is later reinterpreted as appropriate or even heroic. A good answer might use
the example of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white man to illustrate how a
deviant act can ultimately help redefine social justice within a society. In the case of Rosa
Parks, her act of civil disobedience played a key role in starting the civil rights movement in
the United States and putting an end to institutionalized segregation. A good answer might
also mention the example of Hugh Thompson, Lawrence Colburn, and Glenn Andreota, the
three American soldiers who brandished their weapons against fellow American troops in
order to save the lives of innocent civilians during the Vietnam War. In both examples,
deviant behavior was later widely recognized as heroic and, especially in the case of Rosa
Parks, served the function of helping to redefine a flawed value system in the United States.

OBJ: Positive Deviance (VI)

3. There are many competing theories for how to best deal with criminal behavior, from
deterrence, to revenge, to incapacitation, to rehabilitation. Discuss the ways in which these
different methods for dealing with deviance reflect the different ways that society views
criminals.

ANS:

Those who believe in deterrence think of criminals as calculating, people who think ahead and
analyze the cost of their crimes against the benefits. Those who support retribution think
criminals deserve to be punished, quid pro quo. Those who advocate for incapacitation believe
criminals are dangerous and should be permanently removed from society. Those who argue
for rehabilitation believe criminals are people who can work toward their own personal
transformations.

OBJ: Punishment (V.B.iii)

4. Crime statistics can sometimes be misleading. Explain some potential problems with crime
statistics that draw conclusions about the criminal behavior of certain class, age, or ethnic
groups.

ANS:

While statistics tell us that crime rates are consistently higher in poor, urban areas, many
sociologists argue that this doesn’t necessarily mean there’s more crime in these areas, rather
that police assume there’s more crime and concentrate their efforts there, resulting in higher
arrest rates. Statistically young people are much more likely to commit crime, but sociologists
argue that the stereotypical image of a criminal is often of a young person, making police
more likely to target them. Also the elderly may be committing crimes that are more difficult
to detect, like embezzlement or fraud. Statistics also paint a picture of a crime-ridden African
American community. But sociologists argue that Robert Merton’s self-fulfilling prophecy
and class variables may be responsible for the crime rate among African Americans.

OBJ: Demographics (V.B.i)

5. Most sociological theories of deviance rely on an individual’s background as a major source

of deviant behavior. But that doesn’t explain why many socioeconomically disadvantaged
people don’t ever commit crimes while many privileged people do. How does the sociologist
Jack Katz explain deviant behavior that’s NOT related to an individual’s background?

ANS:

Katz explores the seductive nature of crime. He argues that most shoplifters don’t steal
because they can’t afford the merchandise; they do it for the thrill of getting away with
something deviant while appearing normal to those around them. Muggers and robbers are
also often after a the thrill of lawbreaking and the sense of superiority they feel over their
victims. In the same way, Katz argues, even murder can seem seductive because of the lure of
power that killing represents.

OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A)

6. When an individual or group is labeled as deviant, they are often stigmatized and acquire what
Erving Goffman called a “spoiled identity,” devaluing them and often excluding them from
normal social interaction. Explain the different ways that stigmatized individuals and groups
cope with their stigmatization.

ANS:

Goffman breaks down coping strategies of stigmatized individuals and groups into four
categories: passing, in-group orientation, outsiders, and deviance avowal. A good answer
should mention all four. Passing means attempting to conceal a stigmatized deviation.
Believers in in-group orientation reject the standards that mark them as deviant and propose
new standards. Outsiders don’t try to conceal their stigma or to change standards; instead,
they choose to be called deviant, as in many subcultures that live outside of mainstream
society. Those who practice deviance avowal identify themselves as deviant and create their
own labels.

OBJ: Stigma (IV)

7. Robert Merton advanced the idea that labeling can bring about self-fulfilling prophecies: that
inaccurate beliefs, if repeated loudly and frequently enough, can become true. Explain why
Merton and the sociologist Elijah Anderson believe that a self-fulfilling prophecy has
contributed to racial conflict in the United States.

ANS:

Deviant labels are powerful and can override other aspects of individual identity. Labels can
affect how we see ourselves, how others see us, and even how social and institutional policies
are formed. A good answer should mention Anderson’s Streetwise, which demonstrated how
the belief that young black men from the inner city commit more crimes made itself true. This
self-fulfilling prophecy worked, according to Anderson, because it cast a cloud of suspicion
over young, black city dwellers so that police became more likely to arrest them, and citizens
became more likely to report them for committing crimes.

OBJ: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (III.D.iii)

8. Howard Becker’s labeling theory argues that no act is deviant until a society labels it as
deviant. Explain why Becker and other sociologists, like David Rosenhan, believe that
labeling can have long-lasting effects on the individual who is labeled a deviant.

ANS:

A deviant label can have long-lasting effects on how society sees an individual and how that
individual sees himself. Good answers should mention David Rosenhan’s “On Being Sane in
Insane Places,” where a group of healthy individuals entered psychiatric facilities on the false
pretense of hearing voices, were kept in treatment programs long after they stopped faking
symptoms, and were even labeled schizophrenics in remission upon their release. Answers
might also mention the concepts of secondary and tertiary deviation, the idea that being
labeled a deviant can cause an individual to repeat deviant behavior, and the manner in which
some individuals are able to reject or transform the stigma attached to a deviant label.
 OBJ: Labeling Theory (III.D.ii)

9. In his structural strain theory, Robert Merton argues that people who don’t have the financial
or cultural means to achieve the goals that society sets out for them (for example, financial
success) are more likely to adopt deviant behavior. Explain the different ways that, according
to Merton, these people deal with their limited resources and express their deviant behavior.

ANS:

Merton’s structural strain theory argues that the rewards of conformity (professional and
financial success, etc.) are only available to people who pursue approved goals through
approved means. Those who can’t or don’t follow the approved path are considered deviant
and are broken into four groups. Innovators pursue an approved goal, like financial success,
through a deviant means, like dealing drugs. Ritualists use an approved means, but do so
without hope of achieving any real success, like showing up at a respectable but dead-end job
every day. Retreatists, like hermits and dropouts, reject approved goals and means and live
outside of conventional society. Rebels also reject society’s goals and means, but advocate
their own radical alternatives, creating their own altogether different means and goals.

OBJ: Structural Strain (III.C)

10. Conflict theorists believe that society’s definition of deviance is designed in such a way that
people with the most power will be seen as most “normal” and even idealized by the rest of
society, while those with the least power will more often be considered deviant and subject to
the negative sanctions that come with a deviant identity. Give some examples of how laws can
target people with less power and label their behaviors or lifestyles as deviant.

ANS:

Conflict theorists argue that rules are unequally applied and that punishments for those who
violate the rules are unequally distributed, with the crimes of the poor and powerless being
more often and more severely punished. A good answer will cite the work of William
Chambliss, who noted that vagrancy laws have been used to target the homeless, the
unemployed, and racial minorities; the fact that, until very recently, some states in the United
States still had sodomy laws on the books in order to target same-sex couples; and the 2006
decision of Rochester, New York, mayor Robert Duffy to crack down on violent crime by
imposing a curfew on youth living in the city, leaving more affluent suburban teens
untouched.

OBJ: Theories of Deviance (III)

11. Structural functionalists like Emile Durkheim believe that every aspect of a social structure
does something to help maintain the stability of society. According to Durkheim, what are
some of the “functions” of deviance within a society?

ANS:
 Durkheim argues that deviance helps societies to clarify their social boundaries; without
“wrong” behavior, how would we know the difference between right and wrong? Any answer
should mention this idea, as well as Durkheim’s notion that deviance can help promote
societal cohesion (that is, a community unites in the face of crime). A good answer might also
relate these notions to the example, given in Chapter 7, of how Americans reacted to the Terry
Schiavo case. While Americans were divided on the essential issue of whether or not Schiavo
should have been allowed to live in a persistent vegetative state, they were fairly united in the
belief that the U.S. government shouldn’t have intervened.

OBJ: Theories of Deviance (III)

12. Deviant behavior must be sufficiently serious or unusual to bring forth a serious negative
sanction. How does understanding a particular group or culture help us to understand the
punishment for deviant behavior?

ANS:

It’s important to remember that deviant behavior depends entirely on context; what is
considered deviant in one culture may not be considered deviant in another. Any answer
should mention that the way a society punishes deviance depends upon what that society
views as deviant. A good answer will also discuss the role of resources in punishment. In
America today, incarceration is the most common punishment for sufficiently deviant
behavior. But in cultures without the money and/or manpower to lock up their deviants,
methods like social shunning, banishment, or corporal punishment have been preferred.

OBJ: Deviance Across Cultures (II)

13. Osama bin Laden is probably the most reviled figure in American today. How does the
sociological idea of deviance help us understand why, in some cultures, he is celebrated as a
hero?

ANS:

Sociologists define deviance not in terms of inherently immoral acts, but in terms of a
particular -society’s reaction to acts. Any answer should -discuss the idea that Americans
would naturally see the attacks of September 11 and the killing of thousands of their fellow
citizens as an act of evil, but that, in some cultures, Americans are seen as the enemy, and so
the victims of September 11 are casualties of a just war.

OBJ: Defining Deviance (I)

14. Compare and contrast Jack Katz’s understanding of deviance with Robert Merton’s. What
element of Robert Merton’s theory of structural strain would Katz find most objectionable?

ANS:
Test Bank for The Real World An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd Edition: Ferris

Robert Merton’s structural strain theory focuses on the background of an individual deviant,
while Jack Katz is insistent that the emotional foreground of a deviant act should be seen as
much more important. He would also point out that many people from poor backgrounds
never commit deviant acts, while wealthy people sometimes do, again highlighting the
limitations of Merton’s approach. Katz would relentlessly highlight the importance of the
emotional appeal of any particular deviant act, regardless of the background of the person
carrying it out. The very best answers might also mention that Katz, like conflict theorists,
notes that some acts of deviance committed by more affluent members of society are defined
as something other than criminal behavior.

OBJ: The Foreground of Deviance (V.A)

15. Chapter 7 describes several ways in which the Uniform Crime Report may present an
inaccurate picture of the demographics of crime. Describe the sources of bias that lead to these
inaccuracies. Are these biases better explained by conflict theory or functionalism? Justify
your answer.

ANS:

The Uniform Crime Report is biased by class, race, and age because if law-enforcement
officials and citizens expect certain types of people to be criminals, they will more likely be
investigated, accused, and treated as such. Additionally these expectations help to determine
where law enforcement concentrates its efforts, and the more police look for crime, the more
they will find. This is an insight that is much more compatible with conflict theory, which
argues that rules are applied unequally in our society.

OBJ: Uniform Crime Report (V.B.ii)

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