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Soc Cannadian 2Nd Edition Witt Test Bank Full Chapter PDF
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06
Student: _______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Sarita is attending a business luncheon with several corporate executives. At one point during the
meal, she reaches in front of another executive for a saltshaker and hits the executive's arm as he is
about to put a spoonful of soup in his mouth. The soup spills on his shirt, and he glares at Sarita. Of
what is the glare an example?
A. norm
B. folkway
C. formal sanction
D. informal sanction
A. a formal sanction
B. a value
C. an informal sanction
D. a norm
A. a formal sanction
B. a value
C. an informal sanction
D. a norm
7. Entrenched interests seek to maintain the status quo and use their power over which of the following
to do so?
A. sanctions
B. values
C. norms
D. culture
8. When Reena returns to school after summer break, she notices that all of her friends have begun to
wear makeup, so she asks her mother if she can wear makeup too. What kind of behaviour is Reena
displaying?
A. conformity
B. obedience
C. deviance
D. sanctioning
9. Which of the following terms refers to going along with one's peers (individuals of a person's own
status who have no special right to direct that person's behaviour)?
A. labelling
B. conformity
C. deviance
D. obedience
A. Going along with one's peers, who have no special right to direct that person's behaviour.
B. Compliance with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure.
C. Penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm.
D. Using initiative in order to achieve an organization's goals.
11. The managing editor of a newspaper, acting on an order from the publisher, fires three editors, one of
whom is an old friend. Of what is this an example?
A. obedience
B. conformity
C. deviance
D. neutralization
12. According to a study by Stanley Milgram, individuals will do which of the following?
A. Conform to the attitudes and behaviours of their peers even if such attitudes and behaviours are racist.
B. Obey the commands of people viewed as legitimate authority figures, even if the behaviour may harm
another individual.
C. In most instances, disobey the commands of people viewed as legitimate authority figures if the
behaviour may harm another individual.
D. Not conform to the attitudes and behaviour of their peers if racism is expected.
13. Which of the following examined obedience by conducting an experiment that required subjects to
administer "painful" shocks to subjects in an analysis of "learning"?
A. Erving Goffman
B. Stanley Milgram
C. Robert Merton
D. Max Weber
14. What was the motivation behind Stanley Milgram's experimental study of obedience?
A. To better understand German involvement in the annihilation of Jews in World War II.
B. To better understand the deterrence factor of the death penalty.
C. To understand how selfesteem issues in subjects affect their treatment of others.
D. To develop more effective means to ensure soldiers follow orders.
15. What is the term for social control carried out casually by people through such means as laughter,
smiles, and ridicule?
A. neutralization
B. conformity
C. informal social control
D. formal social control
16. A college student interrupts the instructor during a seminar; the instructor responds with an angry
glare. Of what is this an example?
17. What is the term for social control carried out by authorized agents such as police officers, judges,
school administrators, and employers?
A. neutralization
B. conformity
C. informal social control
D. formal social control
18. A college student is caught cheating on an exam and is brought before a collegewide disciplinary
committee, which decides to expel the student from the school. Of what is the committee's action an
example?
A. Stricter identification requirements for Canadians wishing to enter the United States.
B. Having to take your shoes off to pass through airport security.
C. Encouragement by governments and police agencies to report the potentially suspicious activities of
others.
D. Mandatory fingerprinting of newborns in Canada.
20. College students receive conflicting messages about binge drinking on college campuses. It does
show conformity to the peer culture but it also represents ________ the standards of conduct
expected of those in an academic context.
A. adherence to
B. deviance from
C. formal social control of
D. informal social control of
21. Which of the following theories offers a view of conformity and deviance that suggests that our
connection to members of society leads us to conform systematically to society's norms?
A. We are bonded to members of our subculture, and if they engage in deviant behaviour, we use them
as role models and act in the same manner.
B. We are bonded to our family members, friends, and peers in a way that leads us to follow the mores
and folkways of our society.
C. We are "convinced" to act in a lawabiding manner because of the "control" that law enforcement
agencies have over our lives.
D. We act in a conforming manner because of selfcontrol.
A. They are created because of a perceived need for formal social control.
B. They represent a universal consensus on appropriate sanctions.
C. They arise out of a social process.
D. They reflect continually changing standards of right and wrong.
A. A student sits in the middle of the front row in your sociology class and picks his nose throughout the
class period.
B. A student walks into your sociology class naked because it is hot outside.
C. A student cheats on her first sociology exam.
D. A student studies hard for a test and gets an A.
26. What term do sociologists use to describe the labels society uses to devalue members of certain
groups?
A. stigma
B. deviance
C. stigmata
D. crime
A. law for which formal penalties are applied by some governmental authority
B. societal standards and is punished with informal sanctions
C. criminal law that goes unnoticed by authorities
D. folkways
A. Almost half of the crimes reported in Canada fall into the category of violent crimes.
B. In 2007, the national crime rate reached its highest level in 30 years.
C. The highest crime rate is found in small urban areas.
D. Rural areas have higher rates of property crime than do large urban areas.
30. Which of the following statements about crime statistics is NOT true?
A. The selfreporting rate of violent victimization among the gay and lesbian population is more than
twice the rate for heterosexuals.
B. Members of racial and ethnic minority groups often distrust law enforcement agencies and refrain
from contacting the police when they are victimized.
C. Many women do not report rape or spousal abuse for fear of being blamed for the crime.
D. Aboriginal Canadians are less likely to report being a victim of a violent crime than nonAboriginal
Canadians.
31. Which type of crime is unlikely to be reported in victimization surveys?
A. fraud
B. burglary
C. motor vehicle theft
D. aggravated assault
32. What term is used to refer to crimes committed by individuals in the course of their daily business
activities?
A. professional crime
B. organized crime
C. index crimes
D. whitecollar crimes
33. A corporate vice president is convicted of attempting to bribe a deputy minister. What is the term for
this type of crime?
A. professional crime
B. whitecollar crime
C. organized crime
D. an index crime
35. A man with a wife and two children loses $50,000 in an unlicensed gambling den. What type of
crime has he committed?
A. a whitecollar crime
B. spousal abuse
C. a victimless crime
D. a property crime
36. Feminist sociologists contend that the socalled victimless crime of prostitution, as well as the more
disturbing aspects of pornography, do what?
A. organized crimes
B. victimless crimes
C. whitecollar crimes
D. corporate crimes
38. What is the term for the work of a group that regulates relations between various criminal enterprises
involved in the smuggling and sale of drugs, prostitution, gambling, and other illegal activities?
39. To what does the term ethnic succession, as used by Daniel Bell, refer?
A. The migration of immigrant groups into communities previously occupied by other immigrant
groups.
B. The process during which the leadership of organized crime is passed from one ethnic group to
another.
C. The process during which the membership of law enforcement agencies is passed from one ethnic
group to another.
D. The migration of immigrant groups to suburbia.
40. Which of the following is NOT an activity likely to be engaged in by organized crime?
A. Creation of computer viruses that allow third parties to send spam to your contacts list.
B. Bringing young women into the country on false pretences and forcing them into prostitution.
C. Producing, importing and distributing illegal drugs.
D. Running unlicensed gambling locations.
41. In a city in central Canada, organized crime was dominated by an Italian "family", but they were
eventually displaced by Chinese Canadians. Of what is this an example?
A. assimilation
B. ethnic succession
C. labelling
D. differential association
42. What is the term for crime that occurs across multiple national borders?
A. transnational crime
B. whitecollar crime
C. organized crime
D. global crime
43. Which of the following is true?
A. Rates of car theft are higher in the United States than in Italy.
B. The United States has lower homicide rates than Scandinavian countries do.
C. Western European countries have higher violent crime rates than the United States.
D. The Unites States has an imprisonment rate more than 6 times greater than that of Canada.
44. On a typical day, which country imprisons 751 of every 100,000 adults?
A. Russia
B. United States
C. Cuba
D. Mexico
45. Since the overthrow of Communist Party rule in Russia, what has crime done?
A. skyrocketed
B. slightly declined
C. slightly increased
D. precipitously declined
A. There is nothing inherently deviant or criminal in any act; the key is how society responds to the act.
B. Labelling an individual is the most crucial stage in that person becoming a deviant.
C. People accept or reject the goals of a society and/or the socially approved means to fulfill their
aspirations.
D. People become deviant by associating with those of like persuasion.
47. According to Émile Durkheim, to what are our understandings of crime and deviance linked?
A. social roles
B. social prosperity
C. incarceration rates
D. social solidarity
48. Which term is used in the sociological literature to describe a loss of direction felt in a society when
social control of individual behaviour has become ineffective?
A. anomie
B. neutralization
C. cultural transmission
D. disobedience
A. A man loses his job, his fortune, and his family during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
B. An individual takes a shortcut to school and gets lost.
C. A woman wins a lottery and gives a considerable amount of her winnings to several charities that are
important to her.
D. A man switches from the Anglican to the Presbyterian church.
50. Which theory of deviance suggests that members of a society may conform or deviate from the
culturally prescribed goals and the means of attaining those goals?
A. control theory
B. differential association
C. anomie theory
D. labelling theory
51. What is the most common adaptation in Robert Merton's anomie theory of deviance?
A. ritualism
B. conformity
C. rebellion
D. innovation
52. In his anomie theory of deviance, Robert Merton does which of the following?
53. According to Robert Merton, an innovator is an individual who has done which of the following?
A. Abandoned the goal of material success and become compulsively committed to the institutional
means.
B. Withdrawn from the goals and means of society.
C. Accepted the goals of society, but pursues them with means regarded as improper.
D. Accepted both the socially desired goals and the legitimate means of attaining them.
54. In Robert Merton's terms, people who overzealously and cruelly enforce bureaucratic regulations can
be classified as which of the following?
A. ritualists
B. rebels
C. innovators
D. retreatists
55. According to Robert Merton, a retreatist is an individual who has done which of the following?
A. Abandoned the goal of material success and become compulsively committed to the institutional
means.
B. Withdrawn from the goals and means of society.
C. Accepted the goals of society, but pursues them with means regarded as improper.
D. Accepted both the goals of society and the legitimate means of attaining them.
56. An unemployed young adult wants a stereo, but he doesn't have the money or the means of earning
the money needed to buy it. His desire for the stereo overwhelms him, and he steals one from a local
store. This incident illustrates which theory of deviance?
A. conflict theory
B. labelling theory
C. anomie theory of deviance
D. cultural transmission theory
57. Arnold gets an A on his organic chemistry exam because he copies most of his answers from Stanley,
the class brain who is sitting next to him. According to Merton's anomie theory of deviance, how
would Arnold be classified?
A. ritualist
B. retreatist
C. rebel
D. innovator
58. An employee at a welfare office is so concerned with paperwork that he doesn't have time to
administer to the needs of the poor, hungry, and homeless individuals who seek assistance.
According to Merton's theory, this welfare worker would be an example of what?
A. a ritualist
B. a rebel
C. an innovator
D. a retreatist
59. According to Robert Merton, members of revolutionary political organizations such as the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) would typically be classified as which of the following?
A. rebels
B. ritualists
C. conformists
D. innovators
60. Which theory was used by Edwin Sutherland to emphasize that criminal behaviour is learned through
social interactions with others?
A. labelling theory
B. cultural transmission
C. societalreaction approach
D. techniques of neutralization
61. According to Edwin Sutherland, people will act in a deviant manner under which of the following
conditions?
A. differential association
B. positive sanctions
C. labelling
D. control theory
63. Bob works as a cashier in a supermarket. His boss instructs him to include the price of a new broom
which Bob's boss has deceptively placed near the register—on everyone's bill. Bob's boss also
encourages him to change the dates on expired food items so the items can continue to be sold.
Eventually, Bob begins to develop his own deceptive sales practices. Of what is this an example?
A. labelling
B. anomie
C. differential association
D. dramaturgy
64. Which of the following was illustrated by William Chambliss' study of the Saints and the
Roughnecks?
65. In his study of the Saints and the Roughnecks, William Chambliss concluded that a key factor in the
varying fortunes of the two groups was the difference in which of the following?
A. their ages
B. their social class standing
C. their political views
D. their religion
A. anomie theory
B. labelling theory
C. cultural transmission
D. differential association
68. Which of the following individuals would most likely be the focus of labelling theorists who are
researching the power of some individuals or groups to define labels?
69. The conflict perspective closely ties into which other sociological explanation of deviance?
70. Which theoretical perspective would argue that those with less power and influence, such as
Aboriginal Canadians, are more likely to find themselves incarcerated than members of the dominant
group?
71. More than 50 women, mostly poor, Aboriginal, and substanceaddicted, disappeared from
Vancouver's downtown east side over a little more than a decade. For a long time, police
investigations of these disappearances were cursory. Critics charge that this would not have been the
case if these women were white, universityeducated and middleclass. Of what could this be
considered an example?
A. differential association
B. differential justice
C. racial profiling
D. police brutality
72. What is the term for differences in the way social control is exercised over different groups?
A. labelling theory
B. deviance
C. differential justice
D. racial profiling
73. Feminist theorists of crime and deviance have noted which of the following?
A. As women make gains in the workplace and achieve higher positions, they are also becoming better
positioned to engage in whitecollar crime.
B. A woman's sexual history is more relevant to prosecutions of sexual abuse and assault than a man's is.
C. Most women report domestic violence.
D. Rape is a crime that cannot be perpetrated by a woman on a man.
74. When individuals experience a loss of direction in a society, the society's social control becomes
ineffective, often leading to increases in crime and deviance. This statement is supported by which of
the following?
75. The participants who acted as "teachers" in Milgram's classic social control experiment obeying the
experimenter's orders to shock the "learner" were described by Milgram as acting obediently, because
they were accustomed to submitting to impersonal authority figures in the social world. Which
sociological perspective explains the organization of North American society in this way?
A. symbolic interactionists
B. conflict theorists
C. feminists
D. functionalists
76. An alcoholic who has lost his job and left his family to live on the street is considered to be
practicing which of the following forms of adaptation as described by sociologist Robert Merton?
A. rebel
B. retreatist
C. ritualist
D. acceptance
77. Read carefully through the statement below, and decide which of the following options is correct. An
important aspect of labelling theory is the recognition that some individuals or groups have the power
to define labels and apply them to others. This view ties into the functionalist perspective's emphasis
on the social significance of power.
A. Excellent (all stages are correct in the right order with clear and correct explanations)
B. Good (all stages are correct in the right order, but the explanations are not as clear as they should be)
C. Mediocre (one or two stages are missing, or the stages are in the wrong order, or the explanations are
not clear, or the explanations are irrelevant)
D. Unacceptable (more than two stages are missing and the order is incorrect and the explanations are
not clear and/or they are irrelevant)
79. Control theory reminds us that while the media may focus on crime and disorder, most members of
most societies conform to and obey basic norms.
True False
80. The high degree of anonymity allowing for uncivil behaviour when using the Internet has resulted in
calls for the establishment of formal rules for online behaviour.
True False
81. Edwin Sutherland coined the term stigma to describe the labels society uses to devalue members of
certain social groups.
True False
82. According to journalist Naomi Wolf, women in the United States who do not conform to the beauty
myth are viewed as deviant.
True False
83. Both men and women in Canada may be stigmatized when they fail to conform to standards of
attractiveness.
True False
84. Aboriginal Canadians are incarcerated a nine times the rate of nonAboriginal Canadians.
True False
True False
86. Discuss the various components of social control. Identify and describe how sanctions may be used
to control the expectations of society regarding people's actions and behaviours.
87. Describe the similarities and differences between conformity and obedience, according to Stanley
Milgram. Give examples to support both concepts.
88. Discuss why the definitions of deviance and social stigma are dependent on cultural variations and
socially accepted norms. Give examples of how people are stigmatized for behaviours they may no
longer engage in.
89. Discuss the relationship between cultural transmission and differential association in explaining
deviance or criminal acts. Give an illustration of how a person would likely become criminal using
the differential association process.
90. What is differential justice? Give an example and explain how each of the four theoretical
perspectives (functionalist, conflict, symbolic interactionist and feminist) might view it.
06 KEY
1. (p. 118) To what does the term social control refer?
4. (p. 120) Sarita is attending a business luncheon with several corporate executives. At one point during the
meal, she reaches in front of another executive for a saltshaker and hits the executive's arm as he
is about to put a spoonful of soup in his mouth. The soup spills on his shirt, and he glares at
Sarita. Of what is the glare an example?
A. norm
B. folkway
C. formal sanction
D. informal sanction
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #4
5. (p. 120) Being arrested for murder would be an example of which of the following?
A. a formal sanction
B. a value
C. an informal sanction
D. a norm
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #5
6. (p. 120) Clyde is arrested for graffiti writing. Of what is the arrest an example?
A. a formal sanction
B. a value
C. an informal sanction
D. a norm
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #6
7. (p. 118) Entrenched interests seek to maintain the status quo and use their power over which of the
following to do so?
A. sanctions
B. values
C. norms
D. culture
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #7
8. (p. 119) When Reena returns to school after summer break, she notices that all of her friends have begun
to wear makeup, so she asks her mother if she can wear makeup too. What kind of behaviour is
Reena displaying?
A. conformity
B. obedience
C. deviance
D. sanctioning
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #8
9. (p. 119) Which of the following terms refers to going along with one's peers (individuals of a person's
own status who have no special right to direct that person's behaviour)?
A. labelling
B. conformity
C. deviance
D. obedience
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #9
A. Going along with one's peers, who have no special right to direct that person's behaviour.
B. Compliance with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure.
C. Penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm.
D. Using initiative in order to achieve an organization's goals.
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #10
11. (p. 119) The managing editor of a newspaper, acting on an order from the publisher, fires three editors,
one of whom is an old friend. Of what is this an example?
A. obedience
B. conformity
C. deviance
D. neutralization
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #11
12. (p. 119) According to a study by Stanley Milgram, individuals will do which of the following?
A. Conform to the attitudes and behaviours of their peers even if such attitudes and behaviours are racist.
B. Obey the commands of people viewed as legitimate authority figures, even if the behaviour may harm
another individual.
C. In most instances, disobey the commands of people viewed as legitimate authority figures if the
behaviour may harm another individual.
D. Not conform to the attitudes and behaviour of their peers if racism is expected.
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #12
13. (p. 119) Which of the following examined obedience by conducting an experiment that required subjects
to administer "painful" shocks to subjects in an analysis of "learning"?
A. Erving Goffman
B. Stanley Milgram
C. Robert Merton
D. Max Weber
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #13
14. (p. 120) What was the motivation behind Stanley Milgram's experimental study of obedience?
A. To better understand German involvement in the annihilation of Jews in World War II.
B. To better understand the deterrence factor of the death penalty.
C. To understand how selfesteem issues in subjects affect their treatment of others.
D. To develop more effective means to ensure soldiers follow orders.
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #14
15. (p. 120) What is the term for social control carried out casually by people through such means as
laughter, smiles, and ridicule?
A. neutralization
B. conformity
C. informal social control
D. formal social control
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #15
16. (p. 120) A college student interrupts the instructor during a seminar; the instructor responds with an
angry glare. Of what is this an example?
17. (p. 120) What is the term for social control carried out by authorized agents such as police officers,
judges, school administrators, and employers?
A. neutralization
B. conformity
C. informal social control
D. formal social control
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #17
18. (p. 120) A college student is caught cheating on an exam and is brought before a collegewide
disciplinary committee, which decides to expel the student from the school. Of what is the
committee's action an example?
A. Stricter identification requirements for Canadians wishing to enter the United States.
B. Having to take your shoes off to pass through airport security.
C. Encouragement by governments and police agencies to report the potentially suspicious activities of
others.
D. Mandatory fingerprinting of newborns in Canada.
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #19
20. (p. 121) College students receive conflicting messages about binge drinking on college campuses. It
does show conformity to the peer culture but it also represents ________ the standards of
conduct expected of those in an academic context.
A. adherence to
B. deviance from
C. formal social control of
D. informal social control of
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #20
21. (p. 122) Which of the following theories offers a view of conformity and deviance that suggests that our
connection to members of society leads us to conform systematically to society's norms?
A. We are bonded to members of our subculture, and if they engage in deviant behaviour, we use them
as role models and act in the same manner.
B. We are bonded to our family members, friends, and peers in a way that leads us to follow the mores
and folkways of our society.
C. We are "convinced" to act in a lawabiding manner because of the "control" that law enforcement
agencies have over our lives.
D. We act in a conforming manner because of selfcontrol.
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #22
23. (p. 121) Which of the following is NOT true of laws?
A. They are created because of a perceived need for formal social control.
B. They represent a universal consensus on appropriate sanctions.
C. They arise out of a social process.
D. They reflect continually changing standards of right and wrong.
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #23
A. A student sits in the middle of the front row in your sociology class and picks his nose throughout the
class period.
B. A student walks into your sociology class naked because it is hot outside.
C. A student cheats on her first sociology exam.
D. A student studies hard for a test and gets an A.
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #25
26. (p. 117) What term do sociologists use to describe the labels society uses to devalue members of certain
groups?
A. stigma
B. deviance
C. stigmata
D. crime
Learning Objective: 0603 Consider the effects of stigma
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #26
A. law for which formal penalties are applied by some governmental authority
B. societal standards and is punished with informal sanctions
C. criminal law that goes unnoticed by authorities
D. folkways
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #28
29. (p. 122) Which of the following statements about crime in Canada is correct?
A. Almost half of the crimes reported in Canada fall into the category of violent crimes.
B. In 2007, the national crime rate reached its highest level in 30 years.
C. The highest crime rate is found in small urban areas.
D. Rural areas have higher rates of property crime than do large urban areas.
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #29
30. (p. 123) Which of the following statements about crime statistics is NOT true?
A. The selfreporting rate of violent victimization among the gay and lesbian population is more than
twice the rate for heterosexuals.
B. Members of racial and ethnic minority groups often distrust law enforcement agencies and refrain
from contacting the police when they are victimized.
C. Many women do not report rape or spousal abuse for fear of being blamed for the crime.
D. Aboriginal Canadians are less likely to report being a victim of a violent crime than nonAboriginal
Canadians.
Learning Objective: 0605 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #30
31. (p. 123) Which type of crime is unlikely to be reported in victimization surveys?
A. fraud
B. burglary
C. motor vehicle theft
D. aggravated assault
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #31
32. (p. 123) What term is used to refer to crimes committed by individuals in the course of their daily
business activities?
A. professional crime
B. organized crime
C. index crimes
D. whitecollar crimes
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #32
33. (p. 123) A corporate vice president is convicted of attempting to bribe a deputy minister. What is the
term for this type of crime?
A. professional crime
B. whitecollar crime
C. organized crime
D. an index crime
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #33
35. (p. 125) A man with a wife and two children loses $50,000 in an unlicensed gambling den. What type of
crime has he committed?
A. a whitecollar crime
B. spousal abuse
C. a victimless crime
D. a property crime
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #35
36. (p. 125) Feminist sociologists contend that the socalled victimless crime of prostitution, as well as the
more disturbing aspects of pornography, do what?
A. organized crimes
B. victimless crimes
C. whitecollar crimes
D. corporate crimes
Learning Objective: 0605 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #37
38. (p. 125) What is the term for the work of a group that regulates relations between various criminal
enterprises involved in the smuggling and sale of drugs, prostitution, gambling, and other illegal
activities?
39. (p. 125) To what does the term ethnic succession, as used by Daniel Bell, refer?
A. The migration of immigrant groups into communities previously occupied by other immigrant
groups.
B. The process during which the leadership of organized crime is passed from one ethnic group to
another.
C. The process during which the membership of law enforcement agencies is passed from one ethnic
group to another.
D. The migration of immigrant groups to suburbia.
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #39
40. (p. 125) Which of the following is NOT an activity likely to be engaged in by organized crime?
A. Creation of computer viruses that allow third parties to send spam to your contacts list.
B. Bringing young women into the country on false pretences and forcing them into prostitution.
C. Producing, importing and distributing illegal drugs.
D. Running unlicensed gambling locations.
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #40
41. (p. 125) In a city in central Canada, organized crime was dominated by an Italian "family", but they
were eventually displaced by Chinese Canadians. Of what is this an example?
A. assimilation
B. ethnic succession
C. labelling
D. differential association
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #41
42. (p. 126) What is the term for crime that occurs across multiple national borders?
A. transnational crime
B. whitecollar crime
C. organized crime
D. global crime
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #42
A. Rates of car theft are higher in the United States than in Italy.
B. The United States has lower homicide rates than Scandinavian countries do.
C. Western European countries have higher violent crime rates than the United States.
D. The Unites States has an imprisonment rate more than 6 times greater than that of Canada.
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #43
44. (p. 126) On a typical day, which country imprisons 751 of every 100,000 adults?
A. Russia
B. United States
C. Cuba
D. Mexico
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #44
45. (p. 126) Since the overthrow of Communist Party rule in Russia, what has crime done?
A. skyrocketed
B. slightly declined
C. slightly increased
D. precipitously declined
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #45
46. (p. 127) In Émile Durkheim's view, which of the following is true?
A. There is nothing inherently deviant or criminal in any act; the key is how society responds to the act.
B. Labelling an individual is the most crucial stage in that person becoming a deviant.
C. People accept or reject the goals of a society and/or the socially approved means to fulfill their
aspirations.
D. People become deviant by associating with those of like persuasion.
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #46
47. (p. 127) According to Émile Durkheim, to what are our understandings of crime and deviance linked?
A. social roles
B. social prosperity
C. incarceration rates
D. social solidarity
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #47
48. (p. 128) Which term is used in the sociological literature to describe a loss of direction felt in a society
when social control of individual behaviour has become ineffective?
A. anomie
B. neutralization
C. cultural transmission
D. disobedience
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #48
A. A man loses his job, his fortune, and his family during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
B. An individual takes a shortcut to school and gets lost.
C. A woman wins a lottery and gives a considerable amount of her winnings to several charities that are
important to her.
D. A man switches from the Anglican to the Presbyterian church.
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #49
50. (p. 128) Which theory of deviance suggests that members of a society may conform or deviate from the
culturally prescribed goals and the means of attaining those goals?
A. control theory
B. differential association
C. anomie theory
D. labelling theory
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #50
51. (p. 128) What is the most common adaptation in Robert Merton's anomie theory of deviance?
A. ritualism
B. conformity
C. rebellion
D. innovation
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #51
52. (p. 128) In his anomie theory of deviance, Robert Merton does which of the following?
53. (p. 128) According to Robert Merton, an innovator is an individual who has done which of the
following?
A. Abandoned the goal of material success and become compulsively committed to the institutional
means.
B. Withdrawn from the goals and means of society.
C. Accepted the goals of society, but pursues them with means regarded as improper.
D. Accepted both the socially desired goals and the legitimate means of attaining them.
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #53
54. (p. 128) In Robert Merton's terms, people who overzealously and cruelly enforce bureaucratic
regulations can be classified as which of the following?
A. ritualists
B. rebels
C. innovators
D. retreatists
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #54
55. (p. 128) According to Robert Merton, a retreatist is an individual who has done which of the following?
A. Abandoned the goal of material success and become compulsively committed to the institutional
means.
B. Withdrawn from the goals and means of society.
C. Accepted the goals of society, but pursues them with means regarded as improper.
D. Accepted both the goals of society and the legitimate means of attaining them.
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #55
56. (p. 128) An unemployed young adult wants a stereo, but he doesn't have the money or the means of
earning the money needed to buy it. His desire for the stereo overwhelms him, and he steals one
from a local store. This incident illustrates which theory of deviance?
A. conflict theory
B. labelling theory
C. anomie theory of deviance
D. cultural transmission theory
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #56
57. (p. 128) Arnold gets an A on his organic chemistry exam because he copies most of his answers from
Stanley, the class brain who is sitting next to him. According to Merton's anomie theory of
deviance, how would Arnold be classified?
A. ritualist
B. retreatist
C. rebel
D. innovator
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #57
58. (p. 128) An employee at a welfare office is so concerned with paperwork that he doesn't have time to
administer to the needs of the poor, hungry, and homeless individuals who seek assistance.
According to Merton's theory, this welfare worker would be an example of what?
A. a ritualist
B. a rebel
C. an innovator
D. a retreatist
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #58
59. (p. 128) According to Robert Merton, members of revolutionary political organizations such as the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) would typically be classified as which of the following?
A. rebels
B. ritualists
C. conformists
D. innovators
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #59
60. (p. 129) Which theory was used by Edwin Sutherland to emphasize that criminal behaviour is learned
through social interactions with others?
A. labelling theory
B. cultural transmission
C. societalreaction approach
D. techniques of neutralization
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #60
61. (p. 129) According to Edwin Sutherland, people will act in a deviant manner under which of the
following conditions?
62. (p. 129) Monica, a new student at Valley High School, becomes friends with a group of teenagers who
use marijuana and remain seated during the singing of O Canada. Although Monica had never
used marijuana and used to sing the anthem, she begins to engage in the same behaviour as her
new friends. Of what is this an example?
A. differential association
B. positive sanctions
C. labelling
D. control theory
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #62
63. (p. 129) Bob works as a cashier in a supermarket. His boss instructs him to include the price of a new
broom which Bob's boss has deceptively placed near the register—on everyone's bill. Bob's
boss also encourages him to change the dates on expired food items so the items can continue to
be sold. Eventually, Bob begins to develop his own deceptive sales practices. Of what is this an
example?
A. labelling
B. anomie
C. differential association
D. dramaturgy
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #63
64. (p. 130) Which of the following was illustrated by William Chambliss' study of the Saints and the
Roughnecks?
65. (p. 130) In his study of the Saints and the Roughnecks, William Chambliss concluded that a key factor
in the varying fortunes of the two groups was the difference in which of the following?
A. their ages
B. their social class standing
C. their political views
D. their religion
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #65
66. (p. 130) What is the other name for the societalreaction approach?
A. anomie theory
B. labelling theory
C. cultural transmission
D. differential association
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #67
68. (p. 130) Which of the following individuals would most likely be the focus of labelling theorists who
are researching the power of some individuals or groups to define labels?
69. (p. 130) The conflict perspective closely ties into which other sociological explanation of deviance?
70. (p. 130Which theoretical perspective would argue that those with less power and influence, such as
131) Aboriginal Canadians, are more likely to find themselves incarcerated than members of the
dominant group?
A. differential association
B. differential justice
C. racial profiling
D. police brutality
Learning Objective: 0605 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #71
72. (p. 131) What is the term for differences in the way social control is exercised over different groups?
A. labelling theory
B. deviance
C. differential justice
D. racial profiling
Learning Objective: 0605 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #72
73. (p. 133) Feminist theorists of crime and deviance have noted which of the following?
A. As women make gains in the workplace and achieve higher positions, they are also becoming better
positioned to engage in whitecollar crime.
B. A woman's sexual history is more relevant to prosecutions of sexual abuse and assault than a man's is.
C. Most women report domestic violence.
D. Rape is a crime that cannot be perpetrated by a woman on a man.
Learning Objective: 0605 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #73
74. (p. 128,When individuals experience a loss of direction in a society, the society's social control becomes
130) ineffective, often leading to increases in crime and deviance. This statement is supported by
which of the following?
A. symbolic interactionists
B. conflict theorists
C. feminists
D. functionalists
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #75
76. (p. 128) An alcoholic who has lost his job and left his family to live on the street is considered to be
practicing which of the following forms of adaptation as described by sociologist Robert
Merton?
A. rebel
B. retreatist
C. ritualist
D. acceptance
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #76
77. (p. 130) Read carefully through the statement below, and decide which of the following options is
correct. An important aspect of labelling theory is the recognition that some individuals or
groups have the power to define labels and apply them to others. This view ties into the
functionalist perspective's emphasis on the social significance of power.
A. Excellent (all stages are correct in the right order with clear and correct explanations)
B. Good (all stages are correct in the right order, but the explanations are not as clear as they should be)
C. Mediocre (one or two stages are missing, or the stages are in the wrong order, or the explanations are
not clear, or the explanations are irrelevant)
D. Unacceptable (more than two stages are missing and the order is incorrect and the explanations are
not clear and/or they are irrelevant)
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #78
79. (p. 122) Control theory reminds us that while the media may focus on crime and disorder, most
members of most societies conform to and obey basic norms.
TRUE
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #79
80. (p. 116) The high degree of anonymity allowing for uncivil behaviour when using the Internet has
resulted in calls for the establishment of formal rules for online behaviour.
TRUE
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #80
81. (p. 117) Edwin Sutherland coined the term stigma to describe the labels society uses to devalue
members of certain social groups.
FALSE
Learning Objective: 0603 Consider the effects of stigma
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #81
82. (p. 117) According to journalist Naomi Wolf, women in the United States who do not conform to the
beauty myth are viewed as deviant.
TRUE
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #82
83. (p. 117) Both men and women in Canada may be stigmatized when they fail to conform to standards of
attractiveness.
TRUE
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #83
84. (p. 131) Aboriginal Canadians are incarcerated a nine times the rate of nonAboriginal Canadians.
TRUE
Learning Objective: 0605 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #84
85. (p. 123) Edwin Sutherland coined the term whitecollar crime.
TRUE
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Type: Easy
Witt Chapter 06 #85
86. (p. 118Discuss the various components of social control. Identify and describe how sanctions may be
120) used to control the expectations of society regarding people's actions and behaviours.
Feedback: Social control refers to the institutions and procedures that make sure members of society
conform to the rules of expected and approved behaviour. Formal social control comprises those
authorized procedures that define how specific people, such as police officers, customs inspectors and
social workers, will enforce the rules and laws of society. Informal social control is the maintenance of
order through gossip, praise, blame or other officially unauthorized but tacitly condoned forms of
sanction. Sanctions help to preserve social order and to regulate expectations. For most people, the desire
for acceptance and approval causes them to wish to avoid negative sanctions, and they therefore conform
to socially accepted behaviours.
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Medium
Witt Chapter 06 #86
87. (p. 119Describe the similarities and differences between conformity and obedience, according to
120) Stanley Milgram. Give examples to support both concepts.
Feedback: Conformity is the term used to designate 'going along' with peers individuals of our own
status that have no special right to direct our behaviour. So, for example, if your friends shoplift, and
encourage you to do so as well, and you do, you are engaging in conformity. Obedience is compliance
with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure. So if your boss tells you to 'lose' the expense report of
one of his other employees because he is trying to set that person up for disciplinary action, and you do
it, you are obedient. The main similarity is that in both cases, you can be influenced to act in ways you
otherwise would not. The difference is that in the case of obedience, there is a power differential between
you and the person exercising the influence, whereas in conformity, there is not.
Learning Objective: 0602 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #87
88. (p. 117) Discuss why the definitions of deviance and social stigma are dependent on cultural variations
and socially accepted norms. Give examples of how people are stigmatized for behaviours they
may no longer engage in.
Feedback: Deviance is a departure from social norms, and social norms vary across space and time.
Therefore, what is considered deviant will similarly vary. Stigma is a concept articulated by Erving
Goffman, who said it was a powerfully negative social label that radically changes a person's self
concept and selfidentity. Goffman asserts that stigma is not inherent in a quality or attribute it is
resident in a set of relationships. It is contextual. A stigmatized individual is one who is disqualified from
full social acceptance due to the possession of a characteristic or attribute, or their performance of a
behaviour, that produces a discrepancy between their virtual social identity (that which is expected of
persons holding that status) and their actual social identity (constituted by the characteristics they in fact
possess). Again, the content of these expectations will vary culturally. Stigmatization tends to be 'sticky',
and labels may persist even after the behaviour that produced them has stopped. Take mental patients, for
example. You never really 'recover' from mental illness you are either a 'former mental patient' or you
are 'in remission' indicating that the underlying illness is still present, but latent. So even though you are
no longer displaying symptoms, the stigma remains.
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed
Learning Objective: 0603 Consider the effects of stigma
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #88
89. (p. 129) Discuss the relationship between cultural transmission and differential association in explaining
deviance or criminal acts. Give an illustration of how a person would likely become criminal
using the differential association process.
Feedback: Cultural transmission theory states that the culture of deviance, the norms, values, techniques
and rationalizations that characterize it, are learned through socialization, in the same way that we learn
all other forms of culture. Differential association, a theory developed by Edwin Sutherland, argues that
the more that you associate with deviants, the more likely it is that you will come to act in a deviant
fashion. Essentially, Sutherland is making claims about an individual's reference groups, those groups
with which a person is most likely to identify with and compare himself to. Let's look at an example of a
high school student: AnnMarie was a fine student throughout elementary school, but when she got to
high school, she fell in with what her mother described as ‘the wrong crowd'. AnnMarie started staying
out past curfew, smoking, and doing drugs. Her mother thinks that she may be turning a few tricks to
help her buy drugs. Now, AnnMarie has been picked up in a stolen car with a bunch of her friends, after
they inadvertently ran it into a tree. The differential association perspective would argue that AnnMarie
is learning deviant behaviours from her friends which she is conforming to the norms of her new
reference group. The way to help eliminate this new socialization would be to put AnnMarie into an
overt resocialization environment detox to get her off the drugs, probably in another city, where she
would not have access either to her friends or to familiar streets with johns and dealers, then therapy to
help understand why she sought out this group of acquaintances, and then behaviour modification
techniques and followup support to encourage her not to simply return to her life and fall in with the
same ‘bad crowd'.
Learning Objective: 0604 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #89
90. (p. 128What is differential justice? Give an example and explain how each of the four theoretical
131) perspectives (functionalist, conflict, symbolic interactionist and feminist) might view it.
Feedback: Differential justice is a term for the way in which social control is exercised differently over
different groups. So, for example, Aboriginal Canadians are overrepresented in prisons. How might each
perspective explain this? A functionalist would tend to look at this as a natural result of the high levels of
crime in many aboriginal communities. Most of the communities lack the resources to treat offenders in
the community, and therefore, it is appropriate that offenders end up in penal institutions. A conflict
theorist would look at this disproportionate representation as part of the overall oppression of Aboriginals
as a marginal group. As a result of their having very little power on all of Weber's three dimensions.
Aboriginals find themselves imprisoned at higher rates than members of the dominant group. Similarly,
feminist theorists are also likely to approach this from the standpoint of Aboriginals being a marginalized
group, but they are likely to focus on the particular circumstances facing Aboriginal women, who are
imprisoned at rates disproportionately higher even than Aboriginal men. A symbolic interactionist is
likely to look at how the interactions between Aboriginals and the justice system tend to produce
conditions in which Aboriginals are more likely than nonAboriginals to be imprisoned. For example, we
view eye contact as a measure of truthfulness; in many Aboriginal cultures, it is disrespectful to look an
elder or an authority figure straight in the eye. Aboriginal offenders may have more difficulty
understanding the language of the court, and more trouble communicating with their lawyer. These are
elements of interaction that can contribute to different outcomes for Aboriginals and nonAboriginals
facing the same charges.
Learning Objective: 0605 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Difficult
Witt Chapter 06 #90
06 Summary
Category # of Questions
Learning Objective: 0601 Learn how deviance is socially constructed 16
Learning Objective: 06
24
02 Gain an understanding of formal and informal methods of social control
Learning Objective: 0603 Consider the effects of stigma 4
Learning Objective: 06
38
04 Compare and contrast various sociological perspectives on deviance and crime
Learning Objective: 06
10
05 Explore the relationship of race; class; and gender to differential justice
Type: Difficult 24
Type: Easy 18
Type: Medium 48
Witt Chapter 06 90
Another random document with
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—¡Qué vergüenza! —exclamó la señora sin disimular su enfado—
¿Conque para despachar un pasaporte se ha de gastar más tiempo
que para juzgar y condenar a muerte a un hombre?... ¡Qué tribunales
Santo Dios! ¡Qué Superintendencia y qué Comisión militar! Pongan
todo eso en manos de una mujer, y despachará en dos horas lo que
ustedes no saben hacer en una semana.
—Pero usted, señora —dijo Chaperón en el tono que empleaba
para parecer benévolo—, no tiene en cuenta las circunstancias...
—Veo que aquí las circunstancias lo hacen todo. Invocándolas a
cada paso, se cometen mil torpezas, infamias y atropellos. Si volviera
a nacer, Dios mío, querría que fuese en un país donde no hubiera
circunstancias.
—Si se tratara aquí del pasaporte de una señora —indicó e
Presidente de la Comisión con énfasis, como el que va a desarrolla
una tesis jurídica—, ande con Barrabás... Pero usted lleva dos criados
los cuales es preciso que antes se definan y purifiquen, porque uno de
ellos perteneció en tiempo de la Constitución a la clase de tropa, y e
otro sirvió largos años al ministro Calatrava... Pero nos ocuparemos
del asunto sin levantar mano...
—Yo deseo partir mañana —dijo la señora con displicencia—. Voy
muy lejos, señor Chaperón: voy a Inglaterra.
—Empezaremos, empezaremos ahora mismo. A ver, Lobo...
Al dirigirse a la mesa, Chaperón fijó la vista en la víctima cuyo
proceso verbal había sido suspendido por la entrada de la soberbia
dama.
—¡Ah!... Ya no me acordaba de ti —dijo entre dientes—. Voy a
despacharte.
Soledad miraba a la señora con espanto. Después de observarla
bien, cerciorándose de quién era, bajó los ojos y se quedó como una
muerta. Creeríase que batallaba angustiosamente con su desmayado
espíritu, tratando de infundirle fuerza, y que entre sollozos
imperceptibles le decía: «Levántate, alma mía, que aún falta lo más
espantoso».
—Con el permiso de usted, señora —dijo Chaperón mirando a la
dama—, voy a despachar antes a esta joven. Lobo, extienda usted la
orden de prisión... Llame usted para que la lleven... Orden al alcaide
para que la incomunique...
La víctima dejó caer su cabeza sobre el pecho.
Después miró de nuevo a la dama; pero esta vez encendiose su
rostro, y parecía que sus ojos relampagueaban con viva expresión de
amenaza. Esto duró poco. Fue la sombra del espíritu maligno al pasa
en veloz corrida por delante del ángel oscureciendo su luz.
La señora estaba también pálida y desasosegada. Indudablemente
no gustaba de ver a quien veía, y en presencia de aquella humilde
personilla condenada parecía tener miedo.
—Aquí tienes, mala cabeza —dijo Chaperón dirigiéndose a la
huérfana—, el resultado de tu terquedad. Demasiado bueno he sido
para ti... ¿Qué hemos sacado de tu declaración? Que Cordero es
inocente. ¿Y qué ganamos con eso, qué gana con eso la justicia? Tú y
nosotros adelantamos muy poco... Si hablaras sería distinto... Tú
habrás oído decir aquello de... quien te dio el pico, te hizo rico. ¿Te vas
enterando? Pero ahora, picarona, lo meditarás mejor en la cárcel... All
se aclaran mucho los sentidos..., verás. Esta linda pieza —añadió
señalando a la víctima y mirando a la señora—, es la estafeta de los
emigrados, ¿qué tal? Ella misma lo confiesa, lo cual no deja de tene
mérito; pero nos ha dejado a media miel, porque no quiere decir a
quién entregó las cartas que ha recibido hace unos días.
Soledad se levantó bruscamente.
—Una de las cartas de los emigrados —dijo con tono grave
extendiendo el brazo— la entregué a esta señora.
Después de señalarla con energía, cayó en su asiento con la
cabeza hacia atrás. Breve rato estuvieron mudos y estupefactos los
tres testigos de aquella escena.
—Es verdad —balbució la dama—. He recibido una carta de un
emigrado que está en Inglaterra; no sé quién la llevó a mi casa... ¿qué
mal hay en esto?
Chaperón, que estaba como aturdido, iba a contestar algo muy
importante, cuando la señora corrió hacia la huérfana, gritando:
—Se ha desmayado esta infeliz.
En efecto, rendida Sola a la fuerza superior de las emociones y de
cansancio, había perdido el conocimiento.
La señora sostuvo la cabeza de la víctima, mientras Lobo, cuya
oficiosidad filantrópica no se desmentía un solo momento, acudió
transportando un vaso de agua para rociarle el rostro.
—Eso no es nada —afirmó Chaperón—. Vamos, mujer, ¡qué mimos
gastamos! Todo porque la mandan a la cárcel...
La puerta se abrió dando paso a cuatro hombres de fúnebre
aspecto, que parecían pertenecer al respetable gremio de
enterradores.
—Ea, llevadla de una vez... —dijo don Francisco resueltamente—
El alcaide le dará algún cordial... No quiero desmayitos en m
despacho.
Los cuatro hombres se acercaron a la condenada.
—Un poco de vinagre en las sienes... —añadió el jefe de la
Comisión militar—. Ea, pronto..., quitadme eso de mi despacho.
—¡A la cárcel! —exclamó con lástima la señora, acercándose más a
la víctima como para defenderla.
—Señora, dispense usted —dijo Chaperón apartándola con enfática
severidad—. Deje usted a la justicia cumplir con su deber... Vamos
cargar pronto. No le hagáis daño.
Los cuatro hombres levantaron en sus brazos a la joven y se la
llevaron, siendo entonces perfecta la similitud de todos ellos con la
venerable clase de sepultureros.
La mampara, cerrándose sola con estrépito, produjo un sordo
estampido, como golpe de colosal bombo, que hizo retumbar la sala.
XVII