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Full Essentials of Sociology A Down To Earth Approach 10Th Edition Henslin Test Bank Online PDF All Chapter
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Henslin, Essentials of Sociology, 10/e Testbank
1) Sociologist Erving Goffman (1963) used the term stigma to refer to characteristics that discredit people, including
violations of norms of ability and violations of norms of appearance.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 154
Skill: Knowledge
2) Sociologically, an act cannot be classified as deviance if it does not cause physical or emotional harm to another
individual.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 154
Skill: Application
3) Human sexuality illustrates how a group's definitions of an act, and not the act itself, determines whether or not it is
considered deviant.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 155
Skill: Knowledge
4) Shaming is MOST effective as a sanction when it is used by a formal organization such as a court of common pleas
or other public tribunal.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 156
Skill: Comprehension
5) The theory of differential association suggests that people who associate with certain groups receive an "excess of
definitions" about either deviance or conformity.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 157
Skill: Application
6) Labeling theory, differential association theory, and control theory all represent the conflict perspective.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 157-159
Skill: Comprehension
7) Control theory relies on attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief to explain the social bonds people
develop with their respective groups and society.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 159
Skill: Knowledge
8) Stripping an individual of his or her identity as a group member is an example of using a degradation ceremony to
brand someone as an outsider.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 160
Skill: Application
10) Functionalists believe deviance has no useful purpose in society and only contributes to social chaos.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 163
Skill: Knowledge
11) Based on strain theory, there are four deviant models of adaptation and one mode considered to be socially
acceptable.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 163-164
Skill: Comprehension
12) Based on the research of Martín Sánchez-Jankowski, the reasons urban youth join gangs include recreation, leisure,
and to protect the community.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 166
Skill: Knowledge
13) The text points out a number of high-profile examples of white-collar crime by large corporations for which
violators never went to jail.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 166-167
Skill: Comprehension
14) Crime "in the suites" (white-collar crime) actually costs the American taxpayer more in terms of dollars lost than
"crime in the streets."
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 167
Skill: Knowledge
15) Violent crime in America is rather consistent from state to state in terms of the number of incidents and ratio of
incidents to the state's population.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 167
Skill: Knowledge
16) Functionalists would contend that the growing crime rates among women are the result of changing social classes
and gender roles giving women greater access to illegitimate opportunities.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 168
Skill: Comprehension
17) Although African Americans are disproportionately represented in the state prison population, the majority of
prisoners are white.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Knowledge
19) According to Thomas Szasz, the medicalization of deviance has led to more accurate understanding of the causes of
deviance.
Answer: FALSE
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 178
Skill: Knowledge
20) Because deviance is inevitable, the more important focus is to find ways to protect people from harmful deviant
acts, to find ways to tolerate behavior that is not harmful, and to develop a system of fair treatment for deviants.
Answer: TRUE
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 180
Skill: Comprehension
2) Violations of norms and rules that are written into law are officially called ________.
A) ethics
B) values
C) folkways
D) crimes
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 154
Skill: Knowledge
3) The concept of the relativity of deviance is BEST illustrated by which of the following statements?
A) It is not the act itself, but the reaction of others to the act that makes it deviant.
B) The nature of one's behavior is the most important aspect in determining deviance.
C) Deviance is most related to functionalism because it creates a dysfunction for society.
D) Deviance is analogous to mental illness.
Answer: A
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 154
Skill: Evaluation
6) A group’s usual and customary social arrangements, on which its members depend and on which they base their
lives, is called ________.
A) social control
B) sanction
C) social order
D) social guideline
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 156
Skill: Knowledge
8) Why did the "XYY" chromosome theory fall out of favor as an explanation for criminal behavior?
A) It was discovered there are no longer any XYY chromosome configurations among men.
B) Research did not support the theory.
C) The work of the theorist who proposed the theory was plagiarized.
D) The theory only explains deviant and criminal behavior among females.
Answer: B
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 156
Skill: Analysis
9) Suicide bombers in Iraq are accorded high praise by those who oppose an American presence in the Middle East
and are considered heroic warriors. Such honor and praise is an example of a ________.
A) positive sanction
B) negative sanction
C) degradation ceremony
D) shaming
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 156
Skill: Application
10) Explanations for deviance that focus on genetic predispositions to explain why individuals commit deviant acts are
MOST aligned with which discipline?
A) sociobiology
B) sociology
C) psychology
D) anthropology
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 156
Skill: Comprehension
12) The two disciplines that would be MOST concerned with addressing qualities within the individual to explain
deviant behavior are ________ and ________.
A) anthropology; sociology
B) sociology, psychology
C) sociobiology; psychology
D) criminology; political science
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 157
Skill: Comprehension
13) The theory of behavior in which people who associate with some groups learn an "excess of definitions" of
deviance, increasing the likelihood that they will become deviant is ________.
A) conflict theory
B) social control theory
C) strain theory
D) differential association theory
Answer: D
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 157
Skill: Application
15) Sociologists who believe we help to produce our own orientations to life by joining specific groups is MOST
aligned with which sociological perspective?
A) functional
B) conflict
C) symbolic interactionist
D) neo-conflict
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 157
Skill: Comprehension
16) Based on differential association theory, what is the MOST likely background shared by juvenile delinquents?
A) They come from regions populated by large numbers of minorities.
B) They are concentrated in urban areas with a population over 25,000.
C) They are common in families living in poverty.
D) They are from families that have a history of being involved in crime.
Answer: D
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 158
Skill: Application
18) The sociologist responsible for developing one of the first control theories that addressed the inner controls of the
individual and outer controls of society was ________.
A) Travis Hirschi
B) Jackson Toby
C) Walter Reckless
D) F. Ivan Nye
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 159
Skill: Knowledge
19) According to control theory, when are inner controls MOST effective in deterring deviant behavior?
A) When we fear punishment from authorities such as parents or the court system.
B) In the presence of strong attachments, commitments, and involvement with other members of society.
C) When they are applied to members of the middle or upper classes.
D) In situations where there is a strong police presence.
Answer: B
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 159
Skill: Application
20) Susie is a first-year college student. Although she wants to be popular, she has refused invitations to attend underage
drinking parties. Susie has a strong respect for authority, even when it conflicts with a simple matter such as
attending a college party. Susie's decision in this situation demonstrates a quality of control theory called ________.
A) pushes
B) inner control
C) formal control
D) pulls
Answer: B
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 159
Skill: Application
21) The significance of names or reputations given to people when they engage in certain types of behavior is the focus
of ________ theory.
A) strain
B) control
C) labeling
D) differential association
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 159
Skill: Comprehension
23) Ritualistic procedures intended to humiliate norm violators and mark them as being moral outcasts of the group to
which they once belonged are called ________.
A) sanctions
B) profiling
C) degradation ceremonies
D) stereotyping
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 160
Skill: Application
25) In The Scarlet Letter, why was Hester Prynne required to wear a scarlet "A" on her dress?
A) Sociologically, this served as a negative sanction and an example of shaming.
B) Psychologically, it provided her the opportunity to face what she had become.
C) It indicated she was at the head of her class in what she had done.
D) It was a "badge of honor" that many other women wished they could achieve.
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 160
Skill: Application
26) In an effort to resist the label of "deviant," most people will develop rationales to justify their deviant acts. Sykes
and Matza refer to these rationales as ________.
A) ideologies
B) techniques of neutralization
C) strategies of justification
D) labeling
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 161
Skill: Comprehension
28) When Anthony worked as a prison counselor, he would often ask property offenders why they committed the crime.
The overwhelming response was, "I had to feed my family." How would Sykes and Matza classify this response?
A) denial of responsibility
B) appeal to higher loyalties
C) condemnation of the condemners
D) denial of injury
Answer: B
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 161
Skill: Application
29) The early sociologist who argued that deviance might be functional for society was ________.
A) Max Weber
B) Henri Saint Simon
C) Emile Durkheim
D) Karl Marx
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 163
Skill: Knowledge
30) Which type of sociologists would consider deviance to be a natural part of society?
A) functionalists
B) symbolic interactionists
C) conflict theorists
D) neo-conflict theorists
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 163
Skill: Application
31) All of the following theories follow the principles of symbolic interactionism EXCEPT for which one?
A) differential association theory
B) control theory
C) labeling theory
D) strain theory
Answer: D
Diff:3 Page Ref: 163
Skill: Application
33) According to strain theory, the underlying cause of deviance is that people experience a sense of normlessness. This
sense of normlessness is referred to as ________.
A) anomie
B) latent dysfunction
C) mass hysteria
D) retreatism
Answer: A
Diff:2 Page Ref: 163
Skill: Comprehension
34) John desires the best things in life—a fast car, designer clothes, and membership in exclusive clubs. But rather than
work his way through the system, he has discovered he can have all these things by selling crack cocaine in the
inner city. How would Merton classify John?
A) a ritualist
B) a conformist
C) a rebel
D) an innovator
Answer: D
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 164
Skill: Application
35) Based on Merton's typologies, what do drug addicts, the homeless, nuns living in a convent, and monks living in a
monastery have in common?
A) They all conformists.
B) They are all retreatists.
C) They are all rebels.
D) They are all ritualists.
Answer: B
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 164
Skill: Application
36) According to Cloward and Ohlin, what is the underlying cause of deviance and delinquency in unstable slums of a
city?
A) illegitimate opportunity structures
B) the racial composition of the city
C) a rival struggle for power
D) unethical police behavior
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 165
Skill: Comprehension
38) The term white-collar crime was coined by sociologist ________ to refer to crimes that people of respectable social
status commit in the course of their occupation.
A) Robert Merton
B) Frank Tannenbaum
C) Erving Goffman
D) Edwin Sutherland
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 166
Skill: Knowledge
39) All of the following acts qualify as white-collar crime EXCEPT ________.
A) a bank teller robbing the First National bank
B) bribing a police officer to refrain from writing a speeding ticket
C) an executive writing off the corporation's million-dollar fine as investment capital
D) a businessperson classifying parking tickets as job hunting expenses on an income tax return
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 166
Skill: Comprehension
40) According to sociologist Martín Sánchez-Jankowski, boys in urban areas are motivated to join gangs for a number
of reasons. Which of the following reasons LEAST qualifies as one of the reasons Jankowski discovered why urban
youth join gangs?
A) to escape broken homes
B) access to money
C) to help the community
D) recreational opportunity
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 166
Skill: Knowledge
41) Based on the 2011 edition of the Statistical Abstract in the United States, the state with the lowest rate of violent
crime in America is ________, while the state with the highest rate of violent crime is ________.
A) Wyoming; New York
B) Montana; New Jersey
C) Colorado; California
D) Maine; Nevada
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 167
Skill: Knowledge
43) Sociologists who view law as an instrument of oppression used to control workers are aligned most with which
sociological perspective?
A) the functionalist perspective
B) the conflict perspective
C) the symbolic interactionist perspective
D) the structuralist perspective
Answer: B
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 168-169
Skill: Application
44) How would conflict theorists classify migrant workers, seasonal employees, and members of the workforce who are
subject to layoffs?
A) bourgeoisie
B) proletariat
C) petty bourgeoisie
D) working poor
Answer: D
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 169
Skill: Application
45) What are the two MOST significant “anchors” that insulate a person from a life of crime and imprisonment?
A) a good lawyer and big expense account
B) neighborhood and income
C) race and ethnicity
D) marriage and education
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 170
Skill: Knowledge
46) What is the MOST common martial status found among inmates in U.S. state prisons?
A) married
B) divorced
C) widowed
D) never married
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 171
Skill: Knowledge
47) The percentage of former prisoners who are rearrested is known as ___________.
A) reimprisonment
B) recidivism
C) three-strike law
D) criminal justice
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 173
Skill: Knowledge
49) A serial killer has recently been convicted of the charges brought against him. In which state is he MOST likely to
receive the death penalty?
A) New York
B) Michigan
C) Texas
D) North Dakota
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 176
Skill: Application
50) Because of ________, deviance is often seen as mental sickness rather than problematic behavior.
A) capital punishment
B) reactions to deviance
C) the symbolic interactionist approach
D) the medicalization of deviance
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 178
Skill: Comprehension
52) How a society treats its deviants is one measure of how humane it is. What would an examination of prisons and
mental hospitals in the United States suggest regarding this standard?
A) The United States is the most humane society in the world.
B) Prisons are a last resort in dealing with deviants.
C) U.S. prisons emphasize prisoner rehabilitation and mental hospitals cure the mentally ill.
D) They are both used as warehouse for the unwanted.
Answer: D
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 179-180
Skill: Evaluation
4) What is the major difference between psychological and sociological theories in explaining deviance?
Answer: Psychological theories examine the cause of deviance originating within the individual. Sociological
theories examine the cause of deviance originating from outside the individual.
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 157
Skill: Application
5) In control theory, what is the difference between inner and outer controls?
Answer: Inner controls include our internalized morality, conscience, religious principles, ideas of right or wrong,
fear of punishment, and feelings of integrity. Outer controls include people and agencies that influence us
not to deviate such as family, friends, and the police.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 159
Skill: Evaluation
6) Based on control theory, what are the four qualities that determine one's bond with society?
Answer: (1) attachment;
(2) commitment;
(3) involvement;
(4) belief
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 159
Skill: Knowledge
8) What was the single greatest difference that explains why members of their community perceived the "Roughnecks"
and "Saints" differently?
Answer: The social class of the two groups was the greatest difference, as the Saints were from "respectable"
middle-class families and the Roughnecks were from "less respectable" working-class families.
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 162
Skill: Application
11) Why does illegitimate opportunity structure qualify so well as an explanation of deviance in the urban slums?
Answer: lack of employment, perceptions of what is available for work being beneath the dignity of the individual,
"hustlers" (pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, and others) becoming role models for youth, availability of
temptations of all kind, and lack of social structure and social control
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 165-166
Skill: Analysis
12) Based on the research of Martín Sánchez-Jankowski, what are the primary reasons urban male youth join gangs?
Answer: Urban male youth join gangs primarily to gain access to money, to have recreation including girls and
drugs, to maintain anonymity when committing crimes, for protection, and to protect their local
communities from outsiders.
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 166
Skill: Knowledge
13) How has criminal behavior among women changed in recent years, based on statistics from 1992 and 2009?
Answer: Rates of at least twelve types of crimes committed by women have increased in percentage; nine of those
crimes have had a double digit increase.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 168
Skill: Evaluation
14) What are the three components that make up the criminal justice system?
Answer: (1) the police;
(2) the court system;
(3) the prison system
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 168
Skill: Knowledge
15) What are the three classifications of workers based on the conflict perspective?
Answer: (1) the capitalist class;
(2) the working class;
(3) the working poor
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 169
Skill: Knowledge
16) Define recidivism and identify the recidivism rate for violent offenders three years after they have been released
from prison.
Answer: The recidivism rate is the percentage of former inmates who are rearrested. For violent offenders three
years after their release from prison, two out of three (62 percent) are rearrested and about half (52
percent) are reincarcerated.
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 173-174
Skill: Knowledge
17) Since the new laws governing the death penalty were enacted following Furman v. Georgia, what is the breakdown
of the offenders executed based on race?
Answer: Since then, 65 percent of those put to death have been white and 35 percent African American.
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 174-175
Skill: Knowledge
3) Discuss three theories, either rejected or commonly accepted, that have used biological explanations to explain
deviance.
Answer: (1) Men are more likely to commit violent crimes than women are because of genetic selection over the
course of millennia. Men required little effort to pass on their genes compared to women, who had to
nurture the children they bore. For this reason, women with characteristics of empathy, self-control, and
less risk-taking were more likely to raise female children successfully, and these children carried on the
same characteristics. Such genetic selection led to the gender crime differences we see today.
(2) The "XYY" theory: An extra Y chromosome in males was believed to lead to violent behavior. This
theory was an early explanation for men more likely becoming criminals., but it fails to explain violent
behavior in women.
(3) It was believed that boys with "squarish, muscular" bodies were more likely to commit street crime,
4) How do biological and psychological theories of deviance differ from sociological theories? What are some of the
major theories aligned with these disciplines?
Answer: Biologists and psychologists explain deviance by looking at the characteristics within the individual.
Biologists focus on genetic dispositions, while psychologists focus on personality disorders. In contrast,
sociologists look for explanations outside the individual and focus on the social factors that influence
some people rather than others to break the norms. Biological explanations of crime include theories of
violent crime and gender, "XYY" chromosome theory, and body type theory. Psychological theories
include antisocial and personality disorder theories. Sociological theories include differential association
theory, labeling theory, strain theory, and others.
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 156-163
Skill: Evaluation
5) Briefly explain the focus of differential association, control, and labeling theories in the explanation of deviance.
Answer: Differential association theory is based on the idea that people learn to deviate through associating with
others who deviate from the norms. Control theory, in contrast, is based on the idea that everyone is
drawn to commit deviant acts, but most of us conform because of an effective system of inner and outer
controls. People who have less effective controls deviate. Labeling theory focuses on the significance of
reputations, how they help set us on paths that propel us into deviance or that divert us away from
it. All three theories are aligned with the symbolic interactionist perspective.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 157-159
Skill: Comprehension
6) What are the five techniques of neutralization identified by Gresham Sykes and David Matza? Provide an example
of each.
Answer: (1) Denial of responsibility. Jennifer was encouraged by her roommate to attend a party. Jennifer really
didn't want to go, but finally consented. When she failed the sociology exam the next day because she did
not study, she blamed her roommate.
(2) Denial of injury. Alice just stole a laptop computer from someone living in her dorm. Alice believes
the victim can simply buy a new one after her insurance company reimburses her.
(3) Denial of a victim. Fundamentalist Christians occasionally go gay bashing and justify it because gays
are sinners and deserve to be punished.
(4) Condemn the condemners. When stopped for speeding, Patrick responded to the officer, "Weren't you
ever in a hurry to get somewhere? Did you get a ticket?"
(5) Appeal to higher loyalty. When Keith was asked why he committed the house burglaries, he said it
was "to feed my family."
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 161
Skill: Application
7) According to Durkheim, list three main functions that deviance provides for society. Provide an example or
illustration of each.
Answer: (1) Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms. When an offender is brought to justice it
reminds everyone of the law or moral code of a culture. Police officers remind us of the speed limit when
we are observed exceeding it excessively.
(2) Deviance promotes social unity. During a rally by the Ku Klux Klan in 1995, faculty, students, and
community members gathered together at the university to protest the speeches and sign a group statement
advocating multicultural unity.
(3) Deviance promotes social change. Homosexuality was once punishable by death in the colonies.
Today there are advocate organizations and special events for gays and lesbians.
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 163
Skill: Application
8) In terms of cultural goals and means to attain them, describe each of the five modes of adaptation that Merton
outlined in strain theory.
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 16
Henslin, Essentials of Sociology, 10/e Testbank
Answer: Merton identified five different modes of adaptation that individuals use in responding to society's
approved cultural goals and society's approved means to achieve them.
(1) The conformist is considered as the only non-deviant because he or she accepts society's goals and
society's means to achieve them. The other four modes of adaptation are considered as being deviant.
(2) The ritualist accepts the means to achieve goals and in many respects is a model citizen but rejects the
approved cultural goals. The goals may be out of reach or simply not the prime focus of the individual's
efforts.
(3) The retreatist rejects both the culturally approved goals and the culturally approved means to achieve
them.
(4) The rebel rejects either the approved goals or the means to achieve them (or both) but substitutes a
goal or means in their place.
(5)The innovator accepts culturally approved goals but rejects the approved means to achieve them.
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 164
Skill: Knowledge
9) Based on the research of Martín Sánchez-Jankowski, what are the primary reasons urban male youth join gangs?
Answer: According to sociologist Martín Sánchez-Jankowski, boys in urban areas are motivated to join gangs for a
number of reasons. After following gangs of all types for over ten years, Sánchez-Jankowski found that
the motive for boys joining a gang was not because of living in a broken home or seeking a substitute
family, but rather to gain access to money, to have recreation (girls and drugs), to maintain anonymity in
community crimes, to get protection, and to help the community. In some of the neighborhoods, gangs
protect residents from outsiders and the boys saw the gang as an alternative to the dead-end, which they
considered jobs held by their parents.
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 166
Skill: Application
11) What are some common characteristics, outlined in the text, shared by the American prison population?
Answer: (1) Most prisoner inmates are young men, under age 35.
(2) Almost 40 percent of all prison inmates are African Americans.
(3) Most prison inmates are single.
(4) More than 90 percent of all prison inmates are male.
(5) Most prison inmates do not have a college education.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 170-171
Skill: Knowledge
12) What are the similarities and differences between serial killers and mass murderers? Why do each of these groups
present such a potential danger to society?
Answer: Serial killer and mass murderers both kill multiple victims. Serial killers commit independent acts where
they kill one or two victims at a time over an extended period and often do so for some ritualistic purpose,
such as to rid the world of prostitutes. Mass murderers kill multiple victims but do so at the same time.
Both types of killers pose unique threats to the public. Serial killers may be very charming and
charismatic and show no visible sign of their potential as victimizers. Ted Bundy is an example of such an
individual. Mass murderers often "snap" and react in a violent rage of killing coworkers, family members,
or others with whom they regularly interact. They do so without warning and the ultimate cause of their
provocation may be distantly removed from the actual act.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 175
Skill: Evaluation
14) Discuss the medicalization of deviance and how Thomas Szasz would respond to this concept.
Answer: The medicalization of deviance is transforming all deviance to a medical matter to be treated by
physicians. By doing so, the deviant can assume the sick role and not be held accountable for his or her
actions. They will also be excused from their normal responsibilities and can use medical insurance to
find a "cure." Szasz would oppose the medicalization of deviance. He criticizes mental illness, something
that most people would agree is a medical condition, being classified as a medical problem. Szasz argues
that mental illnesses are neither mental nor an illness. Rather, they are simply problem behaviors. Some
problem behaviors have organic causes and can be treated with drugs. Other forms are the result of people
failing to cope well with the challenges of daily life. In other words, individuals may use inappropriate
ways to cope with their problems without being deviant in their behavior. His ideas highlight the
importance of social experiences as a basis for bizarre behaviors and deviance in general.
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 178
Skill: Comprehension
15) Given Durkheim's theory that deviance is inevitable, why is there a need for a more humane approach to dealing
with deviance in the United States?
Answer: If, as Durkheim suggests, that deviance is inevitable, then one way to measure whether we live in a
"good" society is to examine how the society treats its deviants. This treatment includes how we protect
people from deviant behaviors that are harmful to themselves and others, how we tolerate deviance that is
not harmful, and how we establish fairer systems of treatment for deviants. Based on how the U.S. treats
people who are deviant, we can conclude that the United States needs to develop a more humane way of
treating people who do not conform to the norms of the society. This is evident by a review of the
spiraling prison population, the use of the death penalty, biased reactions to crime by the police and
courts, and how people who engage in deviant but harmless behaviors are treated by society.
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 179-180
Skill: Synthesis
3) Why are shaming and degradation ceremonies less effective in urban societies rather than smaller, preindustrial
societies?
Answer: Shaming is more likely to be successful in preindustrial societies and close-knit ones in which the totality
of social likeness is what holds the group together. Shaming then is more effective because it is necessary
that the person being shamed cares what other people think of him or her. In preindustrial societies, most
people are closely connected with all the people around them. Relationships are lifelong and intimate and
there are more open lines of communication. Groups are small and everyone has knowledge of other
people's reputations. In industrial societies many people live anonymously, so they could not care less
what the strangers around them think about them. There is less emphasis on personal relationships, and
society is anonymous and mobile.
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 160
Skill: Application
4) List and discuss the five techniques of neutralization identified by Gresham Sykes and David Matza. Why do people
utilize these techniques? Provide an example of each.
Answer: Techniques of neutralization are used by people who engage in deviant acts to maintain a positive self-
image and to compensate against the labeling of others. The five techniques of neutralization and an
example of each are as follows:
(1) Denial of responsibility: "I only sold drugs because I couldn't get a regular job. If someone would have
hired me, I would have been a model citizen."
(2) Denial of injury: Denies that anyone was harmed by the act. "I may have stolen social security checks,
but I only took checks from rich people. They'll never miss it."
(3) Denial of a victim: Asserts that the victim of deviance "had it coming." Examples of denial of a victim
are employed by individuals engaged in gay bashing, people who commit hate crimes, and when
individuals commit acts of violence or theft against others who they feel have offended them (or others),
such as a shop owner overcharging the public or an exceptionally insensitive professor.
(4) Condemnation of the condemner: The deviant points to the behavior of the individual sitting in
judgment of them and asks who holds them accountable for their behavior. A motorist receiving a
speeding ticket asks the trooper if he or she was ever in a hurry to get home or a person being audited by
the IRS asks the auditor who reviewed his or her taxes.
(5) Appeal to higher loyalty: The deviant received nothing personal from the act, but committed it for the
benefit of others. "I sold drugs so I could feed my family." "I take part in drive-by shootings because the
gang needs me."
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 161
Skill: Synthesis
5) A few years ago President Bill Clinton was accused (several times) for "womanizing" that included a well-
publicized tryst with a young White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. How might the president use
techniques of neutralization to justify or at least excuse his behavior?
Answer: The president could rationalize his behavior a number of ways, employing these techniques of
neutralization.
(1) Denial of responsibility: "The women accusing me made the first move. They wanted to be with me
because of my status." (It was reported that Miss Lewinsky showed the president her thong when she
passed him in the office one day, which started the escalating events.)
(2) Denial of injury: "No one was hurt. It wasn't as though I forced myself on these women."
6) Symbolic interactionists emphasize the importance of the meanings attributed to behaviors by the actors. What
meanings did the "Saints" and the "Roughnecks" give to being apologetic to teachers and police? How did these
different meanings result in very different outcomes when members of each group were caught committing crimes?
Answer: For the Saints, being apologetic was an acceptable form of manipulation of people in authority. Even if
their apologies may have been viewed as insincere, their willingness to appear contrite granted them
lenient treatment. For the Roughnecks, apologizing, even insincerely, would have been unmanly. Their
norms would have required them to confront any authority figure who challenged them. Their hostile
reactions to being accused of crimes provoked harsh responses from teachers and the police.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 162
Skill: Evaluation
7) After reading “The Naked Pumpkin Runners and the Naked Bike Riders: Deviance or Freedom of Self-
Expression?” develop reasons why it is illegal for the runners and riders to appear naked in public. Discuss reasons
why the runners and riders are compelled to display their deviant behavior.
Answer: The cultural context of 21st-century North America sets the public decency standards to which people in
Boulder, Colorado are expected to adhere. The law states that it is illegal to expose genitalia, and
“genitalia” has been defined to encompass specific regions of the body that are expected to be covered in
public. The runners and riders may be participating in this deviant behavior for a number of reasons.
Some of the possibilities include a declaration of freedom, a celebration of youth, an expression of the joy
of being alive, a statement of free speech, and a desire to alter public decency standards to embrace a
more tolerant level of bodily exposure.
Diff: 6 Page Ref: 165
Skill: Evaluation
8) In Down-to-Earth Sociology, "Islands in the Street: Urban Gangs in the United States," the reasons for joining street
gangs are described. How do these reasons apply to strain theory and illegitimate opportunity theory?
Answer: The reasons for joining gangs identified by Sánchez-Jankowski apply to both strain and illegitimate
opportunity theories. Gang membership can be considered a version of innovation (from strain theory).
Through gang membership, important advantages are received (e.g., money, recreation, protection, an
opportunity to help their community) that are not available to them from conventional sources. Similarly,
gang membership provides members illegitimate opportunities to get what they want and need through
criminal activities that include drug sales, theft, fencing, and even contract murder.
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 166
Skill: Application
9) Figure 6.1 "How Safe Is Your State? Violent Crime in the United States" shows a very diverse crime rate in
America by region and state. How does the state rank where your university is located? What are some reasons
some states are prone to crime while others are relatively crime free?
Answer: To find the crime rate of a state, the general category can be found by examining Figure 6.1. A more
specific crime rate can be found doing an Internet search of the Uniform Crime Report. Some reasons one
state may have a lower crime rate than others:
(1) geographic location;
(2) cultural standards within the region where the state is located;
(3) population density;
10) After reading Cultural Diversity around the World: “Dogging” in England, provide reasons why this behavior is
treated lightly in England and would probably be totally unacceptable to the public in the United States.
Answer:
(1) The U.S. and Britain have different cultural beliefs on how sexual relations are to be treated.
(2) No one is being directly harmed or financially burdened by the “dogging field.”
(3) Some in England believe that the participants would have nowhere else to go and could suffer
emotionally as a result.
1) In Table 6.1, "How People Match Their Goals to Their Means," under the column "Do They Feel the Strain That
Leads to Anomie?" the table lists "No" under conformity. What is inherently wrong with this assumption? Provide
at least one publicized real-life example to back up your answer.
Answer: As one's material possessions become greater in number, expense, and complexity, so do the
responsibilities of maintaining them. A Jaguar, for example, is more expensive and complicated than
maintaining an economy-priced Ford or Chevrolet. Summer homes along the shore and a ski lodge in the
mountains are great for recreational purposes, but these add considerable expense for upkeep, taxes, and
use. As our material possessions increase, we don't just own them, they own us. When these possessions
are out of service or in need of maintenance it can be expensive and cause a sense of chaos. A good
argument can be made on how the ritualist would actually suffer less strain because the ritualist has
abandoned the money motive and an obsession with materialism that has been common among
conformists. Real-life examples of "conformists" who became criminals include Ken Lay of Enron and
Martha Stewart for insider trading. Any news article addressing police corruption or bribery of a public
official would also serve as an example.
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 164
Skill: Synthesis
2) Examine Table 6.2, "Women and Crime: What a Difference a Few Years Make." What is the problem with using
only percentage changes for the crimes? Why would including the actual rate of the crimes specified for women be
more descriptive?
Answer: Car theft is rated as a 65 percent increase. However, for every 100 car thefts in 1992, if two were
committed by women, and in 2009 five were committed by women, this would represent a 150 percent
increase. Illegal drug use is up only 14 percent. If 40 of every 100 drug offenders were women in 1992, a
14 percent increase would now mean 45 out of 100 drug offenses were committed by women. Looking at
the raw numbers also conveys an understanding of the seriousness the change actually presents.
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 168
Skill: Analysis
4) Figure 6.2, "How Much Is Enough? The Explosion in the Number of U.S. Prisoners," shows the U.S. prison
population has increased nearly tenfold since 1970. What are some reasons for this massive increase in the prison
population and what are some alternatives to building more prisons?
5) Based on Figure 6.3, "Recidivism of U.S. Prisoners," what are some reasons offenders convicted of car theft have
the highest recidivism rate and those convicted of murder have the lowest?
Answer: The number of cars in America is one reason. Car theft is also a low risk offense for the offender in regard
to any danger of being harmed during the theft. Car theft also rates as one of the least cleared crimes.
Individuals convicted of car theft are likely to receive shorter jail sentences, placing them back in
circulation at an early age when they are still in their crime prone years. Offenders convicted of murder
receive the longest sentences, which takes them out of society for long periods and, quite often, for life.
Those who are released are released later in life when they are past their crime-prone years. In addition,
unlike car theft, which has a profit motive, there is seldom a clear, premeditated reason for homicide that
would justify its reoccurrence.
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 174
Skill: Synthesis
Skill: Knowledge
14) serial murder O) the view that a personality disturbance of some sort
causes an individual to violate social norms
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 175
1) H; 2) I; 3) M; 4) A; 5) N; 6) D; 7) O; 8) C; 9) G;
10) B; 11) K; 12) E; 13) L; 14) F; 15) J
At last the day broke, and we saw land only a quarter of a mile distant. But this
quarter of a mile was only a chain of shoals white with foam from the sea
incessantly breaking over them. It was inevitable that ere many minutes
elapsed poor crazy junk would break itself as the sea was doing on the rocks,
covered with foam and bearded with patches of slimy sea-weed, which lay
direct in our course. We had no time to reflect on the fate which awaited us.
Two sudden and frightful concussions, two blows of the heel, to use sailor’s
language, shattered the ribs of the poor junk, whose poop at the same time
was carried away by a terrible sea, and with it five of the crew. We scarcely
heard the cries which they uttered as they disappeared in the watery abyss.
The other sailors at once sought to possess themselves of the only boat we
had, in order, if possible, to reach the land. They had, however, no sooner
commenced lowering it than a frightful struggle arose as to who should occupy
it. It would scarcely have held more than half-a-dozen persons, and there
were fifteen desperate men eager to fill it. Knives were drawn. A cutting of
throats commenced; but the theatre of the struggle was about to disappear
beneath the feet of conquerors and conquered alike.
Having kept clear of this desperate struggle for the possession of the boat, I
caught sight at this moment of danger of one of those buoys fastened by a
rope to the cable of the anchor, and which serves to mark the exact point
where the anchor has been let go. I at once pull out my knife and cut the rope
at a certain distance from the cable, and then seizing the buoy in both my
arms, threw myself with it into the midst of the hissing waves. Engulfed an
instant beneath the surge, on rising again to the surface, I turn my head to see
what has become of my companions. They and the last remains of the junk
have disappeared!
For three hours I fought with death. What agony I suffered! Every time I
endeavoured to hook myself on as it were to the branches of coral which
projected above the waves, I was driven back by the surf: and my gory hands
let go of their painful support. My strength failed me; I had scarcely sufficient
left to seize the rope attached to the buoy. I had lost all energy, and almost the
desire for existence, when a last wave enveloped me, and carried me with my
buoy to the bottom of the sea. I felt myself getting weaker and weaker, then I
became cold, and recollect nothing more.
When I re-opened my eyes I found myself lying extended on a shore
covered with sea-weed and marine plants. I fancied too that trees were not far
distant. My astonishment was that of a person waking from a trance—I hadn’t
strength enough to rise. The storm no longer raged. The sun, which appeared
to my still weak sight to have attained a certain height in the heavens, spread
a general glow around, and the sand grew warm beneath my touch. By
degrees the sensation of life returned to me. I sought for myself, I asked
myself if it were really I, and whereabouts I was; I saw for certainty that there
were trees—in fact a forest at some little distance off. My lethargy passed
away like a fleeting cloud, and I endeavoured to rise and walk a few steps; but
my legs bent under me. Nevertheless I held myself upright. The sun, which
had risen still higher in the heavens, now shone down almost perpendicularly
on the ground. The heat diffused throughout the air was so intense that I fell
faint and exhausted at the foot of a palm-tree whose cool and refreshing
shade served to revive me.
Gradually my eyes grew heavy, and I fell fast asleep. I do not know how
long I remained plunged in this second and more refreshing lethargy; but
when I awoke, I judged by the position of the sun that it was afternoon. From
the degree of comfort which I felt, I concluded that I must have slept
altogether something like eight hours. I can, however, say nothing positive on
this score, my watch having stopped from the various shocks my whole body
had received since the preceding evening.
In order to dissipate the heaviness which held possession of my senses
after this prolonged sleep, I rose and took a few rapid steps straight before
me. I had scarcely proceeded twenty yards in a direction immediately opposite
to the sea, when I caught sight of something like a human form at the end of a
long avenue of trees. Naturally enough, my first impression was that this must
be some inhabitant of the island on which I had been cast by my unlucky
shipwreck. I was already rejoicing at the discovery, though, I must confess, not
without a certain amount of inquietude as to the possible nature of the
companion whom fortune had sent me. I walked straight in the direction in
which I had first seen him; but, to my intense surprise, after the lapse of five or
six minutes, I failed in encountering him, or even in discovering what had
become of him. Had my eyes deceived me? Had the numerous mirages of the
sun assisted to produce some kind of hallucination? I knew not how to explain
the affair, which left upon me a certain disagreeable impression. Nevertheless
I continued to walk on.
I had proceeded no very great distance, when all at once another view
opened to my sight; and, to my intense satisfaction, I again saw the figure
which I had observed a few minutes previously. Ah! how truly happy I felt at
this second discovery! I could manage to distinguish him far more clearly than
I had done before, although the distance between us was very much greater. I
watched him with the utmost attention, and was surprised to find how
excessively quick and lively all his movements were. He was continually
disappearing and appearing again, passing as quick as lightning from one
point to another. After a time I felt convinced that he had seen me, and that he
was afraid. I thereupon advanced towards him with increased boldness, and
had just arrived at the spot where I had last seen him, when something—
indefinable at the first glance, a kind of hairy and sinewy form, uttering noisy,
guttural, and savage cries, which were taken up and repeated by the many
echoes around—suddenly descended from the top of a tree, almost at my
very feet. It was an ape. With one bound he mounted the tree again, then
sprang down, and ended by placing himself immediately in my path, as
though to prevent me from proceeding.
This pretension on his part was not at all to my mind; I therefore broke off
the first branch of a tree which I could manage to reach with my hand—it was,
I believe, a small stick of cane—and threatened the animal with it. My action
evidently displeased him. At a second cry, which he uttered as a call, judge of
my consternation to see rushing from the four points of the compass, through
the openings in the forest, clouds upon clouds of apes, of all forms, colours,
and sizes, who in an instant, clambering up the trees, rolling themselves
among the branches like squirrels, or taking possession of the ground about
me, proceeded to regard me with quick and menacing glances, and to
overwhelm me with hissing cries, and gnashings of the teeth, so fierce, so
noisy, so positively deafening, that I became quite dizzy and bewildered. I was
compelled to clap my hands over my ears, so as not to lose all sense of
consciousness in the midst of this infernal commotion. Nothing like it, I
believe, had ever been heard before in the forests of Oceania.
Clouds upon clouds of apes, of all forms, colours, and sizes, clambering up the trees, rolling
themselves among the branches like squirrels, or taking possession of the ground about me.—
Page 30.
My Macao experience with regard to apes was not lost upon me at this
supreme moment. In spite of my trouble, and of the danger with which I was
menaced, I managed to recognise, without difficulty, the different kinds of apes
in which I had formerly dealt. I noticed the duks, with their long tails, smooth
faces, black feet, and red ears; the wanderoos, such troublesome fellows that
they are obliged to be kept in iron cages; lowandos, with hairless flesh-
coloured faces, and all the rest of their bodies as black as their noses,
possessing long claws, and having on their heads large wigs of grisly, bushy,
compact hair. I saw monkeys with purple faces, and with violet hands, trailing
behind them tails terminating in white tufts of hair; capuchins, covered with a
flowing down of a yellowish black tint, which serves them for a kind of hood;
monas, with white bellies and wide open eyes surrounded with circles, black
as their feet, hands, and wrists; then coaïtas, or spider monkeys, with tails that
they can turn to much the same purposes as the elephant does his proboscis;
then black-crested simpias; then ourang-outangs; then hundreds of
mangabeys, monkeys with long tails, and known as apes of Madagascar. I
recognised them by their naked eyelids, their striking whiteness, their long
grey muzzles, and their eyebrows of coarse and bushy hair. In the same way I
recognised the gloomy macaques, the turbulent pinches, the malbroncks, and
the pig-tailed macaques, which gambolled, frolicked, danced, kicked,
stamped, capered, and wheeled about on every side. Hundreds and hundreds
more pressed forward to catch sight of me, but they were too far off for me to
distinguish them, as I had done those of whom I have just spoken.
Knowing by experience the thoroughly wicked nature of these animals when
congregated together, I resolved to beat a retreat. I was, however, too late. On
all sides of me were closely-packed ranks of apes, some of whom seemed
possessed of such strength, that any attempt at flight would have been a
grave imprudence on my part. I remained, therefore, perfectly still, but not
without some little anxiety. Suddenly, all these apes which encircled me round
about, commenced to sway to and fro, making at the same time the most
hostile demonstrations, although I no longer held in my hand the unlucky cane
branch, the original cause of their furious irritation. That I might bear with
patience this opposition, which I was most anxious not to increase (thinking
that if I were permitted to proceed towards the interior of the island, some
inhabitant, friend or enemy, civilised or savage, might rescue me from these
insulting occupants of the woods), I amused myself by recalling to mind the
wearisomeness of the dull tints which overpower the traveller on his arrival in
the first commercial, and the most densely-populated city in the world, that
“province covered with houses” called London, the thousand custom-house
officers—honourable persons enough, whom I should be very sorry to
compare with apes, though they are also at times equally tyrannical—that one
meets with on landing. I turned from one reminiscence of the kind to another,
until I found myself recalling how on a particular day, on my arrival at Calcutta,
the officers at the custom-house pierced with their iron gauge-rod a packet of
twenty Cashmere shawls, which were completely spoiled; but on which,
nevertheless, I was required to pay duty.
Quick as lightning, he seized the branch of cane which I had thrown on the ground, and before
I had time to place myself in a posture of defence, showered blow after blow on my arms and
legs.—Page 33.
After a time, finding the heat, striking on the open spot where I was
standing, somewhat oppressive, I endeavoured, while the disposition of my
guards seemed a trifle more to my advantage, to take a few steps in advance.
I was, in fact, frightfully hungry, and my lips were parched with thirst. No
sooner, however, had I prepared to change my position than all these groups
of importunate apes, gathering more closely around me, recommenced their
cries and their menaces. They did more, they formed a square; and when they
had taken up this strategical position, of which I occupied the centre, one of
them, leaving the ranks, advanced towards me. Quick as lightning he seized
the branch of cane which I had thrown on the ground; and, before I had time
to place myself in a posture of defence, showered blow after blow on my arms
and legs, my feet and hands, my face and head, and on my back and sides.
These blows followed one another in such rapid succession that, not being
able to run away, I commenced bounding about, jumping as though there
were blazing coals beneath my feet.
I candidly confess that I suffered quite as much shame as pain. A vile ape
was belabouring me, an abominable brute was taking upon himself to
administer correction to me in broad daylight! Other miserable apes,
witnesses of my moral degradation, were making grimaces and grinning at
me, and showing their enjoyment by capering about. It was whilst I thus
performed a part in a comedy before their eyes, and they furnished me an
occasion of observing them more closely, that I was seized with a singular
idea; but the trouble I was in prevented me from following it up. Ah! my
position was indeed a painful one, to be thrashed by an ape before an
assembly of apes! It is only animals who can introduce such a degree of
refinement into cruelty. I know very well that at London, which has the
reputation of being an extremely civilised city, people are ready to crush one
another to death, when a criminal is hanged before the door of Newgate; and
that in Paris, people pay equally dear for places to see a man executed; that it
is the same at Brussels, Vienna, and Berlin—nevertheless, spite of the
attractions which an execution offers, we neither hang nor decapitate apes;
and the right which these animals arrogated to themselves of cudgelling me,
appeared to me to be founded neither in reason nor in justice. For the moment
they were of course the stronger, and it was necessary that I should give in to
them; and I did give in. But it was melancholy to feel that there appeared to be
no end to this punishment; my tormentor never once relaxed his exertions, to
take even a moment’s rest; but continued laying on his blows, as though he
would never tire.
Certainly, with one of the two pistols which I had about me, and which I had
been prudent enough not to part with, I could easily have shot the impudent
beast through the head; but I remembered too well the accident which
happened to a certain president of the French East India Company, to attempt
any such thing. One day, when the celebrated French traveller Tavernier
accompanied the president on an excursion through some great forest on the
banks of the Ganges, the latter, being astounded at the immense number of
apes which he saw, and which suddenly surrounded him just as they had
surrounded me, stopped his carriage, and desired Tavernier to knock two or
three of them over. The servants, knowing very well the vindictive dispositions
of these animals, begged of the president not to meddle with them. He,
however, insisted, and Tavernier fired, and killed a female with her young. At
that very instant the other apes threw themselves, with cries of rage and
despair, on the president’s carriage. They knocked over the coachman, the
footmen, and the horses, and would have strangled his lordship—torn him to
pieces, indeed—if the windows of the carriage had not been promptly closed,
and the members of his suite had not engaged in a regular fight with their
assailants, from whom they only escaped with an infinite deal of trouble.
The remembrance of the danger which menaced them restrained me from
discharging my weapon at the horrible animal, who still continued his blows,
spite of my ill-concealed rage, and the efforts which I made to protect myself,
Alas! I could do nothing. I was thrashed by him till the blood flowed from me
and saturated my garments. I should have assuredly sunk under the constant
succession of blows meted out to me, since the cunning and wickedness of
these animals went so far as to induce them to volunteer to relieve my
tormentor, when he at length felt fatigued with his exertions; yes, I should
certainly have fallen a victim to their brutality, but for an idea, a really
admirable idea, which occurred to me; but which, unfortunately, like all
excellent ideas, came very late. The increased pain which I endured evidently
freshened up my memory; and, all of a sudden, it struck me that I had heard of
travellers, who found themselves in the same predicament as myself,
escaping by means of a ruse, which ruse I resolved for my part at once to
employ. I therefore proceeded to untie my cravat (a superb cravat, bought in
Bengal the preceding year), and, unfolding it, threw it among the crowd of
apes, who no sooner caught sight of my bright red neckerchief than they
rushed forward in a body to seize it, with loud chatterings, and other signs of
curiosity and delight. My tormentor followed the example of his fellows; and,
whilst they disputed among themselves the possession of the spoil which I
had resigned to them, I ran off, with all possible speed, towards the interior of
the island, where I reckoned on meeting with some of the inhabitants, and
certainly on procuring a little water, to quench my intolerable thirst. After a
breathless run of five or six hundred yards I looked back, and had the
satisfaction of finding that none of the apes were following me. For an entire
hour I continued to run in this manner over a tract of soft sand, through groups
of trees entwined together, and forming bright masses of foliage of various
colours, and which by-and-by bowed down to the earth, indicating a hollow
where I might possibly find water. I was thoroughly fatigued, I was in a burning
heat. Was I about to discover the water I so ardently longed for?
On rounding a hill covered with a whitish green moss, I was suddenly struck
by the sight of a lake upwards of a mile in length, bordered by tall trees,
ranged in a series of terraces, as though they had been planted thus by a
professor of landscape gardening. A slight descent, along the same soft
silvery turf which I had just now passed over, conducted me to the brink of a
clear, sparkling sheet of water. I knelt down to drink, and, placing my parched
lips in it, my ecstasy was so complete that I prolonged it for nearly a quarter of
an hour, partaking at intervals of draught after draught of the reviving delicacy.
My enjoyment was like a dream, it was so concentrated and so tranquil. But
the cry which escaped me on raising my head, was not altogether one of
gratitude towards Heaven, to whom I owed the delicious joy of having been
enabled thus to refresh myself. Intense surprise had something to do with my
exclamation.