Sociology: Chapter 6 Review Questions – Flashcards
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moira has been assigned to work on a project for her company, but her partner on the project is lazy and difficult to work with. after an especially unproductive day, moira complains to her boss. her boss sympathizes, but warns moira that if she doesn't finish the project on time, he will be forced to drop her from consideration for a promotion. the reaction of moira's boss is an example of
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social control
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the term social control refers to ________
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techniques and strategies for preventing deviant human behavior
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which of the following has a role in maintaining social control? a. the family b. the government c. peer groups d. all of the answers are correct
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d. all of the answers are correct
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what is true about sanctions?
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they are penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm
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what were the two levels of social control identified by stanley milgram?
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conformity and obedience
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what term refers to going along with the preferences of one's peers?
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conformity
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the managing editor of a newspaper, acting on an order from the publisher, fires three editors, one of whom is an old friend. the actions of the editor are an example of ____________
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obedience
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according to a study by stanley milgram, individuals will ____________
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obey the commands of people viewed as legitimate authority figures, even if the behavior may harm another individual
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what were the conclusions milgram drew from his experiment?
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citizens of the modern industrial world view authority as more important than individuality
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what was the motivation behind stanley milgram's experimental study of obedience?
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to better understand german involvement in the murder of jews in world war II
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a college student interrupts the instructor during a seminar; the instructor responds with an angry glare. this is an example of _____________
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informal social control
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a college student is caught cheating on an exam and is brought before a college-wide disciplinary committee, which decides to expel the student from the school. the committee's action is an example of ____________
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formal social control
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which of the following is not an example of the measures of social control implemented by the u.s. government in the aftermath of the september 11th attacks? a. warrantless government access to private files b. requests for private citizens to report suspicious behavior c. internment of arab american d. increased airport security
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c. internment of arab americans
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what best describes laws?
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they are formal norms enforced by the state
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what is correct about laws?
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- some are directed toward all people in society - some are directed toward select people in society - some govern the behavior of institutions rather than individuals
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which of the following is not an example of the fluid nature of laws in the united states? a. the 55-mile per hour speed limit b. the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcohol c. the prohibition of murder d. the civil rights movement
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c. the prohibition of murder
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what theory 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?
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control theory
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deviance is behavior that _________
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violates a group's norms
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what is an example of deviance?
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- a student picks his nose throughout his sociology class period - a student walks into a sociology class naked because it is hot outside - all of the answers are correct
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sociologists use the term ______ to describe the labels society uses to devalue members of certain social groups
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stigma
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what statement is correct regarding stigma and deviance in the United States?
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people may be stigmatized for deviant behaviors in which they no longer engage
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a crime is a violation of __________
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a law for which a governmental authority applies formal penalties
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what statement about index crimes is correct?
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they are tracked by the fbi and have been for a long time
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what is a victimization survey?
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a questionnaire given to a sample of the population to determine if people have been victims of crime
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underreporting of crime in the united states _________
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often occurs because members of racial and ethnic minority groups distrust law enforcement agencies
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what best defines white-collar crime?
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illegal acts committed by affluent, "respectable" individuals in the course of business activities
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Which of the following is considered a white-collar crime? a. fraud b. burglary c. motor vechicle theft d. aggravated assault
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a. fraud
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a corporate vice president is convicted of attempting to bribe a presidential aide in order to gain a valuable government contract. this type of crime is called _________
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white-collar crime
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dave, the president of a small corporation, has a wild weekend. he spends a night with a prostitute, gambles illegally, drinks excessively, and uses drugs. some would suggest he has committed various ____________
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victimless crimes
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feminist sociologists contend that the so-called victimless crime of prostitution, as well as the more disturbing aspects of pornography ____________
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reinforce the misconception that women can be treated as "toys"
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the work of a group that regulates relations among criminal enterprises involved in the smuggling and sale of illegal drugs, prostitution, gambling, and other illegal activities is called ____________
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organized crime
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the term ethnic succession, as used by daniel bell, refers to _____________
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the process during which the leadership of organized crime is passed from one ethnic group to another
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in a city on the east coast, organized crime was dominated by an italian "family," but they were eventually displaced by african americans. this would be an example of _______
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ethnic succession
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crime that occurs across multiple national borders is known as _________
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transnational crime
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which of the following is traditionally an example of transnational crime? a. slavery b. poaching c. shoplifting d. homicide
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a. slavery
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what is not a reason sociologists have offered to explain why violent crime rates generally are higher in the united states than in western europe?
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western europeans rarely report crimes
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what is true about imprisonment rates in the united states?
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the united states imprisons people at a higher rate than russia, mexico, or canada
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what is true about violent crime rates in mexico?
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they are increasing rapidly in some cases
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what is true about emile durkheim's view of deviance?
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there is nothing inherently deviant in any act; the key is how society responds to the act
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what term is used to describe the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective?
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anomie
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anomie would be most likely to occur in a society during which events?
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nation-wide depression, period of sudden prosperity, social revolution
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the most common adaptation in robert merton's anomie theory of deviance is ______
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conformity
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in his strain theory of deviance, robert merton
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created a typology to explain the adaptations people make in order to achieve a goal
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according to robert merton's typology, what is an "innovator?"
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an individual who has accepted the goals of society, but pursues them with means regarded as improper
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In robert merton's terms, people who blindly apply bureaucratic rules and regulations without remembering the larger goals of the organization can be classified as ______
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ritualists
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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?
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strain theory of deviance
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arnold gets a perfect grade 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 strain theory of deviance, arnold would be classified as an _______
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innovator
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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 a ________
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ritualist
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according to robert merton's typology, what is a retreatist?
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an individual who has withdrawn from both the goals and means of society
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according to robert merton, members of revolutionary political organizations such as the irish republican army (ira) would typically be classified as ________
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rebels
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which school of thought was used by Edwin Sutherland to emphasize that criminal behavior is learned through social interactions with others?
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cultural transmission
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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 the national anthem. although monica had never used marijuana and used to sing the anthem, she begins to engage in the same behavior as her new friends. this is an example of ________
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differential association
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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 their differing ________
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social class positions
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a sociologist studies how a teacher's attitudes toward particular students affects students' performance. students of similar abilities who are "teacher's pets" perform at a high level, and students who are viewed as "troublemakers" perform poorly. this would illustrate which explanation of deviance?
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labeling theory
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what group would most likely be the focus of labeling theorists who are researching the power of some individuals or groups to define labels?
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regulators of social control
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because of its recognition of the power of certain people or groups to label others, labeling theory closely ties into which other sociological explanation of deviance?
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the conflict perspective
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in some jurisdictions, police officers are much more likely to stop african american males than white males for routine traffic violations, in the expectation of finding drugs or guns in their cars. this example of differential justice is more commonly known as _________
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racial profiling
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differences in the way social control is exercised over different groups is called _______
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differential justice
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what would be an example of differential justice?
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a person convicted of capital murder is more likely to receive the death penalty if the victim was white
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true or false: stanley milgram distinguishes between two levels of social control, conformity and obedience. generally, conformity requires greater coercion than obedience
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false
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true or false: the disturbing conclusion drawn from milgram's famous obedience experiment was that up to two-thirds of ordinary people were actually sadists who enjoyed inflicting pain on innocent people
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false
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true or false: formal social control would most likely be employed if a student spoke out of turn in class
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false
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true or false: to define an act as deviant is to make a subjective judgment, but it can be objectively determined that all deviant acts have a negative impact on the moral standards of a society
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false
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true or false: a comparison of official crime statistics with victimization surveys reveals that a significant proportion of crimes are not reported to police
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true
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true or false: white-collar crimes can be defined as victimless crimes committed by affluent, "respectable" individuals
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false
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true or false: when compared with other countries, the united states has the world's highest rates of most types of crime, but has one of the world's lowest rates of incarceration
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false
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true or false: one implication of durkheim's theory of deviance is that deviant acts may actually have beneficial effects by expanding the cultural horizons of a society
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true
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true or false: the theory of differential association maintains that an individual is more likely to commit a deviant act if the groups with which the individual interacts hold favorable attitudes toward the deviant act
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true
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true or false: because labeling theory focuses on why some individuals commit deviant acts, it closely ties into the conflict perspective
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false
