Theories of Criminality and Crime MCQs

Theories of Criminality and Crime MCQs

Try to answer these 30 Theories of Criminality and Crime MCQs and check your understanding of the Theories of Criminality and Crime subject.
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1: A person who believes that the criminal justice system primarily serves the interest of the dominant groups is likely aligned with which criminology theory?

A.   Learning

B.   Positivist

C.   Social process

D.   Social conflict

2: Studying theoretical paradigms of criminology help criminologists explain ______ crime.

A.   Different causes of

B.   The history of

C.   Interventions to reduce

D.   The role of vengeance and poverty in

3: By announcing their intentions to rob, armed robbers believe they are committing themselves irrevocably to the offense.

A.   True

B.   False

4: Routine activity theory argues that which of the following causes criminal behavior?

A.   Convergence of three criminogenic elements

B.   Change in women’s participation in the workforce

C.   Conflicting interests between dominant and subordinate groups

D.   Assignment of criminal self-concept to individuals

5: Which theory argues that groups teach criminal behavior to individuals?

A.   Control

B.   Learning

C.   Labeling

D.   Critical

6: Social disorganization theorists feel that crime is linked to which of the following factors?

A.   Supernatural forces

B.   Weak core social institutions

C.   Lack of social norms

D.   Strain

7: Strain theorists argue that criminal behavior occurs when people believe they are ______.

A.   More affluent than others

B.   Unbound to social institutions

C.   Inherently bad

D.   Incapable of success

8: Control theorists argue that all people inherently attempt to ______.

A.   Contribute positively to society

B.   Control their family and peers

C.   Pursue their own self-interests

D.   Create strong bonds with society

9: According to Hirschi, people commit crime when they have strong bonds to society and when they do not.

A.   True

B.   False

10: Which theory argues that no act is inherently criminal and that crime is only such because a group has determined a particular behavior should be criminalized?

A.   Critical

B.   Classical

C.   Labeling

D.   Social control

11: Which is one of the newest theories of crime in the criminology discipline?

A.   Neoclassical

B.   Feminist

C.   Environmental

D.   Social control

12: In criminology, feminist theory is interested in finding out which of the following?

A.   Why women commit far fewer crimes than men?

B.   Why women commit far more violent crimes than men?

C.   Why men seek to oppress women?

D.   Why men’s crime rates decrease over time, while women’s increase?

13: Which school of thought argues that offenders are rational and weigh the costs and benefits of crime?

A.   Classical

B.   Positivist

C.   Social conflict

D.   Feminist

14: Scientists associated with which theoretical perspective postulated that a certain “criminal” chromosome likely produced tall men with below average intelligence, who behave aggressively or antisocially?

A.   Classical

B.   Neoclassical

C.   Biological

D.   Conflict

15: What does situational crime prevention postulate lead to criminal behavior?

A.   Criminal dispositions of individuals

B.   Conflict between groups in society

C.   Convergence of five dimensions of criminal opportunity

D.   Missing bonds between individuals and their society

16: _____ is defined as criminological research that looks at whether adopted children share criminal tendencies with their biological or adoptive parents.

A.   Adoption Studies

B.   Jefferson

C.   Hobbes

D.   All of these

17: _____ is known as a perspective indicating that people have free will to choose between criminal and lawful behavior, and that crime can be controlled by sanctions and should be proportionate to the offense.

A.   Classical School (Of Criminology)

B.   Certified judge

C.   Justice of the peace

D.   All of these

18: Is dual Hazard Prediction the argument that people are most likely to engage in criminal behavior if they (1) have traits associated with crime and (2) are raised in environments conducive to criminal behavior?

A.   True

B.   False

19: _____ is a theory that explains how gender inequality affects female offending and justice system responses to crimes committed by females.

A.   Feminist Theory

B.   Hispanics

C.   Whites

D.   None of these

20: _____ is defined as a theory contending that labeling a person as a deviant or criminal makes that person more likely to engage in future criminal behavior.

A.   Labeling Theory

B.   Burglaries

C.   Thefts

D.   All of these

21: _____ is known as a theory asserting that criminal behaviors are learned from associating with others and from social interactions and social experiences.

A.   Learning Theory

B.   An offender is arrested

C.   An offender is sentenced

D.   None of these

22: Is neoclassical Criminology an approach to crime that is grounded in the concept of rational choice but that views the accused as exempted from conviction if circumstances prevented the exercise of free will?

A.   True

B.   False

23: _____ is a school of thought that argues science can be used to discover the true causes of crime, which include factors outside of offenders’ control.

A.   Positivist School

B.   Science

C.   Both

D.   None of these

24: _____ is defined as a theory that explains the elements necessary for a crime to occur, as well as the types of controllers who can block criminal opportunities.

A.   Routine Activity Theory

B.   To ease the burden of prison overcrowding

C.   To enhance community safety

D.   None of these

25: _____ is known as a theory maintaining that crimes will occur if they are easy to commit, carry low risk, provide large rewards, provoke people, and are excusable, as judged by a wide range of potential offenders.

A.   Situational Crime Prevention

B.   Conflict Model

C.   None of these

D.   All of these

26: Is social Conflict Theory a theory that explains crime as an outcome of conflicting interests between groups in society and the dominant group’s attempts to control and exploit groups with less power?

A.   True

B.   False

27: _____ is A theory maintaining that neighborhood characteristics, including poverty, racial heterogeneity, and resident transiency, break down social controls and lead to criminal behavior.

A.   Social Disorganization Theory

B.   Nolo contendere

C.   None of these

D.   All of these

28: _____ is defined as a theory that argues criminal behavior is caused by feelings of strain, which occur when people believe that legitimate means of achieving success are not accessible to them.

A.   Strain Theory

B.   Deterrence

C.   Retribution

D.   None of these

29: _____ is known as a framework consisting of a group of theories that propose similar explanations for a particular type of behavior or event (e.g., crime).

A.   Theoretical Paradigm

B.   Intentional

C.   Constitutional

D.   None of these

30: Is xYY Chromosome the so-called criminal chromosome; criminal behavior is thought to be caused, in some offenders, by an extra Y chromosome—believed to cause agitation, aggression, and greater criminal tendencies?

A.   True

B.   False