Practice Exam: Sociology of Crimes & Ethics - Sociological Theories (Set 28)
A 30-question practice exam covering sociological theories including strain, social learning, control, and labeling theories.
1. According to Merton's Strain Theory, which adaptation is most associated with criminal behavior?
A.Conformity
B.Innovation
C.Ritualism
D.Retreatism
2. A community characterized by high residential mobility, ethnic heterogeneity, and poverty, leading to a breakdown of social institutions and higher crime rates, is best explained by which theory?
A.Strain Theory
B.Labeling Theory
C.Social Disorganization Theory
D.Differential Association Theory
3. "Criminal behavior is learned through interaction with others in a process of communication." This statement is the cornerstone of which theory?
A.Social Control Theory
B.Differential Association Theory
C.Social Learning Theory
D.Anomie Theory
4. How did Ronald Akers' Social Learning Theory expand upon Sutherland's Differential Association?
A.By rejecting the idea that crime is learned
B.By focusing only on classical conditioning
C.By incorporating principles of operant conditioning (reinforcement and punishment)
D.By introducing the concept of the "looking-glass self"
5. Travis Hirschi's Social Bond Theory proposes that conformity is maintained by strong social bonds. Which of the following is NOT one of Hirschi's four elements of the social bond?
A.Ambition
B.Attachment
C.Commitment
D.Belief
6. A teenager is caught shoplifting. The court labels him a "delinquent," and he begins to internalize this label, leading to more serious and frequent offending. This process is known as:
A.Primary Deviance
B.Secondary Deviance
C.Tertiary Deviance
D.Retrospective Interpretation
7. From a Conflict Theory perspective, who is most likely to be criminalized?
A.A corporate executive who pollutes a river for profit
B.An unemployed person who steals food to survive
C.A politician who accepts legal campaign donations from a corporation
D.A student who cheats on an exam
8. The "Chicago School" of sociology is most famous for its contribution to which of the following theories?
A.Strain Theory
B.Social Disorganization Theory
C.Labeling Theory
D.Social Control Theory
9. Which theorist argued that crime is a "normal" and necessary social phenomenon that serves to reinforce collective sentiments and mark moral boundaries?
A.Karl Marx
B.Robert Merton
C.Emile Durkheim
D.Howard Becker
10. Routine Activities Theory requires the convergence of which three elements for a crime to occur?
A.Poverty, Strain, and Labeling
B.A likely offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian
C.A learned behavior, a social bond, and a deviant identity
D.A cultural goal, institutionalized means, and an adaptation strategy
11. Social Process Theories differ from Social Structure Theories in that they focus on:
A.The macro-level effects of poverty and inequality.
B.The micro-level processes of how individuals become criminals.
C.The biological and psychological traits of offenders.
D.The historical development of criminal law.
12. "Idle hands are the devil's workshop" is a saying that best captures which element of Hirschi's Social Bond Theory?
A.Attachment
B.Commitment
C.Involvement
D.Belief
13. According to Howard Becker, "social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance..." This statement is a foundational concept for which theory?
A.Conflict Theory
B.Labeling Theory
C.Strain Theory
D.Social Disorganization Theory
14. Which scenario is an example of "Retreatism" in Merton's Strain Theory?
A.A lawyer who works hard but has given up on becoming a partner.
B.A student who cheats on exams to get a high-paying job.
C.A person who becomes chronically addicted to drugs and drops out of society.
D.A revolutionary who seeks to overthrow the government.
15. Richard Quinney, a prominent conflict theorist, would argue that the high rate of prosecution for street crimes compared to corporate crimes in the Philippines represents:
A.A failure of law enforcement training.
B.The natural outcome of a disorganized society.
C.The application of law for the benefit of the ruling class.
D.A result of differential association among the poor.
16. The concept of "definitions favorable to violation of law" is central to:
A.Sutherland's Differential Association Theory
B.Hirschi's Social Control Theory
C.Merton's Strain Theory
D.Becker's Labeling Theory
17. A security guard preventing a robbery is an example of a "capable guardian" in which theory?
A.Social Disorganization Theory
B.Conflict Theory
C.Routine Activities Theory
D.Social Learning Theory
18. Anomie, as originally described by Emile Durkheim, refers to a state of:
A.Social cohesion
B.Normlessness
C.Collective efficacy
D.Social learning
19. Which of the following is a critique of Labeling Theory?
A.It fails to consider the role of the powerful in defining crime.
B.It overemphasizes the role of individual choice.
C.It cannot explain primary deviance or why people commit crimes before being labeled.
D.It focuses too much on macro-level social structures.
20. Social Structure theories locate the root cause of crime in:
A.Individual psychology
B.Learned behaviors
C.The physical and social environment
D.The process of stigmatization
21. A teenager refrains from shoplifting because he is afraid of disappointing his parents. This is an example of which social bond element?
A.Attachment
B.Commitment
C.Involvement
D.Belief
22. In the concentric zone model developed by the Chicago School, which zone was identified as having the highest crime rates?
A.The Loop (Central Business District)
B.The Zone of Transition
C.The Working-Class Zone
D.The Commuter Zone
23. The idea that criminals are not fundamentally different from non-criminals, but are simply people who have been successfully stigmatized, is a key tenet of:
A.Social Control Theory
B.Labeling Theory
C.Strain Theory
D.Routine Activities Theory
24. A politician who embezzles public funds to achieve the cultural goal of wealth is demonstrating which of Merton's adaptations?
A.Rebellion
B.Ritualism
C.Innovation
D.Conformity
25. According to Akers' Social Learning Theory, what is "differential reinforcement"?
A.Learning to differentiate between right and wrong.
B.Associating with different types of people.
C.The balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments for a behavior.
D.The process of being labeled differently by society.
26. Which theory would be most concerned with the creation and enforcement of laws against vagrancy and loitering in the Philippines?
A.Social Disorganization Theory
B.Routine Activities Theory
C.Conflict Theory
D.Social Bond Theory
27. Edwin Lemert is most associated with the concepts of:
A.Social bonds and self-control.
B.Anomie and strain.
C.Primary and secondary deviance.
D.Differential association and definitions.
28. "Conformity to the law is not taken for granted; rather, crime is the expected outcome when social controls are weak." This statement best summarizes the main question asked by:
A.Strain Theory ("Why do people break the rules?")
B.Social Control Theory ("Why don't people break the rules?")
C.Labeling Theory ("Who applies the rules to whom?")
D.Differential Association Theory ("How do people learn to break the rules?")
29. According to Shaw and McKay's research, what was the most critical factor in determining the crime rate of a neighborhood?
A.The racial and ethnic composition of the residents.
B.The level of police presence.
C.The structural conditions of the neighborhood itself.
D.The average IQ of the residents.
30. Which of these is a social process theory, NOT a social structure theory?
A.Merton's Strain Theory
B.Shaw and McKay's Social Disorganization Theory
C.Sutherland's Differential Association Theory
D.Anomie Theory