Introduction to Criminology Exam 2026 | Verified Questions
and Answers
1. What is criminology?
Answer:
Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminals, criminal behavior, and the social
responses to crime.
2. Differentiate between crime and deviance.
Answer:
Crime refers to actions that violate formal laws and are punishable by the state, while
deviance refers to behaviors that violate social norms but may not be illegal.
3. Name two branches of criminology.
Answer:
Penology (study of punishment and prisons)
Criminal etiology (study of causes of crime)
4. What is the classical school of criminology?
Answer:
It is a theory that argues people commit crimes due to free will and rational choice, and
punishment should be proportionate to the crime.
5. Who are the key founders of the classical school?
Answer:
Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham.
6. What is the main idea of the positivist school?
Answer:
Crime is caused by internal or external factors beyond individual control, such as biology,
psychology, or social environment.
7. Define criminal behavior.
Answer:
Any behavior that violates criminal law and is punishable by the state.
8. What is meant by social control?
, Answer:
The mechanisms, both formal and informal, used by society to regulate behavior and
maintain order.
9. Give two examples of formal social control.
Answer:
Police enforcement
Courts and legal systems
10. What is the difference between white-collar crime and blue-collar crime?
Answer:
White-collar crime is non-violent financial crime committed by professionals (e.g., fraud),
while blue-collar crime involves physical or street-level offenses.
11. What is victimology?
Answer:
The study of victims of crime and their role in the criminal process.
12. State two causes of crime according to sociological theories.
Answer:
Poverty and inequality
Peer pressure and social environment
13. What is labeling theory?
Answer:
It suggests that individuals become criminals when society labels them as deviant, and they
accept that identity.
14. Define recidivism.
Answer:
The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend after punishment or rehabilitation.
15. What is deterrence in criminology?
Answer:
A theory that punishment discourages people from committing crimes by instilling fear of
consequences.
and Answers
1. What is criminology?
Answer:
Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminals, criminal behavior, and the social
responses to crime.
2. Differentiate between crime and deviance.
Answer:
Crime refers to actions that violate formal laws and are punishable by the state, while
deviance refers to behaviors that violate social norms but may not be illegal.
3. Name two branches of criminology.
Answer:
Penology (study of punishment and prisons)
Criminal etiology (study of causes of crime)
4. What is the classical school of criminology?
Answer:
It is a theory that argues people commit crimes due to free will and rational choice, and
punishment should be proportionate to the crime.
5. Who are the key founders of the classical school?
Answer:
Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham.
6. What is the main idea of the positivist school?
Answer:
Crime is caused by internal or external factors beyond individual control, such as biology,
psychology, or social environment.
7. Define criminal behavior.
Answer:
Any behavior that violates criminal law and is punishable by the state.
8. What is meant by social control?
, Answer:
The mechanisms, both formal and informal, used by society to regulate behavior and
maintain order.
9. Give two examples of formal social control.
Answer:
Police enforcement
Courts and legal systems
10. What is the difference between white-collar crime and blue-collar crime?
Answer:
White-collar crime is non-violent financial crime committed by professionals (e.g., fraud),
while blue-collar crime involves physical or street-level offenses.
11. What is victimology?
Answer:
The study of victims of crime and their role in the criminal process.
12. State two causes of crime according to sociological theories.
Answer:
Poverty and inequality
Peer pressure and social environment
13. What is labeling theory?
Answer:
It suggests that individuals become criminals when society labels them as deviant, and they
accept that identity.
14. Define recidivism.
Answer:
The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend after punishment or rehabilitation.
15. What is deterrence in criminology?
Answer:
A theory that punishment discourages people from committing crimes by instilling fear of
consequences.
