Criminology UNISA CMY1501 Review
Practice Test.
Criminology - CORRECT ANSWER Is an applied discipline within the human science & its field of study
includes the scientific study of crime, offenders & victims , the punishment of offenders & the
prevention & control of crime
The law - CORRECT ANSWER Consists of all forms of law (criminal law, common law). A law is a written
status enacted by those legislative bodies that have the authority to make laws
Common Law - CORRECT ANSWER Consist of legal rules that were not originally written down, but
which have come to be accepted as the law of the land
Criminal Law - CORRECT ANSWER Is made up of all legal rules that identify crimes & set down
punishments
Classical Criminology - CORRECT ANSWER The theoretical perspective suggesting that *people have free
will to choose criminal or conventional behaviors
*people choose to commit crime of reasons of greed or personal need.
*crime can be controlled only by the fear of criminal sanctions
Positivism - CORRECT ANSWER The branch of social science that uses the scientific method of the
natural science & suggests that human behavior is a product of social, biological , psychological or
economic forces.
Postmodernist - CORRECT ANSWER Approach that focuses on the use of language by those in power to
define crime based on their own values & biases.
Feminist theory - CORRECT ANSWER Traditionally lower crime rate for woman could be explained by
their "second-class" economic & social position. As woman's social roles changed & their lifestyles
became more like those of males , it was believed that their crime rate would converge.
, Radical theory criminology - CORRECT ANSWER The view that crime is a product of the capitalist system.
(Marxist criminology)
Rational choice - CORRECT ANSWER The view that crime is a function of a decision-making process in
which the potential offender weights up the potential costs & benefits of an illegal act.
Social process approach - CORRECT ANSWER The view that criminal behavior is a function of people's
interactions with various organizations, instructions & processes in society.
Social structure approach - CORRECT ANSWER The approach concentrates on the social structure &
organization of community, with the view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause
of crime.
Crime - CORRECT ANSWER A violation of legal rules of behavior as interpreted & expressed by a criminal
legal code created by people holding social & political power. Individuals who violate these rules are
subject to sanctions by state authorities , social stigma & loss of status.
Code of crime list - CORRECT ANSWER Is used for the classification of crime in SA & consists of 35
categories
Official crime statistics - CORRECT ANSWER Statistical data compiled by the police, courts, corrections &
routinely published by governments as indices of the extent of crime.
Arson - CORRECT ANSWER Deliberately putting a structure on fire.
Assault - CORRECT ANSWER An attack that may not involve physical contact; includes attempted battery
or intentionally frightening the victim by word or deed
Burglary - CORRECT ANSWER Breaking into & entering a home or structure for the purpose of
committing a crime.
Practice Test.
Criminology - CORRECT ANSWER Is an applied discipline within the human science & its field of study
includes the scientific study of crime, offenders & victims , the punishment of offenders & the
prevention & control of crime
The law - CORRECT ANSWER Consists of all forms of law (criminal law, common law). A law is a written
status enacted by those legislative bodies that have the authority to make laws
Common Law - CORRECT ANSWER Consist of legal rules that were not originally written down, but
which have come to be accepted as the law of the land
Criminal Law - CORRECT ANSWER Is made up of all legal rules that identify crimes & set down
punishments
Classical Criminology - CORRECT ANSWER The theoretical perspective suggesting that *people have free
will to choose criminal or conventional behaviors
*people choose to commit crime of reasons of greed or personal need.
*crime can be controlled only by the fear of criminal sanctions
Positivism - CORRECT ANSWER The branch of social science that uses the scientific method of the
natural science & suggests that human behavior is a product of social, biological , psychological or
economic forces.
Postmodernist - CORRECT ANSWER Approach that focuses on the use of language by those in power to
define crime based on their own values & biases.
Feminist theory - CORRECT ANSWER Traditionally lower crime rate for woman could be explained by
their "second-class" economic & social position. As woman's social roles changed & their lifestyles
became more like those of males , it was believed that their crime rate would converge.
, Radical theory criminology - CORRECT ANSWER The view that crime is a product of the capitalist system.
(Marxist criminology)
Rational choice - CORRECT ANSWER The view that crime is a function of a decision-making process in
which the potential offender weights up the potential costs & benefits of an illegal act.
Social process approach - CORRECT ANSWER The view that criminal behavior is a function of people's
interactions with various organizations, instructions & processes in society.
Social structure approach - CORRECT ANSWER The approach concentrates on the social structure &
organization of community, with the view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause
of crime.
Crime - CORRECT ANSWER A violation of legal rules of behavior as interpreted & expressed by a criminal
legal code created by people holding social & political power. Individuals who violate these rules are
subject to sanctions by state authorities , social stigma & loss of status.
Code of crime list - CORRECT ANSWER Is used for the classification of crime in SA & consists of 35
categories
Official crime statistics - CORRECT ANSWER Statistical data compiled by the police, courts, corrections &
routinely published by governments as indices of the extent of crime.
Arson - CORRECT ANSWER Deliberately putting a structure on fire.
Assault - CORRECT ANSWER An attack that may not involve physical contact; includes attempted battery
or intentionally frightening the victim by word or deed
Burglary - CORRECT ANSWER Breaking into & entering a home or structure for the purpose of
committing a crime.
