Multiple Choice Questions ui ui
1. Which statement about the definition of deviance is TRUE?
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a) Almost all persons in a society will agree on the nature of deviant behavior.
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b) Definitions of deviant behavior are determined by consensus among a nation‟s r ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui
eligious groups. ui
c) There is often a great deal of disagreement among people as to who or what th
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ey consider deviant. ui ui
d) Few persons in a society are concerned about the definition of deviance.
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Answer: c ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Easy ui ui
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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2. In 1965, sociologist J. L. Simmons asked a sample of people from the general publi
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c who they thought were deviant. Which conclusion can be reached based on Simm
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ons‟ results? ui
a) Only those considered to be “bad people,” such as drug addicts, prostitutes, or cr
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iminals, were seen as deviant. ui ui ui ui
b) There was a great deal of consensus among those polled as to who was deviant a
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nd who was not. ui ui ui
c) Perceptions of deviance fell clearly into four main categories. ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui
d) Almost anyone, in someone else‟s eyes, can be considered deviant in some way.
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Answer: d ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Moderate Skil
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l Level: Analyze It
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3. Among sociologists, there is ui ui ui
a) much personal involvement in illegal deviant behavior.
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b) a growing awareness that deviance is best studied by criminologists.
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c) widespread agreement about what behavior should be considered deviant. ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui
d) a lack of consensus about what kinds of behavior should be seen as deviant.
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Answer: d ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Easy ui ui
,Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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4. Compared to the others, which group is most capable of avoiding being falsely, er
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roneously, or unjustly labeled as deviant? ui ui ui ui ui
a) Affluent people ui
b) People living below the poverty line ui ui ui ui ui
c) People in positions of power ui ui ui ui
d) People who are socially powerless ui ui ui ui
Answer: c ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Moderate
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Skill Level: Apply What You Know
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5. Denis relies on a wheelchair because of his cerebral palsy. Would he be considered “d
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eviant” according to some definitions offered by sociologists?
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a) Yes, because the mere fact of using a wheelchair violates formal norms
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b) No, because deviance only applies to people who break laws or commit violent a
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cts
c) Yes, because people with disabilities are often devalued by society
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d) No, because his positive/negative “deviance ratio” is imbalanced
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Answer: c ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Difficult
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Skill Level: Apply What You Know
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6. Which statement about deviance is TRUE?
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a) Deviance should include only important violations of norms.
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b) All sociologists agree that deviance includes mundane, routine, and normal v
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iolations of formal norms. ui ui ui
c) Deviance is considered a “fringe topic” by most sociologists.
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d) Sociologists do not agree on a precise definition of deviance. ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui
Answer: d ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Easy
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Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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7. Which types of people are examples of positive deviants?
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a) Saints, intellectuals, and geniuses ui ui ui
b) Sex workers and professional gamblers
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c) People who are badly scarred, blind, or mutilated
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d) Murderers, rapists, and kidnappers ui ui ui
Answer: a ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior.
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, Topic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Easy ui ui
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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8. Sociologists who are influenced by the positivist perspective of absolutism tend to vi
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ew deviant behavior as an attribute that
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a) is dictated by those in power
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b) fades over time ui ui
c) varies according to one‟s culture ui ui ui ui
d) inheres in the individual ui ui ui
Answer: d ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Moderateui ui
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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9. Sociologists who endorse the role of power in the definition of deviance have di
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scovered that people who are wealthy and powerful
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a) are rarely deviant. ui ui
b) typically can avoid being labeled as deviant. ui ui ui ui ui ui
c) are welcoming toward most types of deviant behavior.
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d) ignore most forms of deviant behavior. ui ui ui ui ui
Answer: b ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Moderateui ui
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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10. According to sociologists who study the role of power in the definition of deviance, d
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eviance is any act that ui ui ui ui
a) violates the criminal law. ui ui ui
b) violates deeply held moral values. ui ui ui ui
c) powerful people consider to be a violation of some social rule. ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui
d) involves the behavior of people living below the poverty line. ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui ui
Answer: c ui
Learning Objective: 1.1 Identify your personal definitions of deviant behavior. T
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opic: Conflicting Definitions
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Difficulty Level: Moderateui ui
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
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11. Sociological definitions of deviance fall into two opposing perspectives, the positivist a
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nd the ui . ui
a) traditional
b) feminist
c) constructionist
d) modernist