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Theories Of Crime (WJEC Level 3
Criminology) – Actual Exam Test Questions
And Verified Answers 2025/2026
xyy theory (jacobs)-correct-answer-- xyy syndrome is where men have an extra y
chromosome
- xyy men are said to be more aggressive and violent
- jacobs argued that this was true as xyy men are overrepresented in prison
populations (15 per 1000 in prisons, 1 per 1000 in general population)
twin studies (lange & christiansen)-correct-answer-- is crime a heritable trait?
- testing the concordance rates of criminal activity between mz and dz twins
- lange - mz twins had higher concordance rates than dz twins
- christiansen - concordance rates were highest in mz male twins and lowest in
female dz twins
adoption studies (hutchings & mednick)-correct-answer-- is crime biological
(parents) or nature (adopted parents)?
- hutchings and mednick - higher proportions of boys with criminal convictions
had biological parents with convictions too
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- mednick - no relationship between criminal activity and adoptive parents and
children
atavistic features (lombroso)-correct-answer-- born criminal
- criminals had atavistic features (e.g. high cheekbones and large ears)
- found that 40% of criminal acts were accounted for by atavistic characteristics
somatotypes (sheldon)-correct-answer-- endomorphs - sociable and relaxed (fat
and soft)
- ectomorphs - introverted and restrained (thin and fragile)
- mesomorphs - aggressive and adventurous (muscular and hard)
- mesomorphs most likely to commit crime
brain abnormality (raine)-correct-answer-- damage to the pre-frontal cortex can
change an individual's behaviour
- raine studied pet scans of impulsive killers
- damage to the pre-frontal cortex was found in the criminals
atavistic features evaluation-correct-answer-S: First person to give criminology a
scientific credibility.
S: Goring - found a lower intelligence among convicts.
Theories Of Crime (WJEC Level 3
Criminology) – Actual Exam Test Questions
And Verified Answers 2025/2026
xyy theory (jacobs)-correct-answer-- xyy syndrome is where men have an extra y
chromosome
- xyy men are said to be more aggressive and violent
- jacobs argued that this was true as xyy men are overrepresented in prison
populations (15 per 1000 in prisons, 1 per 1000 in general population)
twin studies (lange & christiansen)-correct-answer-- is crime a heritable trait?
- testing the concordance rates of criminal activity between mz and dz twins
- lange - mz twins had higher concordance rates than dz twins
- christiansen - concordance rates were highest in mz male twins and lowest in
female dz twins
adoption studies (hutchings & mednick)-correct-answer-- is crime biological
(parents) or nature (adopted parents)?
- hutchings and mednick - higher proportions of boys with criminal convictions
had biological parents with convictions too
, 2|Page
- mednick - no relationship between criminal activity and adoptive parents and
children
atavistic features (lombroso)-correct-answer-- born criminal
- criminals had atavistic features (e.g. high cheekbones and large ears)
- found that 40% of criminal acts were accounted for by atavistic characteristics
somatotypes (sheldon)-correct-answer-- endomorphs - sociable and relaxed (fat
and soft)
- ectomorphs - introverted and restrained (thin and fragile)
- mesomorphs - aggressive and adventurous (muscular and hard)
- mesomorphs most likely to commit crime
brain abnormality (raine)-correct-answer-- damage to the pre-frontal cortex can
change an individual's behaviour
- raine studied pet scans of impulsive killers
- damage to the pre-frontal cortex was found in the criminals
atavistic features evaluation-correct-answer-S: First person to give criminology a
scientific credibility.
S: Goring - found a lower intelligence among convicts.
