CMY1501 EXAM PACK STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026
ACCURATE QUESTIONS BANK AND CORRECT
ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES || 100%
GUARANTEED PASS <UPDATED VERSION>
CMY1501 Exam Pack Study Guide 2025/2026
Accurate Questions Bank and Correct Answers with Rationales
Topic: Introduction to Criminology & The History of Criminological Thought
Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. What is the primary focus of criminology as a social science?
a) To catch and punish criminals
b) To understand the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior
c) To represent defendants in a court of law
d) To create new laws and legislation
Answer: B
Rationale: Criminology is an academic discipline that studies crime, its causes, societal
responses, and prevention. It is analytical, not directly involved in law enforcement, legal
defense, or legislation.
2. The statement "Criminology is a multi-disciplinary field" means that it:
a) Only uses psychological theories
b) Draws from sociology, psychology, law, and other fields
c) Is solely based on biological determinism
d) Focuses only on criminal law
Answer: B
Rationale: Criminology integrates knowledge from various disciplines like sociology (social
structures), psychology (individual mind), law (legal definitions), biology, and economics to
provide a holistic understanding of crime.
3. Which of the following is NOT considered a key component of the definition of crime?
a) Mens rea (guilty mind)
,b) Actus reus (guilty act)
c) A violation of a moral code
d) A violation of a statutory law without a legally prescribed punishment
Answer: D
Rationale: For an act to be a crime, it must be prohibited by law and have a prescribed
punishment (nulla poena sine lege). A violation of a personal moral code is not necessarily a
crime.
4. The consensus perspective of crime suggests that:
a) Laws are tools used by the ruling class to control the poor
b) Laws reflect the conflict between different social groups
c) Laws arise from general agreement among members of society on what is right and wrong
d) Laws are arbitrary and meaningless
Answer: C
Rationale: The consensus view posits that societies are built on shared norms and values, and
laws are a codification of these shared beliefs for the common good.
5. According to the conflict perspective, crime is defined by:
a) Universal moral standards
b) Those in power to protect their own interests
c) The general consensus of the population
d) Religious doctrines
Answer: B
Rationale: The conflict perspective argues that societies are characterized by conflict between
groups, and those with economic and political power define crime in ways that maintain their
dominance.
6. The interactionist perspective on crime is most concerned with:
a) The economic structure of society
b) The process by which certain acts and people are labelled as "criminal"
c) The biological traits of offenders
d) The uniform enforcement of laws
Answer: B
Rationale: The interactionist (or labelling) perspective focuses on how societies react to
behavior, arguing that deviance is not inherent in an act but is a consequence of the application
of rules and labels.
7. Cesare Beccaria is most closely associated with which school of thought?
a) Positivist School
b) Classical School
, c) Chicago School
d) Radical Criminology
Answer: B
Rationale: Beccaria, in his work "On Crimes and Punishments" (1764), is a foundational figure of
the Classical School, emphasizing free will, rationality, and a justice system focused on
deterrence.
8. The core principle of the Classical School is that individuals:
a) Are determined by their biological makeup
b) Are driven by unconscious forces
c) Possess free will and rationally choose to commit crime
d) Are products of their social environment
Answer: C
Rationale: Classical theorists believe humans are hedonistic and rational calculators who weigh
the potential pleasure of a crime against the pain of punishment.
9. According to Beccaria, the purpose of punishment should be:
a) Retribution and vengeance
b) To rehabilitate the offender
c) To deter the offender and others from future crime
d) To isolate dangerous individuals permanently
Answer: C
Rationale: Beccaria argued that punishment should be swift, certain, and severe enough to
outweigh the benefits of the crime, thus serving as a deterrent, not as brutal retribution.
10. Jeremy Bentham's concept of the "Panopticon" was designed to:
a) Provide humane rehabilitation for offenders
b) Create a prison where inmates are constantly aware they might be watched
c) Isolate criminals from society without any chance of reform
d) Study the biological characteristics of criminals
Answer: B
Rationale: The Panopticon was an architectural design for a prison that allowed a single guard
to observe all inmates without them knowing if they were being watched, creating a feeling of
constant surveillance and inducing self-regulation.
11. The Positivist School of criminology shifted the focus from the act of crime to the:
a) Legal definition of the crime
b) Offender and the causes of their behavior
c) Severity of the punishment
d) Political context of the law
ACCURATE QUESTIONS BANK AND CORRECT
ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES || 100%
GUARANTEED PASS <UPDATED VERSION>
CMY1501 Exam Pack Study Guide 2025/2026
Accurate Questions Bank and Correct Answers with Rationales
Topic: Introduction to Criminology & The History of Criminological Thought
Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. What is the primary focus of criminology as a social science?
a) To catch and punish criminals
b) To understand the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior
c) To represent defendants in a court of law
d) To create new laws and legislation
Answer: B
Rationale: Criminology is an academic discipline that studies crime, its causes, societal
responses, and prevention. It is analytical, not directly involved in law enforcement, legal
defense, or legislation.
2. The statement "Criminology is a multi-disciplinary field" means that it:
a) Only uses psychological theories
b) Draws from sociology, psychology, law, and other fields
c) Is solely based on biological determinism
d) Focuses only on criminal law
Answer: B
Rationale: Criminology integrates knowledge from various disciplines like sociology (social
structures), psychology (individual mind), law (legal definitions), biology, and economics to
provide a holistic understanding of crime.
3. Which of the following is NOT considered a key component of the definition of crime?
a) Mens rea (guilty mind)
,b) Actus reus (guilty act)
c) A violation of a moral code
d) A violation of a statutory law without a legally prescribed punishment
Answer: D
Rationale: For an act to be a crime, it must be prohibited by law and have a prescribed
punishment (nulla poena sine lege). A violation of a personal moral code is not necessarily a
crime.
4. The consensus perspective of crime suggests that:
a) Laws are tools used by the ruling class to control the poor
b) Laws reflect the conflict between different social groups
c) Laws arise from general agreement among members of society on what is right and wrong
d) Laws are arbitrary and meaningless
Answer: C
Rationale: The consensus view posits that societies are built on shared norms and values, and
laws are a codification of these shared beliefs for the common good.
5. According to the conflict perspective, crime is defined by:
a) Universal moral standards
b) Those in power to protect their own interests
c) The general consensus of the population
d) Religious doctrines
Answer: B
Rationale: The conflict perspective argues that societies are characterized by conflict between
groups, and those with economic and political power define crime in ways that maintain their
dominance.
6. The interactionist perspective on crime is most concerned with:
a) The economic structure of society
b) The process by which certain acts and people are labelled as "criminal"
c) The biological traits of offenders
d) The uniform enforcement of laws
Answer: B
Rationale: The interactionist (or labelling) perspective focuses on how societies react to
behavior, arguing that deviance is not inherent in an act but is a consequence of the application
of rules and labels.
7. Cesare Beccaria is most closely associated with which school of thought?
a) Positivist School
b) Classical School
, c) Chicago School
d) Radical Criminology
Answer: B
Rationale: Beccaria, in his work "On Crimes and Punishments" (1764), is a foundational figure of
the Classical School, emphasizing free will, rationality, and a justice system focused on
deterrence.
8. The core principle of the Classical School is that individuals:
a) Are determined by their biological makeup
b) Are driven by unconscious forces
c) Possess free will and rationally choose to commit crime
d) Are products of their social environment
Answer: C
Rationale: Classical theorists believe humans are hedonistic and rational calculators who weigh
the potential pleasure of a crime against the pain of punishment.
9. According to Beccaria, the purpose of punishment should be:
a) Retribution and vengeance
b) To rehabilitate the offender
c) To deter the offender and others from future crime
d) To isolate dangerous individuals permanently
Answer: C
Rationale: Beccaria argued that punishment should be swift, certain, and severe enough to
outweigh the benefits of the crime, thus serving as a deterrent, not as brutal retribution.
10. Jeremy Bentham's concept of the "Panopticon" was designed to:
a) Provide humane rehabilitation for offenders
b) Create a prison where inmates are constantly aware they might be watched
c) Isolate criminals from society without any chance of reform
d) Study the biological characteristics of criminals
Answer: B
Rationale: The Panopticon was an architectural design for a prison that allowed a single guard
to observe all inmates without them knowing if they were being watched, creating a feeling of
constant surveillance and inducing self-regulation.
11. The Positivist School of criminology shifted the focus from the act of crime to the:
a) Legal definition of the crime
b) Offender and the causes of their behavior
c) Severity of the punishment
d) Political context of the law
