All Free Sociology MCQs with Answers
Every Sociology question in the bank, across all chapters, each with the correct answer and a written explanation. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
1258 questions · page 24 of 126
231. Social Control theory attempts to explain_____________?
- A. conformity
- B. corporate crime
- C. Psychologically-based crime
- D. lower-class crime
- E. white-collar crime
Explanation: Social control theory asks why most people conform rather than offend, arguing that strong bonds to family, school, work, and society restrain deviance. It is therefore primarily an explanation of conformity, not a theory limited to a particular type of crime.
Correct answer: conformity232. What sociological theory of crime and deviance emphasizes sub-cultural belief systems as a major contributor to crime ?
- A. Social Control theory
- B. Anomie theory
- C. Lower Class Focal Value theory
- D. Social Process theory
- E. Strain theory
Explanation: Lower Class Focal Value theory explains crime through distinctive subcultural values or focal concerns that may support deviant conduct. Anomie and strain theories instead focus mainly on the gap between culturally approved goals and legitimate means.
Correct answer: Lower Class Focal Value theory233. According to Strain theory, ____ are those individuals who have traditional success goals but substitute deviant means by which to achieve them ?
- A. ritualists
- B. ret realists
- C. rebels
- D. innovators
- E. conformists
Explanation: Merton calls people who accept conventional success goals but use illegitimate means to achieve them innovators. Ritualists abandon or lower the goals while continuing to follow approved means, so they are the common distractor.
Correct answer: innovators234. Psychological positivism stresses the key role that _______ plays in the development of conformist of criminal belief systems?
- A. pre-natal nutrition
- B. hormones
- C. genetic abnormalities
- D. early childhood
- E. adolescence
Explanation: Psychological positivism links later conformist or criminal belief systems to experiences in early childhood, when personality and basic patterns of behaviour develop. Prenatal factors and hormones may influence behaviour, but they are not the central emphasis here.
Correct answer: early childhood235. Conflict theory's primary suggestion for reducing crime and deviance involves the_____________?
- A. Substantial reduction of economic inequality
- B. Subordination of the agents of social control
- C. redefinition of acts that are currently defined as criminal
- D. amelioration of social welfare activities
- E. repression of lower-class gang activities
Explanation: Conflict theory connects crime to unequal power and economic conditions, so it proposes reducing substantial economic inequality as a major remedy. Redefining crime addresses unequal lawmaking, but it does not directly remove the material inequalities emphasised in this question.
Correct answer: Substantial reduction of economic inequality236. The of "who defines deviance" has principally been addressed by what sociological theory ?
- A. Differential Association
- B. Conflict
- C. Positivism
- D. Social Control
- E. Functionalism
Explanation: Conflict theory asks who has the power to make rules and define some behaviours as deviant while protecting others from criminalisation. This focus on unequal power distinguishes it from positivism, which searches for causes within individuals.
Correct answer: Conflict237. Peer approval of your actions would be a good example of_____________?
- A. age-specific support
- B. informal social control
- C. internalization of norms
- D. formal social control
- E. positivism
Explanation: Peer approval operates through informal social control because friends and peers reward or disapprove of behaviour without using official laws or institutions. Formal control would involve agencies such as the police, courts, or schools.
Correct answer: informal social control238. Sociologists believe that no behavior is____________?
- A. Without a deal of grate variation
- B. inherently deviant
- C. totally in keeping with tradition
- D. Without a corresponding judgment
- E. Completely irrelevant
Explanation: Sociologists generally hold that no behaviour is inherently deviant; deviance depends on social rules and the reactions of others. The same act may be accepted in one group or situation and condemned in another.
Correct answer: inherently deviant239. How is terrorism different from the types of crime described by the Chicago School ?
- A. it is a committed on a larger, often global, scale, and is well organized
- B. it is associated with political conflict between states and their citizens
- C. it can have far-reaching effects upon international relations
- D. all of the above
Explanation: Terrorism is typically organised across a broad, sometimes global scale and is tied to political conflict, with possible effects on international relations. These features make all three descriptions applicable, so “all of the above” is the best answer.
Correct answer: all of the above240. The Mafia is an example of____________?
- A. White collar crime
- B. organized crime
- C. none-criminal deviance
- D. global terrorism
Explanation: The Mafia is a structured criminal organisation involved in continuing illegal activities through coordination, hierarchy, and sometimes violence or corruption. That makes it an example of organised crime rather than white-collar crime or terrorism.
Correct answer: organized crime