Criminological Thought MCQs

Criminological Thought MCQs

These Criminological Thought multiple-choice questions and their answers will help you strengthen your grip on the subject of Criminological Thought. You can prepare for an upcoming exam or job interview with these 40 Criminological Thought MCQs.
So scroll down and start answering.

1: Cesare Beccaria wrote ______.

A.   On Crimes and Punishments

B.   The Hedonistic Calculus

C.   Leviathan

D.   The Principles of the Constitution

2: ______ studies revealed a new interest in the deterrent aspects of criminal behavior, and further supported the importance of the certainty and severity of punishment in deterring individuals from committing crime.

A.   Scenario research

B.   Cross-sectional research

C.   Longitudinal

D.   Aggregate

3: The arrangement of citizens agreeing to abide by the rules or laws set forth by a given society in return for protection is commonly referred to as the social ______.

A.   Deed

B.   Will

C.   Contract

D.   Norm

4: The most important distinction of these Classical School theories is that they emphasize individual decision-making regardless of any extraneous influences on a person’s free will, such as the economy or bonding with society.

A.   True

B.   False

5: The reason for the rebirth of the Beccarian model of offending was largely due to scientific reviews that showed the rehabilitation programs had virtually no impact in reducing recidivism among offenders.

A.   True

B.   False

6: This phase of deterrence research focused on individual perceptions of certainty and severity of sanctions, primarily drawn at one point in time.

A.   Scenario research

B.   Cross-sectional research

C.   Longitudinal

D.   Aggregate

7: According to the research findings from the eighth United Nations Crime Survey, the trend is that the higher the ranking of countries in terms of prison population, the higher the homicide rates.

A.   True

B.   False

8: Routine Activities Theory is a perspective that criminologists adapted from economists who used it to explain a variety of individual decisions regarding a variety of behaviors.

A.   True

B.   False

9: Utilitarianism is a philosophical concept that relates to the idea of the greatest good for the greatest number.

A.   True

B.   False

10: The Classical School takes into account contextual circumstances of the individual or situation that allows for increases or decreases in the punishment.

A.   True

B.   False

11: Katz’s (1988), Seductions in Crime placed an emphasis on the benefits (mostly the inherent physiological pleasure) of committing crime.

A.   True

B.   False

12: Cornish and Clarke’s (1986), The Reasoning Criminal: Rational Choice Perspectives on Offending brought Rational Choice theory into the mainstream of criminological research.

A.   True

B.   False

13: This phase of deterrence research involved asking participants to estimate their immediate intent to commit a criminal act in a given situation, as well as asking their immediate perceptions of certainty and severity of punishment in this same given situation.

A.   Scenario research

B.   Cross-sectional research

C.   Longitudinal

D.   Aggregate

14: Actus Reus literally means, “_____ act”

A.   Punishable

B.   Guilty

C.   Dirty

D.   All of these

15: Actus Reus is the Latin term for guilty act

A.   True

B.   False

16: Age of Enlightment is a period of the late 17th century to _____ century in which Western philosophers and scholars began to emphasize the rights of individuals in society.

A.   18th

B.   19th

C.   20th

D.   21st

17: Age of Enlightenment is a period of the late 19th century to 20th century in which Western philosophers and scholars began to emphasize the rights of individuals in society

A.   True

B.   False

18: Brutalization Effect is the predicted tendency of homicides to _____ after an execution, particularly after high-profile executions.

A.   Increase

B.   Decrease

C.   Stop

D.   Any of these

19: Brutalization effect is the predicted tendency of homicides to _____ after an execution, particularly after high-profile eexecutions

A.   Decrease

B.   Increase

C.   Minimize

D.   None

20: Certainty of Punishment is one of the key elements of deterrence; the assumption is that when people commit a crime, they will perceive a high likelihood of being _____

A.   Caught

B.   Punished

C.   Sentenced death

D.   Both a and b

21: Certainity of punishments is the assumption that when people commit a crime, they will perceive a high likelihood of being not caught and punished

A.   True

B.   False

22: _____ is a model of crime that assumes that crime occurs after a rational individual weighs the potential consequences of a crime and then makes a decision about whether to engage in it.

A.   Classical School

B.   Traditional School

C.   Advanced School

D.   Criminal School

23: Classical School is A model of crime that assumes that crime occurs after a rational individual weighs the potential consequences of a crime and then makes a decision about whether to engage in it

A.   True

B.   False

24: Deterrence Theory is a theory of crime associated with the Classical School; proposes that individuals make _____ decisions regarding their behavior.

A.   Rational

B.   Irrational

C.   Both

D.   None

25: Deterrence theory proposes that individuals make _____ decisions regarding their behavior

A.   Rational

B.   Illogical

C.   Irrational

D.   B & c

26: General deterrence are Punishments given to individual offenders that are meant to _______ others from engaging in similar criminal activity

A.   Prevent

B.   Deter

C.   Both

D.   None

27: Punishments given to individual offenders that are meant to prevent or deter others from engaging in similar criminal activity refers to _____

A.   General Deterrrence

B.   Specific Deterrence

C.   Complete Deterrence

D.   None of these

28: Mens Rea literally means, “guilty_____”

A.   Mind

B.   Soul

C.   Body

D.   All of these

29: Mens Rea refers to whether offenders actually knew what they were doing and meant to do it; literally, “guilty mind”

A.   True

B.   False

30: _____ School assumes that aggravating and mitigating circumstances should be taken into account for purposes of sentencing and punishment.

A.   Classical

B.   Neoclassical

C.   Advanced

D.   Traditional

31: Nonclassical school Assumes that _________ circumstances should be taken into account for purposes of sentencing and punishment

A.   Aggravating

B.   Mitigating

C.   Surrogating

D.   Both a & b

32: Severity of Punishment is the assumption is that a given punishment must be serious enough to outweigh any potential benefits gained from a crime

A.   True

B.   False

33: _____ of Punishment is an assumption that a given punishment must be serious enough to outweigh any potential benefits gained from a crime.

A.   Duration

B.   Severity

C.   Location

D.   All of these

34: ______ is an Enlightenment ideal or assumption that stipulates an unspecified arrangement among citizens in which they promise the state or government not to commit offenses against other citizens, and, in turn, to gain protection from being violated by other citizens.

A.   Citizen Contract

B.   Social Contract

C.   Political Contract

D.   Both a and b

35: Social Contract is an Enlightenment ideal or assumption that stipulates an unspecified arrangement among citizens in which they promise the state or government not to commit offenses against other citizens, and, in turn, to gain protection from being violated by other citizens

A.   True

B.   False

36: Punishments given to individual offenders that are meant to prevent or deter them personally from committing crime in the future refers to _____

A.   General Deterrence

B.   Specific Deterrence

C.   Complete Deterrence

D.   Both b and c

37: General deterrence are Punishments given to individual offenders that are meant to prevent or deter them personally from committing crime in the future

A.   True

B.   False

38: _____ of Punishment asumes that the sooner an offender is punished, the more he or she will be deterred in the future.

A.   Severity

B.   Swiftness

C.   Duration

D.   All of these

39: Swiftness of Punishment assumes that the sooner an offender is punished, the _____ he or she will be deterred in the future

A.   Less

B.   More

C.   Equal

D.   All of the above

40: Utilitarianism is a philosophical concept that relates to the idea of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

A.   True

B.   False

41: Utilitarianism is A philosophical concept that relates to the idea of the greatest good for the least number of people

A.   True

B.   False