Unit 3 Examination 127 GED 216 Sociology Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet) Edwin Lemert described “primary deviance” as 1. the most serious episodes of deviance.a. actions that parents define as deviant.b. a passing episode of deviance that has little effect on the person’s self-concept.c. the experience of deviance early in life. d. His friends begin to criticize Marco as a “juice-head,” pushing him out of their social circle. 2. Marco begins to drink even more, becomes bitter, and joins a new group of friends who also are heavy drinkers. According to Lemert, Marco’s situation illustrates the onset of primary deviance. a. the onset of secondary deviance.b. the formation of a deviant subculture.c. the onset of retreatism. d. What concept did Erving Goffman use to refer to a powerful and negative label that greatly 3. changes a person’s self-concept and social identity? a deviant rituala. a degradation ceremonyb. a secondary identityc. stigma d. The concept “retrospective labeling” refers to the process of 4. interpreting someone’s past consistent with present deviance.a. defining someone as deviant for things done long before.b. criminal adults encouraging their children to become deviant.c. predicting someone’s future based on past deviant acts. d. Thomas Szasz made the controversial assertion that 5. deviance is only what people label as deviant.a. most people in the United States will become insane for some period during their lives.b. mental illness is a myth so that “insanity” is only “differences” that bother other people.c. our society does not do nearly enough to treat the mentally ill. d. Unit 3 Examination 128 GED 216 Sociology An example of the “medicalization of deviance” is 6. theft being redefined as a “compulsive stealing.”a. drinking too much being redefined as a personal failing.b. promiscuity being redefined as a moral failing.c. when people steal drugs to self-medicate. d. Whether people respond to deviance as a moral issue or a medical matter affects 7. whether a person is labeled retrospectively or projectively.a. whether the person is subject to punishment or treatment.b. whether the person’s deviance is labeled as primary or secondary.c. whether or not the person gets the appropriate care. d. Edwin Sutherland’s differential association theory links deviance to 8. how labeling someone as deviant can increase the deviant behavior.a. the amount of contact a person has with others who encourage or discourage conventional b. behavior. how well a person can contain deviant impulses.c. how others respond to the race, ethnicity, gender, and class of the individual. d. Travis Hirschi’s control theory suggests that the category of people most likely to engage in 9. deviance is students enrolled in college.a. teenagers on sports teams with after-school jobs.b. youngsters who “hang out” waiting for so ...

1. Unit 3 Examination
127
GED 216 Sociology
Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed
answer sheet)
Edwin Lemert described “primary deviance” as 1.
the most serious episodes of deviance.a.
actions that parents define as deviant.b.
a passing episode of deviance that has little effect on the
person’s self-concept.c.
the experience of deviance early in life. d.
His friends begin to criticize Marco as a “juice-head,” pushing
him out of their social circle. 2.
Marco begins to drink even more, becomes bitter, and joins a
new group of friends who also are
heavy drinkers. According to Lemert, Marco’s situation
illustrates
the onset of primary deviance. a.
the onset of secondary deviance.b.
the formation of a deviant subculture.c.
the onset of retreatism. d.
What concept did Erving Goffman use to refer to a powerful and

2. negative label that greatly 3.
changes a person’s self-concept and social identity?
a deviant rituala.
a degradation ceremonyb.
a secondary identityc.
stigma d.
The concept “retrospective labeling” refers to the process of 4.
interpreting someone’s past consistent with present deviance.a.
defining someone as deviant for things done long before.b.
criminal adults encouraging their children to become deviant.c.
predicting someone’s future based on past deviant acts. d.
Thomas Szasz made the controversial assertion that 5.
deviance is only what people label as deviant.a.
most people in the United States will become insane for some
period during their lives.b.
mental illness is a myth so that “insanity” is only “differences”
that bother other people.c.
our society does not do nearly enough to treat the mentally ill.
d.
Unit 3 Examination
128
GED 216 Sociology

3. An example of the “medicalization of deviance” is 6.
theft being redefined as a “compulsive stealing.”a.
drinking too much being redefined as a personal failing.b.
promiscuity being redefined as a moral failing.c.
when people steal drugs to self-medicate. d.
Whether people respond to deviance as a moral issue or a
medical matter affects 7.
whether a person is labeled retrospectively or projectively.a.
whether the person is subject to punishment or treatment.b.
whether the person’s deviance is labeled as primary or
secondary.c.
whether or not the person gets the appropriate care. d.
Edwin Sutherland’s differential association theory links
deviance to 8.
how labeling someone as deviant can increase the deviant
behavior.a.
the amount of contact a person has with others who encourage
or discourage conventional b.
behavior.
how well a person can contain deviant impulses.c.
how others respond to the race, ethnicity, gender, and class of
the individual. d.
Travis Hirschi’s control theory suggests that the category of
people most likely to engage in 9.
deviance is
students enrolled in college.a.

4. teenagers on sports teams with after-school jobs.b.
youngsters who “hang out” waiting for something to happen.c.
young people with respect for their parents. d.
According to the social-conflict approach, what a society labels
as deviant is based primarily on 10.
how often the act occurs.a.
the moral foundation of the culture.b.
how harmful the act is to the public as a whole.c.
differences in power between various categories of people. d.
Alexander Liazos speaks for the social-conflict approach when
he states that 11.
powerless people are at the highest risk of being defined as
deviant.a.
deviance has both functions and dysfunctions.b.
deviance exists only in the eye of the beholder.c.
society should ignore victimless crime.d.
Unit 3 Examination
129
GED 216 Sociology
Using a Marxist approach, Steven Spitzer claims that prime
targets for deviant labeling include 12.
people who try to take the property of others.a.
people who work hard but are poor.b.

5. perpetrators of white-collar crime.c.
people who have social power. d.
Crime committed by persons of high social position during the
course of their occupations is 13.
called
victimless crime.a.
white-collar crime.b.
organized crime.c.
street crime. d.
Edwin Sutherland stated that white-collar crime 14.
almost always leads to a criminal conviction.a.
provokes a strong response from the community.b.
is usually resolved in a civil rather than a criminal court.c.
rarely involves serious harm to the public as a whole. d.
_________ refers to the illegal actions of a corporation or
people acting on its behalf. 15.
Corporate crime a.
Organized crimeb.
Victimless crimec.
Secondary deviance d.
Organized crime refers to 16.
illegal actions by people with white-collar jobs.a.
illegal actions on the part of a corporation or large business.b.
crime involving the cooperation of two or more businesses.c.

6. any business that supplies illegal goods or services. d.
A hate crime is defined as 17.
any crime against a person who is a minority.a.
any crime involving anger or other powerful emotion.b.
a criminal act motivated by race or other bias.c.
any violation of antidiscrimination laws. d.
Unit 3 Examination
130
GED 216 Sociology
Feminist theory states that gender figures into the study of
deviance because 18.
women account for most of the arrests for serious crimes in the
United States.a.
every society in the world applies stronger normative controls
to females than to males.b.
most researchers in this area are women.c.
women are more likely than men to commit a serious crime. d.
Women commit 19.
far more crimes than men.a.
far fewer crimes than men.b.
the same number of crimes as men.c.
more property crimes than men, but men commit more violent
crimes. d.

7. In legal terms, a crime is composed of which two components?
20.
the act and criminal intenta.
a criminal and a victimb.
the act and the social harmc.
the law and the violation d.
“Crimes against the person” includes all but 21.
murder.a.
aggravated assault.b.
burglary.c.
forcible rape. d.
Mike reports the theft of his dirt bike from the front yard of his
house. The police would record 22.
this as which type of crime?
burglarya.
larceny-theftb.
robberyc.
auto-theft d.
Prostitution is widely regarded as a 23.
crime against the person. a.
crime against property.b.
victimless crime.c.
corporate crime.d.

8. Unit 3 Examination
131
GED 216 Sociology
Criminal statistics gathered by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation reflect 24.
all crimes that take place.a.
offenses cleared by arrest.b.
offenses resulting in a criminal conviction.c.
offenses known to the police. d.
Victimization surveys show that the actual amount of crime in
the United States is about _____ 25.
what official reports indicate.
half as great asa.
the same asb.
more than twice as high asc.
ten times greater thand.
Unit 3 Examination
132
GED 216 Sociology
Writing Assignment for Unit Three

9. • Responses must be typed double-spaced, using a standard font
(i.e. Times New Roman) and 12
point type size.
Word count is NOT one of the criteria that is used in assigning
points to writing assignments. However,
students who are successful in earning the maximum number of
points tend to submit writing assignments
that fall in the following ranges:
Undergraduate courses: 350 - 500 words or 1 - 2 pages.
Graduate courses: 500 - 750 words or 2 - 3 pages.
Doctoral courses: 750 - 1000 words or 4 - 5 pages.
Plagiarism
All work must be free of any form of plagiarism. Put written
answers into your own words. Do not simply cut
and paste your answers from the Internet and do not copy your
answers from the textbook. Be sure to refer to
the course syllabus for more details on plagiarism and proper
citation styles.
Please answer ONE of the following:
• Include your name, student number, course number, course
title and unit number with your
writing assignment.
• Begin each writing assignment by identifying the question
number you are answering followed by
the actual question itself (in bold type).
• Use a standard essay format for responses to all questions
(i.e., an introduction, middle
paragraphs and conclusion).

10. Describe the labeling theory of deviance. What basic insight
about deviance is offered by 1.
this approach? How does labeling figure into the difference
between primary deviance and
secondary deviance? What is the importance of stigma in
labeling analysis?
Examine the Davis-Moore thesis. According to this theory, why
is social inequality useful for 2.
society? Provide two criticisms of this theory.
Apply the structural-functional and social-conflict approaches
to the issue of gender. What 3.
are key insights offered by each theoretical approach? How does
each approach view gender
differences and gender inequality? How does each respond to
the changes in gender across the
twentieth century?
Unit 4 Examination
171
GED 216 Sociology
Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed
answer sheet)

11. Which of the following concepts refers to a political system in
which power resides in the 1.
hands of the people as a whole?
democracya.
monarchyb.
totalitarianismc.
aristocracy d.
Which nations in the world today claim to be democratic? 2.
all low-income nationsa.
no nationsb.
most high-income nationsc.
all nations d.
For which of the following reasons might you argue that the
United States is not truly 3.
democratic?
There is a lot of economic inequality.a.
Millions of bureaucratic officials are not elected.b.
Rich people have much more influence on our way of life than
poor people.c.
All of these are correct. d.
In 2013, about what percentage of the world’s people lived in
countries that can be considered 4.
politically “free”?
3 percenta.
23 percentb.
43 percentc.

12. 63 percent d.
The concept “political economy” refers to 5.
any system in which people are unequal.a.
the interplay of politics and economics.b.
democratic political systems.c.
the most efficient form of government. d.
Unit 4 Examination
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GED 216 Sociology
Capitalist societies base their claim to democracy on 6.
people having personal liberty.a.
meeting the basic needs of all.b.
maintaining public order.c.
their high living standards. d.
Socialist societies base their claim to democracy on 7.
people having personal liberty.a.
meeting the basic needs of all.b.
maintaining public order.c.
their high living standards. d.
The concept “authoritarian” refers to a political system that 8.

13. is well legitimated.a.
relies on more than one kind of authority.b.
denies most people participation in government.c.
has free elections. d.
A totalitarian political system 9.
mixes politics with religion.a.
is completely democratic.b.
is government without any bureaucracy.c.
concentrates power and closely regulates people’s lives. d.
Which of the following nations comes closest to having a
political system that is “totalitarian”? 10.
Mexicoa.
Franceb.
North Koreac.
Japan d.
Which of the following statements correctly describes how the
U.S. population falls on the 11.
political spectrum?
About 36 percent of people are moderates who fall near the
political center.a.
About 16 percent fall on the political left.b.
About 46 percent fall on the political right.c.
About 26 percent claim to have no political opinions at all.d.

14. Unit 4 Examination
173
GED 216 Sociology
Which from the following list would be described as an
economic issue? 12.
the abortion controversya.
povertyb.
gay rightsc.
the family values debate d.
Typically, industrial societies make use of which of the
following systems to trace ancestry? 13.
bilateral descenta.
matrilineal descentb.
patrilineal descentc.
neolocality d.
Matrilineal descent is typically found in which type of
societies? 14.
hunting and gathering, where women gather vegetationa.
horticultural, where women are the main food producersb.
industrial, where women enter the workplacec.
All of these responses are correct. d.
To which region of the world would you travel if you wanted to
visit many countries where the 15.
law permits polygamy?

15. Africa a.
North Americab.
South Americac.
Scandinavia d.
According to the structural-functional approach, which of the
following is counted among the 16.
tasks of the family?
socialization of the younga.
regulation of sexual activityb.
social placementc.
All of these responses are correct. d.
The incest taboo 17.
exists only in industrial societies.a.
is found in all societies.b.
is found among all living species.c.
is defined the same way in all societies.d.
Unit 4 Examination
174
GED 216 Sociology
Following structural-functional theory, the family 18.
operates to perpetuate social inequality.a.
is important enough to be called the backbone of society.b.

16. encourages patriarchy.c.
All of these responses are correct. d.
A social-exchange analysis of family life is likely to consider
19.
how families keep society as a whole operating.a.
how families perpetuate social inequality.b.
how individuals select partners who offer about as much as they
do to the relationship.c.
how families regulate sexual activity. d.
Social conflict and feminist theories explain that families
perpetuate social inequality in U.S. 20.
society through
inheritance of private property.a.
encouraging patriarchy.b.
passing on racial and ethnic inequality.c.
All of these responses are correct. d.
In traditional regions of many lower-income countries, such as
Sri Lanka, marriage 21.
has little to do with romantic love.a.
is unknown.b.
is delayed until the people reach their thirties.c.
almost always ends in divorce. d.
The concept “homogamy” means that 22.
people marry because they benefit from being married.a.

17. women usually marry older men.b.
people marry others who are socially like themselves.c.
most marriages are based on romantic love. d.
In the United States, romantic love 23.
is the reason most people expect to marry.a.
is not a very stable foundation for marriage.b.
may contribute to a high divorce rate.c.
All of these responses are correct. d.
Unit 4 Examination
175
GED 216 Sociology
Supporters of liberation theology hope that this social
movement will achieve which of the 24.
following goals?
keeping politics out of the churcha.
helping people endure their sufferingb.
encouraging personal growthc.
reducing social inequality and, especially, poverty d.
A religious organization that is well integrated into the larger
society is called a 25.
church. a.
sect.b.
cult.c.

18. denomination.d.
Unit 4 Examination
176
GED 216 Sociology
Writing Assignment for Unit Four
• Responses must be typed double-spaced, using a standard font
(i.e. Times New Roman) and 12
point type size.
Word count is NOT one of the criteria that is used in assigning
points to writing assignments. However,
students who are successful in earning the maximum number of
points tend to submit writing assignments
that fall in the following ranges:
Undergraduate courses: 350 - 500 words or 1 - 2 pages.
Graduate courses: 500 - 750 words or 2 - 3 pages.
Doctoral courses: 750 - 1000 words or 4 - 5 pages.
Plagiarism
All work must be free of any form of plagiarism. Put written
answers into your own words. Do not simply cut
and paste your answers from the Internet and do not copy your
answers from the textbook. Be sure to refer to
the course syllabus for more details on plagiarism and proper
citation styles.
Please answer ONE of the following:

19. • Include your name, student number, course number, course
title and unit number with your
writing assignment.
• Begin each writing assignment by identifying the question
number you are answering followed by
the actual question itself (in bold type).
• Use a standard essay format for responses to all questions
(i.e., an introduction, middle
paragraphs and conclusion).
Describe the distribution of power in the United States using the
three theoretical models of 1.
political power. What do the three models have in common?
What are their major differences?
To what extent does each assess U.S. society as democratic?
Why?
Identify at least four factors that are related to the high divorce
rate in the United States. Why 2.
has the divorce rate increased over the course of the last
century?
Based on the ideas of Emile Durkheim, identify three functions
of religion for society. In light 3.
of these functions, do you think that a decline in the importance
of religion might threaten
U.S. society? If so, how? Could the family and, perhaps, the
school “take over” some of
religion’s functions? Why or why not?