Forensic Psychology & Criminal Justice: 200
MCQs with Answers and Explanations
1. Small crimes that typically result in fines or community service are called:
a. Indictable offences
b. Summary offences ✅
c. Hybrid offences
d. Felonies
Answer Explanation: Summary offences are minor crimes. These do not involve a jury trial and
are usually punished with fines or community service. They contrast with more serious crimes
such as indictable offences.
2. Serious crimes like rape and murder are classified as:
a. Summary offences
b. Hybrid offences
c. Indictable offences ✅
d. Misdemeanours
Answer Explanation: Indictable offences are serious crimes. Defendants in these cases have the
right to a jury trial. They carry more severe penalties than summary offences.
3. A crime that can be prosecuted either as a summary or indictable offence is called:
a. Hybrid offence ✅
b. Felony
c. Regulatory offence
d. Common law offence
Answer Explanation: Hybrid offences allow prosecutors discretion to choose the type of
charge. The decision depends on the severity and circumstances of the crime.
4. The primary function of a jury is to:
a. Decide facts from trial evidence ✅
b. Deliver sentencing
c. Investigate the crime
d. Act as legal counsel
Answer Explanation: Juries evaluate evidence presented in court to determine facts. They are
instructed not to use publicity or biases. Sentencing is usually left to the judge.
5. Educating citizens about the legal system is a function of:
a. The judge
b. The jury ✅
,c. The prosecutor
d. The defense attorney
Answer Explanation: Serving on a jury helps citizens understand legal procedures and
responsibilities. This educational function strengthens public awareness of the justice system.
6. The idea that juries reflect the beliefs and values of the community is called:
a. Jury nullification
b. Representativeness
c. Community consciousness ✅
d. Impartiality
Answer Explanation: Community consciousness means the jury acts as a microcosm of societal
norms. It helps ensure decisions align with collective community values.
7. When a jury ignores the law to reach a verdict, it is known as:
a. Jury discretion
b. Jury nullification ✅
c. Jury misconduct
d. Jury deliberation
Answer Explanation: Jury nullification occurs when jurors choose to disregard legal
instructions. This may reflect moral objections to a law or its application in a case.
8. A jury randomly selected from the community demonstrates which characteristic?
a. Impartiality
b. Representativeness ✅
c. Knowledge
d. Responsibility
Answer Explanation: Representativeness ensures the jury reflects community demographics.
Random selection minimizes bias in the composition of the jury.
9. Prejudices held by jurors before trial are classified as:
a. Attitudinal ✅
b. Behavioural
c. Normative
d. Generic
Answer Explanation: Attitudinal prejudice refers to pre-existing personal biases. It differs from
behavioral discrimination, which involves acting on those biases.
10. Safeguards in the legal system aim to prevent:
a. Attitudinal prejudice
b. Behavioral discrimination ✅
,c. Jury deliberation
d. Sentencing disparity
Answer Explanation: Behavioral discrimination occurs when personal biases affect decisions.
Safeguards such as jury instructions and challenges for cause aim to prevent this.
11. Limits on pre-trial publicity in Canada serve to:
a. Influence jury decisions
b. Protect impartiality ✅
c. Educate the public
d. Punish the defendant
Answer Explanation: Limiting pre-trial information reduces bias. Jurors are instructed not to
discuss the case outside the courtroom to maintain impartiality.
12. Which type of juror bias involves personal connections to the case?
a. Specific prejudice
b. Generic prejudice
c. Interest prejudice ✅
d. Normative prejudice
Answer Explanation: Interest prejudice arises when a juror has a direct stake in the outcome.
For example, being related to the victim or defendant.
13. Prejudices about groups of people or types of crime are:
a. Generic prejudice ✅
b. Interest prejudice
c. Normative prejudice
d. Attitudinal prejudice
Answer Explanation: Generic prejudice reflects biases toward categories of people, such as
race or religion, or types of crime, like abortion-related offences.
14. Community sentiment influencing juror opinions is an example of:
a. Interest prejudice
b. Normative prejudice ✅
c. Specific prejudice
d. Generic prejudice
Answer Explanation: Normative prejudice arises from societal pressures or prevailing
community attitudes. High-profile cases can demonstrate extreme effects of this bias.
15. Delaying a trial to reduce bias is called:
a. Change of venue
b. Adjournment ✅
, c. Challenge for cause
d. Sequestration
Answer Explanation: Adjournment postpones trial proceedings. This allows time for prejudices
to subside or publicity to decrease.
16. Moving a trial to a different community to reduce juror bias is known as:
a. Adjournment
b. Sequestration
c. Change of venue ✅
d. Jury nullification
Answer Explanation: Change of venue ensures impartiality by selecting a jury from outside the
crime’s location. This reduces the impact of local media coverage or community sentiment.
17. The option to reject a biased juror is called:
a. Challenge for cause ✅
b. Peremptory challenge
c. Adjournment
d. Jury nullification
Answer Explanation: A challenge for cause is used to dismiss a juror with demonstrated bias.
Peremptory challenges, in contrast, do not require justification.
18. Broad attitudes and traits in jury selection help detect:
a. Specific case biases
b. General defence or prosecution bias ✅
c. Community norms
d. Jury misconduct
Answer Explanation: Broad traits identify jurors with general tendencies that may favor
prosecution or defense. The Juror Bias Scale is an example of this approach.
19. Case-specific jury selection focuses on:
a. Random sampling
b. Juror demographics
c. Attitudes toward the particular case ✅
d. Public opinion
Answer Explanation: Case-specific selection identifies jurors with opinions that could affect
the particular trial. Example: Harrisburg Seven trial.
20. Studying jurors through interviews, archival records, and simulations are methods of:
a. Jury nullification
b. Jury assessment
MCQs with Answers and Explanations
1. Small crimes that typically result in fines or community service are called:
a. Indictable offences
b. Summary offences ✅
c. Hybrid offences
d. Felonies
Answer Explanation: Summary offences are minor crimes. These do not involve a jury trial and
are usually punished with fines or community service. They contrast with more serious crimes
such as indictable offences.
2. Serious crimes like rape and murder are classified as:
a. Summary offences
b. Hybrid offences
c. Indictable offences ✅
d. Misdemeanours
Answer Explanation: Indictable offences are serious crimes. Defendants in these cases have the
right to a jury trial. They carry more severe penalties than summary offences.
3. A crime that can be prosecuted either as a summary or indictable offence is called:
a. Hybrid offence ✅
b. Felony
c. Regulatory offence
d. Common law offence
Answer Explanation: Hybrid offences allow prosecutors discretion to choose the type of
charge. The decision depends on the severity and circumstances of the crime.
4. The primary function of a jury is to:
a. Decide facts from trial evidence ✅
b. Deliver sentencing
c. Investigate the crime
d. Act as legal counsel
Answer Explanation: Juries evaluate evidence presented in court to determine facts. They are
instructed not to use publicity or biases. Sentencing is usually left to the judge.
5. Educating citizens about the legal system is a function of:
a. The judge
b. The jury ✅
,c. The prosecutor
d. The defense attorney
Answer Explanation: Serving on a jury helps citizens understand legal procedures and
responsibilities. This educational function strengthens public awareness of the justice system.
6. The idea that juries reflect the beliefs and values of the community is called:
a. Jury nullification
b. Representativeness
c. Community consciousness ✅
d. Impartiality
Answer Explanation: Community consciousness means the jury acts as a microcosm of societal
norms. It helps ensure decisions align with collective community values.
7. When a jury ignores the law to reach a verdict, it is known as:
a. Jury discretion
b. Jury nullification ✅
c. Jury misconduct
d. Jury deliberation
Answer Explanation: Jury nullification occurs when jurors choose to disregard legal
instructions. This may reflect moral objections to a law or its application in a case.
8. A jury randomly selected from the community demonstrates which characteristic?
a. Impartiality
b. Representativeness ✅
c. Knowledge
d. Responsibility
Answer Explanation: Representativeness ensures the jury reflects community demographics.
Random selection minimizes bias in the composition of the jury.
9. Prejudices held by jurors before trial are classified as:
a. Attitudinal ✅
b. Behavioural
c. Normative
d. Generic
Answer Explanation: Attitudinal prejudice refers to pre-existing personal biases. It differs from
behavioral discrimination, which involves acting on those biases.
10. Safeguards in the legal system aim to prevent:
a. Attitudinal prejudice
b. Behavioral discrimination ✅
,c. Jury deliberation
d. Sentencing disparity
Answer Explanation: Behavioral discrimination occurs when personal biases affect decisions.
Safeguards such as jury instructions and challenges for cause aim to prevent this.
11. Limits on pre-trial publicity in Canada serve to:
a. Influence jury decisions
b. Protect impartiality ✅
c. Educate the public
d. Punish the defendant
Answer Explanation: Limiting pre-trial information reduces bias. Jurors are instructed not to
discuss the case outside the courtroom to maintain impartiality.
12. Which type of juror bias involves personal connections to the case?
a. Specific prejudice
b. Generic prejudice
c. Interest prejudice ✅
d. Normative prejudice
Answer Explanation: Interest prejudice arises when a juror has a direct stake in the outcome.
For example, being related to the victim or defendant.
13. Prejudices about groups of people or types of crime are:
a. Generic prejudice ✅
b. Interest prejudice
c. Normative prejudice
d. Attitudinal prejudice
Answer Explanation: Generic prejudice reflects biases toward categories of people, such as
race or religion, or types of crime, like abortion-related offences.
14. Community sentiment influencing juror opinions is an example of:
a. Interest prejudice
b. Normative prejudice ✅
c. Specific prejudice
d. Generic prejudice
Answer Explanation: Normative prejudice arises from societal pressures or prevailing
community attitudes. High-profile cases can demonstrate extreme effects of this bias.
15. Delaying a trial to reduce bias is called:
a. Change of venue
b. Adjournment ✅
, c. Challenge for cause
d. Sequestration
Answer Explanation: Adjournment postpones trial proceedings. This allows time for prejudices
to subside or publicity to decrease.
16. Moving a trial to a different community to reduce juror bias is known as:
a. Adjournment
b. Sequestration
c. Change of venue ✅
d. Jury nullification
Answer Explanation: Change of venue ensures impartiality by selecting a jury from outside the
crime’s location. This reduces the impact of local media coverage or community sentiment.
17. The option to reject a biased juror is called:
a. Challenge for cause ✅
b. Peremptory challenge
c. Adjournment
d. Jury nullification
Answer Explanation: A challenge for cause is used to dismiss a juror with demonstrated bias.
Peremptory challenges, in contrast, do not require justification.
18. Broad attitudes and traits in jury selection help detect:
a. Specific case biases
b. General defence or prosecution bias ✅
c. Community norms
d. Jury misconduct
Answer Explanation: Broad traits identify jurors with general tendencies that may favor
prosecution or defense. The Juror Bias Scale is an example of this approach.
19. Case-specific jury selection focuses on:
a. Random sampling
b. Juror demographics
c. Attitudes toward the particular case ✅
d. Public opinion
Answer Explanation: Case-specific selection identifies jurors with opinions that could affect
the particular trial. Example: Harrisburg Seven trial.
20. Studying jurors through interviews, archival records, and simulations are methods of:
a. Jury nullification
b. Jury assessment
