Test Bank for Understanding Crime in
Canada: An Introduction to Criminology, 3rd
Edition by Neil Boyd
,_____1. What is the primary distinction between criminology and criminal justice as academic
disciplines in the Canadian context?
A) Criminology focuses exclusively on the enforcement of laws, whereas criminal justice
focuses on the creation of laws
B) Criminology is concerned with the broader study of crime, its causes, and social
responses, while criminal justice examines the systemic processing of offenders
C) Criminal justice involves psychological profiling, whereas criminology is strictly limited
to sentencing guidelines
D) Criminology is an applied science, whereas criminal justice is purely theoretical –
Correct answer
_____2. Which of the following best describes the consensus perspective of crime?
A) Crime is defined by the powerful to control marginalized populations
B) Laws emerge from a collective agreement among society members regarding what is
harmful and unacceptable
C) Crime is a label assigned by those in authority to undermine the working class
D) Criminal behaviour is solely the result of individual biological defects
_____3. A sociologist argues that the criminal justice system disproportionately targets
Indigenous populations in Canada to maintain the economic and social dominance of colonial
settlers. Which theoretical paradigm does this perspective most closely align with?
A) Classical criminology
B) Consensus theory
C) Conflict theory – Correct answer
D) Functionalist theory
_____4. How does the conflict perspective differ from the consensus perspective in its
understanding of criminal law?
A) The conflict perspective views law as a tool of class oppression, whereas the consensus
perspective views law as a reflection of shared societal values
B) The conflict perspective argues that laws are created equally for all citizens, while the
consensus perspective disagrees
C) The consensus perspective suggests laws protect the wealthy, whereas the conflict
perspective argues laws protect the poor
D) The conflict perspective focuses on individual pathology, while the consensus
perspective focuses on social structure
_____5. In the context of Canadian criminology, what does the term "dark figure of crime" refer
to?
A) Crimes committed in the middle of the night
B) The actual amount of crime that occurs, which is greater than what is officially reported
or recorded – Correct answer
C) Crimes committed by organized syndicates that operate in secret
D) The psychological motivations of offenders that remain hidden from researchers
_____6. Which of the following statements regarding the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey in
Canada is accurate?
A) It captures all criminal incidents reported to police, including those deemed unfounded
, B) It relies entirely on telephone surveys of households to measure victimization
C) It is a police-based measure that records crimes reported to and substantiated by
Canadian police services
D) It measures self-reported delinquency among youth in elementary schools – Correct
answer
_____7. What is a significant limitation of using the General Social Survey on Victimization to
understand crime in Canada?
A) It excludes data on violent crimes such as assault and robbery
B) It does not capture the experiences of individuals under the age of 15 or those living in
institutions
C) It only surveys individuals who have previously been convicted of a crime
D) It is conducted on a monthly basis, leading to respondent fatigue and unreliable data –
Correct answer
_____8. A researcher wants to examine the characteristics of offenders who are never caught by
the police. Which methodological approach would be most appropriate for this study?
A) Analysis of the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey
B) A self-report study – Correct answer
C) A review of provincial court records
D) An analysis of Correctional Service Canada intake assessments
_____9. Which of the following best explains why victimization surveys often yield higher crime
rates than official police statistics?
A) Victimization surveys include corporate crimes, while police statistics do not
B) Victims frequently report crimes to surveyors that they did not report to the police
C) Police statistics routinely include minor infractions that surveys ignore
D) Victimization surveys sample from institutionalized populations who commit more
crimes – Correct answer
_____10. According to the text, how is the crime rate typically calculated in official Canadian
statistics?
A) The total number of crimes committed divided by the total population
B) The number of criminal incidents known to police per 100,000 population – Correct
answer
C) The number of arrests made divided by the number of police officers
D) The number of convictions per 1,000 individuals charged with an offence
_____11. What is the primary reason criminologists utilize multiple sources of crime data, such as
the UCR, GSS, and self-report studies?
A) To ensure that the data perfectly aligns and confirms a single narrative about crime
trends
B) To triangulate data and compensate for the specific biases and limitations inherent in
each individual measure – Correct answer
C) To fulfill the mandatory reporting requirements of Statistics Canada
D) To focus exclusively on the types of crimes that are easiest to measure
_____12. Select all that apply: Which of the following combinations accurately reflects the
strengths and weaknesses of the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey?
, A) It provides excellent data on unreported crime but fails to capture the severity of the
offence
B) It offers standardized national data but is limited by police discretion in recording
practices – Correct answer
C) It accurately measures corporate victimization but excludes violent crimes
D) It captures the processing of cases through the courts but ignores crimes reported by
citizens – Correct answer
_____13. Which age group in Canada consistently demonstrates the highest rates of criminal
offending according to both official statistics and self-report data?
A) 25 to 34 years
B) 35 to 44 years
C) 15 to 24 years – Correct answer
D) 45 to 54 years
_____14. How do Canadian crime trends typically fluctuate according to age?
A) Offending rates remain relatively stable across the entire lifespan
B) Offending rates peak in late adolescence and early adulthood, then decline sharply with
age – Correct answer
C) Offending rates are highest in childhood and gradually increase until old age
D) Offending rates peak in middle age due to occupational stress
_____15. What is the gender gap in Canadian crime statistics, and how has it evolved in recent
decades?
A) Men commit almost all crime, and this gap has widened significantly since the 1980s
B) Women commit more crime than men, but the gap is closing
C) Men are significantly more likely to offend than women, though the gap has narrowed
slightly as female arrest rates have increased – Correct answer
D) There is no measurable gender gap in the commission of violent crime in Canada
_____16. Which theoretical perspective argues that the gender gap in crime is a result of
differential socialization, where boys are encouraged to be aggressive and girls are encouraged
to be passive?
A) Biological determinism
B) Masculinity theory
C) Social learning theory – Correct answer
D) Labelling theory
_____17. How does social class correlate with crime in Canada according to official statistics
versus self-report studies?
A) Both official statistics and self-report studies show that lower-class individuals commit
significantly more crime
B) Official statistics indicate a higher concentration of crime among lower socioeconomic
classes, while self-report studies show a more equitable distribution across classes –
Correct answer
C) Self-report studies indicate that wealthy individuals commit more crime, whereas official
statistics show the opposite
D) Both measures confirm that middle-class individuals commit the vast majority of crimes
Canada: An Introduction to Criminology, 3rd
Edition by Neil Boyd
,_____1. What is the primary distinction between criminology and criminal justice as academic
disciplines in the Canadian context?
A) Criminology focuses exclusively on the enforcement of laws, whereas criminal justice
focuses on the creation of laws
B) Criminology is concerned with the broader study of crime, its causes, and social
responses, while criminal justice examines the systemic processing of offenders
C) Criminal justice involves psychological profiling, whereas criminology is strictly limited
to sentencing guidelines
D) Criminology is an applied science, whereas criminal justice is purely theoretical –
Correct answer
_____2. Which of the following best describes the consensus perspective of crime?
A) Crime is defined by the powerful to control marginalized populations
B) Laws emerge from a collective agreement among society members regarding what is
harmful and unacceptable
C) Crime is a label assigned by those in authority to undermine the working class
D) Criminal behaviour is solely the result of individual biological defects
_____3. A sociologist argues that the criminal justice system disproportionately targets
Indigenous populations in Canada to maintain the economic and social dominance of colonial
settlers. Which theoretical paradigm does this perspective most closely align with?
A) Classical criminology
B) Consensus theory
C) Conflict theory – Correct answer
D) Functionalist theory
_____4. How does the conflict perspective differ from the consensus perspective in its
understanding of criminal law?
A) The conflict perspective views law as a tool of class oppression, whereas the consensus
perspective views law as a reflection of shared societal values
B) The conflict perspective argues that laws are created equally for all citizens, while the
consensus perspective disagrees
C) The consensus perspective suggests laws protect the wealthy, whereas the conflict
perspective argues laws protect the poor
D) The conflict perspective focuses on individual pathology, while the consensus
perspective focuses on social structure
_____5. In the context of Canadian criminology, what does the term "dark figure of crime" refer
to?
A) Crimes committed in the middle of the night
B) The actual amount of crime that occurs, which is greater than what is officially reported
or recorded – Correct answer
C) Crimes committed by organized syndicates that operate in secret
D) The psychological motivations of offenders that remain hidden from researchers
_____6. Which of the following statements regarding the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey in
Canada is accurate?
A) It captures all criminal incidents reported to police, including those deemed unfounded
, B) It relies entirely on telephone surveys of households to measure victimization
C) It is a police-based measure that records crimes reported to and substantiated by
Canadian police services
D) It measures self-reported delinquency among youth in elementary schools – Correct
answer
_____7. What is a significant limitation of using the General Social Survey on Victimization to
understand crime in Canada?
A) It excludes data on violent crimes such as assault and robbery
B) It does not capture the experiences of individuals under the age of 15 or those living in
institutions
C) It only surveys individuals who have previously been convicted of a crime
D) It is conducted on a monthly basis, leading to respondent fatigue and unreliable data –
Correct answer
_____8. A researcher wants to examine the characteristics of offenders who are never caught by
the police. Which methodological approach would be most appropriate for this study?
A) Analysis of the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey
B) A self-report study – Correct answer
C) A review of provincial court records
D) An analysis of Correctional Service Canada intake assessments
_____9. Which of the following best explains why victimization surveys often yield higher crime
rates than official police statistics?
A) Victimization surveys include corporate crimes, while police statistics do not
B) Victims frequently report crimes to surveyors that they did not report to the police
C) Police statistics routinely include minor infractions that surveys ignore
D) Victimization surveys sample from institutionalized populations who commit more
crimes – Correct answer
_____10. According to the text, how is the crime rate typically calculated in official Canadian
statistics?
A) The total number of crimes committed divided by the total population
B) The number of criminal incidents known to police per 100,000 population – Correct
answer
C) The number of arrests made divided by the number of police officers
D) The number of convictions per 1,000 individuals charged with an offence
_____11. What is the primary reason criminologists utilize multiple sources of crime data, such as
the UCR, GSS, and self-report studies?
A) To ensure that the data perfectly aligns and confirms a single narrative about crime
trends
B) To triangulate data and compensate for the specific biases and limitations inherent in
each individual measure – Correct answer
C) To fulfill the mandatory reporting requirements of Statistics Canada
D) To focus exclusively on the types of crimes that are easiest to measure
_____12. Select all that apply: Which of the following combinations accurately reflects the
strengths and weaknesses of the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey?
, A) It provides excellent data on unreported crime but fails to capture the severity of the
offence
B) It offers standardized national data but is limited by police discretion in recording
practices – Correct answer
C) It accurately measures corporate victimization but excludes violent crimes
D) It captures the processing of cases through the courts but ignores crimes reported by
citizens – Correct answer
_____13. Which age group in Canada consistently demonstrates the highest rates of criminal
offending according to both official statistics and self-report data?
A) 25 to 34 years
B) 35 to 44 years
C) 15 to 24 years – Correct answer
D) 45 to 54 years
_____14. How do Canadian crime trends typically fluctuate according to age?
A) Offending rates remain relatively stable across the entire lifespan
B) Offending rates peak in late adolescence and early adulthood, then decline sharply with
age – Correct answer
C) Offending rates are highest in childhood and gradually increase until old age
D) Offending rates peak in middle age due to occupational stress
_____15. What is the gender gap in Canadian crime statistics, and how has it evolved in recent
decades?
A) Men commit almost all crime, and this gap has widened significantly since the 1980s
B) Women commit more crime than men, but the gap is closing
C) Men are significantly more likely to offend than women, though the gap has narrowed
slightly as female arrest rates have increased – Correct answer
D) There is no measurable gender gap in the commission of violent crime in Canada
_____16. Which theoretical perspective argues that the gender gap in crime is a result of
differential socialization, where boys are encouraged to be aggressive and girls are encouraged
to be passive?
A) Biological determinism
B) Masculinity theory
C) Social learning theory – Correct answer
D) Labelling theory
_____17. How does social class correlate with crime in Canada according to official statistics
versus self-report studies?
A) Both official statistics and self-report studies show that lower-class individuals commit
significantly more crime
B) Official statistics indicate a higher concentration of crime among lower socioeconomic
classes, while self-report studies show a more equitable distribution across classes –
Correct answer
C) Self-report studies indicate that wealthy individuals commit more crime, whereas official
statistics show the opposite
D) Both measures confirm that middle-class individuals commit the vast majority of crimes
