PUP FINAL EXAM Question and
answers already passed 2025/2026
psychic rewards - correct answer ✔Social factors, like attaining social prestige or social disapproval, and
emotional rewards are benefits and costs just like material rewards and punishments
risk averse - correct answer ✔Having a low tolerance for risk
An individual can choose to receive a guaranteed $5 or take a 50% chance of receiving either $12 or $0.
The individual who chooses the guaranteed $5 is said to be.... - correct answer ✔risk averse
opportunity cost is - correct answer ✔the value an individual could have received but gave up to
pursue another option
to reduce crime, the __________ advocates targeting minor offenses - correct answer ✔broken
windows theory
Goelzhauser finds that states in which judges are elected have __________ capital punishment
convictions than states without judicial elections - correct answer ✔more
why has public support for the death penalty been diminishing? - correct answer ✔growing awareness
of errors in convictions
what calculates the probability of an outcome multiplied by the utility of an outcome summed across all
possible outcomes of a choice? - correct answer ✔expected utility
what is one factor that increases the cost of crime? - correct answer ✔implementing truth-in
sentencing laws
,_________ is an individual's skill set - correct answer ✔human capital
crime - correct answer ✔any violation of the law
- a way to satisfy desires
uniform crime report - correct answer ✔one of the primary measures of crime
-annually generated by the FBI
-not free from bias/error
national crime victimization surveys - correct answer ✔one of the primary measures of crime
-managed by Bureau of Justice Statistics
-a large survey of randomly selected American households regarding crime victimization
-typically find more crime that what is reported in the UCR
-no check on what is reported
punishment by the state - correct answer ✔primary cost for one who is convicted of a crime
-includes fines, jail, prison, capital punishment
social costs - correct answer ✔ostracism from a group/shame
- a more important deterrent than imprisonment
economic opportunity costs - correct answer ✔what a person gives up in legitimate income for the
benefit associated with the crime
capital - correct answer ✔a resource used in pursuit of an end
,- the more of the resource one has, the better able one is to pursue the end
financial capital - correct answer ✔money that can be used to improve products
social capital - correct answer ✔social networks that have value
- some argue that social capital is crucial for economic growth
criminal capital - correct answer ✔human or social capital that enhances a person's ability to profit
from illegal activity; criminal knowledge and skill set
opportunity cost of crime - correct answer ✔smaller for those with smaller wage or those that are
unemployed
recidivism - correct answer ✔repeat offending
- is supposed to decrease if they are able to attain legal employment
three strikes and you're out - correct answer ✔type of tough on crime imprisonment strategy
three strikes laws - correct answer ✔requires judges to give a mandatory extended sentence to anyone
convicted of 3 serious offenses
- a signal that there is a high cost to crime
-take away judge's discretion
-not all crimes are equal
truth-in sentencing - correct answer ✔type of tough on crime law
-requires a person serve at least 85% of their sentence (specifically violent offenses)
-they do reduce violent crime through deterrence
, broken windows theory - correct answer ✔-a policing strategy aggressively targeting minor offenses
- argues that when police foot patrol increases, the amount of fear of a typical citizen decreases and
higher levels of public order
-advocates targeting minor offenses that can be used as signals that worse offenses are okay
arguments against Broken Windows argument in NYC - correct answer ✔1. other cities experienced a
drop in crime
2. abortion is the primary causal factor
3. more police contributed to the decline
endogeneity - correct answer ✔a suggested cause may be the effect or caused by some other variable
- if something is endogenous then it is not a cause
according to Levitt, more police - correct answer ✔leads to a drop in homicide but not a significant
decline in property crimes
externalities - correct answer ✔effects that are not directly intended
abortion and crime - correct answer ✔- a positive externality with regard to crime
- abortions occur because of unwanted pregnancies, unwanted children are at a higher risk of
committing crime; therefore, abortion contributes to a reduction of crime as seen in the 90s
capital punishment - correct answer ✔a.k.a. death penalty
- supported by a majority of people
-has little effect on crime reduction
answers already passed 2025/2026
psychic rewards - correct answer ✔Social factors, like attaining social prestige or social disapproval, and
emotional rewards are benefits and costs just like material rewards and punishments
risk averse - correct answer ✔Having a low tolerance for risk
An individual can choose to receive a guaranteed $5 or take a 50% chance of receiving either $12 or $0.
The individual who chooses the guaranteed $5 is said to be.... - correct answer ✔risk averse
opportunity cost is - correct answer ✔the value an individual could have received but gave up to
pursue another option
to reduce crime, the __________ advocates targeting minor offenses - correct answer ✔broken
windows theory
Goelzhauser finds that states in which judges are elected have __________ capital punishment
convictions than states without judicial elections - correct answer ✔more
why has public support for the death penalty been diminishing? - correct answer ✔growing awareness
of errors in convictions
what calculates the probability of an outcome multiplied by the utility of an outcome summed across all
possible outcomes of a choice? - correct answer ✔expected utility
what is one factor that increases the cost of crime? - correct answer ✔implementing truth-in
sentencing laws
,_________ is an individual's skill set - correct answer ✔human capital
crime - correct answer ✔any violation of the law
- a way to satisfy desires
uniform crime report - correct answer ✔one of the primary measures of crime
-annually generated by the FBI
-not free from bias/error
national crime victimization surveys - correct answer ✔one of the primary measures of crime
-managed by Bureau of Justice Statistics
-a large survey of randomly selected American households regarding crime victimization
-typically find more crime that what is reported in the UCR
-no check on what is reported
punishment by the state - correct answer ✔primary cost for one who is convicted of a crime
-includes fines, jail, prison, capital punishment
social costs - correct answer ✔ostracism from a group/shame
- a more important deterrent than imprisonment
economic opportunity costs - correct answer ✔what a person gives up in legitimate income for the
benefit associated with the crime
capital - correct answer ✔a resource used in pursuit of an end
,- the more of the resource one has, the better able one is to pursue the end
financial capital - correct answer ✔money that can be used to improve products
social capital - correct answer ✔social networks that have value
- some argue that social capital is crucial for economic growth
criminal capital - correct answer ✔human or social capital that enhances a person's ability to profit
from illegal activity; criminal knowledge and skill set
opportunity cost of crime - correct answer ✔smaller for those with smaller wage or those that are
unemployed
recidivism - correct answer ✔repeat offending
- is supposed to decrease if they are able to attain legal employment
three strikes and you're out - correct answer ✔type of tough on crime imprisonment strategy
three strikes laws - correct answer ✔requires judges to give a mandatory extended sentence to anyone
convicted of 3 serious offenses
- a signal that there is a high cost to crime
-take away judge's discretion
-not all crimes are equal
truth-in sentencing - correct answer ✔type of tough on crime law
-requires a person serve at least 85% of their sentence (specifically violent offenses)
-they do reduce violent crime through deterrence
, broken windows theory - correct answer ✔-a policing strategy aggressively targeting minor offenses
- argues that when police foot patrol increases, the amount of fear of a typical citizen decreases and
higher levels of public order
-advocates targeting minor offenses that can be used as signals that worse offenses are okay
arguments against Broken Windows argument in NYC - correct answer ✔1. other cities experienced a
drop in crime
2. abortion is the primary causal factor
3. more police contributed to the decline
endogeneity - correct answer ✔a suggested cause may be the effect or caused by some other variable
- if something is endogenous then it is not a cause
according to Levitt, more police - correct answer ✔leads to a drop in homicide but not a significant
decline in property crimes
externalities - correct answer ✔effects that are not directly intended
abortion and crime - correct answer ✔- a positive externality with regard to crime
- abortions occur because of unwanted pregnancies, unwanted children are at a higher risk of
committing crime; therefore, abortion contributes to a reduction of crime as seen in the 90s
capital punishment - correct answer ✔a.k.a. death penalty
- supported by a majority of people
-has little effect on crime reduction
