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2 Measuring Crime Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 2 Measuring Crime, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions
01
True or false
1 point

Recorded theft in police statistics increases from one year to the next. Does this change, by itself, prove that the actual amount of theft increased?

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

02
Fill in the blank
1 point

Official crime statistics are compiled from incidents known to .

03
Written response
1 point

The NCVS surveys a sample of people rather than every person in its target population. What is one source of uncertainty this creates in its estimates?

04
True or false
1 point

Anonymous or confidential self-report surveys can encourage respondents to answer candidly about their offending.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

05
Choose one
1 point

A researcher wants to estimate selected nonfatal personal and household-property victimizations, including incidents that victims did not report to police. Which method best fits this aim?

  1. A

    Official crime statistics

  2. B

    The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

  3. C

    Offender self-report studies

  4. D

    A count limited to incidents recorded by police

06
Fill in the blank
1 point

Compared with older summary reporting, NIBRS can record within a single incident.

07
Choose one
1 point

A researcher wants to study how often young people engage in specified delinquent behaviors that may never come to police attention. Which method is the best fit?

  1. A

    Official statistics, because they include every offense whether or not it comes to authorities' attention

  2. B

    The NCVS, because it asks respondents whether they committed offenses

  3. C

    Self-report studies, because they ask people about their own specified offending

  4. D

    Police incident records, because they measure behavior that was never reported or detected

08
Choose all
1 point

Select all statements that accurately describe the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).

  1. A

    It asks a representative sample of people in U.S. households about experiences with selected crimes.

  2. B

    It can include selected incidents whether or not they were reported to police.

  3. C

    It provides a complete count of every type of crime in every population and setting.

  4. D

    It can provide information about incident circumstances and whether incidents were reported.

09
Written response
1 point

What differences can make comparisons of official crime statistics across places difficult?

10
Choose all
1 point

Select all limitations that can affect self-report studies of offending.

  1. A

    Respondents may forget, misunderstand, exaggerate, or conceal behavior.

  2. B

    Every self-reported answer can be checked against one complete record of all offending.

  3. C

    Results depend in part on who is surveyed and which offenses are asked about.

  4. D

    Question wording can affect results, and some groups or serious offenses may be underrepresented.

11
Choose one
1 point

A crime is missing from an official dataset. Which conclusion best reflects why that absence does not establish that the crime never occurred?

  1. A

    An offense that is absent from police records definitely did not occur.

  2. B

    Official statistics include all offenses as soon as they happen.

  3. C

    An offense may be absent if it was not reported, was not identified or classified as a crime, or was missing from an agency's data submission.

  4. D

    Every agency records incidents using identical practices, so omissions cannot happen.

12
Open ended
1 point

A research team finds that official statistics, victimization surveys, and offender self-reports give different pictures of crime in the same community. Explain what each method can reveal, identify at least one limitation of each, and describe what comparing them can—and cannot—establish.

13
Choose one
1 point

Which statement describes an important limitation of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) concerning homicide?

  1. A

    It measures homicide by interviewing victims about their experiences.

  2. B

    It generally does not measure homicide through interviews with victims.

  3. C

    It records every homicide and all other crimes committed in every setting.

  4. D

    It asks offenders to report how often they committed homicide.

14
Choose one
1 point

A researcher wants to apply NCVS findings to every population and setting in the United States. Which limitation should the researcher keep in mind?

  1. A

    Its estimates are not subject to sampling error because it surveys everyone.

  2. B

    It includes all populations and settings in the United States without exception.

  3. C

    Its coverage excludes some populations and settings.

  4. D

    It measures only incidents reported to police.

15
Choose one
1 point

A researcher needs police data that can show several offenses associated with one incident. Which source best fits this need?

  1. A

    A summary system that records only one offense per incident

  2. B

    NIBRS, which can record multiple offenses within one incident

  3. C

    The NCVS, which asks people about experiences with selected crimes

  4. D

    A self-report study, which asks people about offenses they committed

16
Choose one
1 point

A household member experienced an assault but did not report it to police. Which method could still include the incident in its estimates?

  1. A

    Official statistics, because they include every crime whether reported or not

  2. B

    Self-report studies, because they ask respondents about crimes committed against them

  3. C

    The NCVS, because it asks about selected victimization whether or not it was reported

  4. D

    NIBRS, because it gathers victim accounts independently of law enforcement

17
Choose one
1 point

A researcher wants to study delinquency that may never come to police attention. Which approach is most appropriate?

  1. A

    Use an anonymous self-report study asking about specified offenses.

  2. B

    Use official statistics, which directly record every offense committed.

  3. C

    Use the NCVS, which asks respondents whether they committed offenses.

  4. D

    Use NIBRS, which surveys people about undisclosed offending.

18
True or false
1 point

The NCVS generally does not measure homicide through interviews with victims.

  1. A

    True

  2. B

    False

19
Written response
1 point

What is the name of the U.S. household survey that asks a representative sample about experiences with selected crimes, including incidents not reported to police?

20
Written response
1 point

What is the term for the uncertainty in an NCVS estimate that arises because the survey includes a sample rather than every person in the population?