Which term refers to the major offenses tracked in crime statistics by the FBI, often called index crimes?

• A. Infractions
• B. Felonies
• C. Misdemeanors
• D. Index Crimes

Answer: (D)

Index crimes are the major offenses that the FBI tracks in its crime statistics, forming the standard set used to measure national crime trends. These eight offenses come from the Uniform Crime Reports and are split into violent crimes (such as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and property crimes (burglary, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson). Referring to them as index crimes emphasizes that they are the core list used to compute crime rates and compare patterns across different places and over time. The other terms describe different concepts: infractions are minor offenses not used in these statistics, and felonies or misdemeanors describe offense severity in law, not the specific national statistic category.