The incidences of psychopathy is relatively small among the population as a whole, approximately __________ of convicted criminals are psychopathic or have psychopathic tendencies.

• A. 60%
• B. 20%
• C. 40%
• D. 80%

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that psychopathy is rare in the general population but occurs more often among those who have been convicted of crimes. Among convicted criminals, a substantial minority show psychopathic traits, and forty percent is the best fit among the given options. It captures a sizeable portion without implying that the majority are psychopaths, which would contradict the notion that psychopathy is relatively uncommon overall. Other choices either overstate (sixty or eighty percent) or understate (twenty percent) the prevalence compared with common research estimates in offender populations, making forty percent the most plausible and commonly cited figure in this context.