PHIL2306 Introduction to Ethics
Exam #3
Question 1
In the Colbert Report episode where Peter Singer discussed his views on poverty, what book was featured in that episode?
The Life You Can Save
Ethics in the Real World
Animal Liberation
Practical Ethics
The Ethics of What We Eat
Question 2
Which of the following statements is/are true of John Stuart Mill?
He was born in England.
He was a child prodigy.
He had a mental breakdown in his early 20's.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 3
Utilitarianism is especially applicable to ___ decision making, which is what the classical utilitarians originally had in mind.
statutory (pertaining to laws)
religious
social or governmental policies
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 4
The classical utilitarians were social reformers who lived during the time of the ____ and saw an immense amount of suffering on the part of large numbers of people.
Great Depression
Roaring Twenties
Industrial Revolution
Vietnam War
Civil War
Question 5
In the Colbert Report episode where Peter Singer discussed his views on poverty, which of the following hypothetical scenario did he bring up to advance his argument?
If you ran out of gas on a highway, would you siphon gas from a stranded motorist?
If you were offered two equally-paid jobs in two different cities, which one would you take?
If you’re walking past a pond and see a child drowning, would you jump in and try to save the child?
If money were not a problem, would you still want to work?
If you were the only person on the planet, would you still care about ethics?
Question 6
A supererogatory act is one that ___.
goes above and beyond the call of duty
would be good to do but not wrong not to do
only a Superman-type of person can perform
is publicly acknowledged by society
is condemned by virtually all society
Question 7
Before presenting his arguments regarding world poverty, what assumption does Singer make explicit?
That God exists and He cares for his children.
That sexual issues are the only ethical topics worthy of discussion.
That children are worth saving more than adults.
That evolution will inevitably lead to an X-Men type of species.
That suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad.
Question 8
Which of the following are characteristics of extreme poverty?
inability to meet basic needs for survival
lack of safe drinking water and sanitation
inability to secure adequate medical care
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 9
In the Colbert Report episode where Peter Singer discussed his views on animal rights, what book was featured in that episode?
The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
Practical Ethics
Animal Liberation
Ethics in the Real World
The Life You Can Save
Question 10
A speciesist, as defined by Peter Singer, is a person who ___.
tries to save every species on the planet
attempts to annihilate every species on the planet
cares more about the suffering of members of his own species than those of another species
is knowledgeable about biology
believes in the technological superiority of his species over others
Question 11
Brian Leiter (from “Boundaries of the Moral and Legal Community”): “To say that everyone is now thought equal in terms of their entitlement to basic moral consideration means that no one can be treated differently based on their ____ unless there is a further reason beyond simply the fact of having those characteristics for doing so. . . .”
gender
race
ethnicity
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 12
Brian Leiter (from “Boundaries of the Moral and Legal Community”): “Bentham’s slogan, recall, was that ____.”
it is a dog eat dog world
each counts for one, and not more than one, in the utilitarian calculus
a fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree
life is what you make it
you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch
Question 13
Ethical theories attempt to ___ principles that can be employed as guides for making moral decisions and as standards for the evaluation of actions and policies.
articulate and justify
rationalize and defend at all costs
undermine
sanction
replace
Question 14
In a medical context, when would moral questions matter?
When we are the decision makers.
When we must advise those who make the decisions.
When we are on the receiving end of the decisions.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 15
“Classical utilitarianism” refers to the utilitarian theory formulated by ___.
Jeremy Bentham
Peter Singer
John Stuart Mill
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 16
Which of the following statements is/are true of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill?
They produced identical versions of utilitarianism.
They originally intended for their utilitarian theories to be applied to legislative, governmental, or social policy decision-making.
Only John Stuart Mill’s version has come to be known as “classical utilitarianism.”
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 17
According to utilitarianism, we should act in such a way ___.
that honors God
that our actions produce the greatest happiness or pleasure for the greatest number of people
that produces the most amount of physical pleasure for us
that does not take consequences into account
that increases the moral sensitivity of our fellow citizens
Question 18
The following is known as the ___: “Those actions are right that produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.”
Substitution Principle
Golden Rule
Greatest Happiness Principle
Principle of Noncontradiction
Virtue Principle
Question 19
How did Jeremy Bentham define happiness?
Pleasure of any kind.
Misery of any duration.
Pain of any magnitude.
Euphoria of any extent.
Loneliness of any length.
Question 20
How did John Stuart Mill define happiness?
Euphoria to any extent.
Loneliness of any length.
Pain of any magnitude.
Misery of any duration.
Pleasure of any kind, but certain pleasures were morally superior to others.
Question 21
Some recent formulations of utilitarianism have rejected the notion that ____, no matter how defined, is the sole intrinsic good that actions or polices must promote.
knowledge
happiness
beauty
love
friendship
Question 22
What alternative concepts have modern-day utilitarians suggested as an intrinsic good that actions or policies should promote?
Knowledge
Love
Liberty
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 23
Since utilitarianism determines the rightness of actions in terms of their tendency to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number (i.e., goal-directed), it is considered to be a ___ ethical theory.
deontological
mystical
divine
virtue
teleological
Question 24
Which of the following is a criticism of utilitarianism?
There is no way to be sure that we’ve made the right decision. We are sure to be ignorant of much relevant information.
The consequences might be different from what we originally anticipated.
Utilitarianism is unable to account for obligations engendered by such actions as promising and pledging.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 25
At the Center for Auto Safety in Washington, D.C., which of the following requirements are applied to their cadaver-testing program?
Prior consent by the deceased person.
Informed consent of the family.
Assurance that the data sought by the tests cannot be gained from using dummies.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 26
Which of the following is a utilitarian justification of the cadaver-tests?
Such testings do not violate any commandments of God.
These tests have resulted in better-designed seat belts, air bags, windshields, and doors.
Such testings are not wrong in and of themselves. They do not violate any principles of morality.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 27
According to John Stuart Mill: “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to ___. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant.”
enforce the laws
punish crime
prevent harm to others
reinforce the superiority of society over the individual
defend God's commands
Question 28
What is the harm principle, according to John Stuart Mill?
If you harm me, it’s morally permissible for me to harm you.
It’s never morally permissible to harm anyone under any circumstance.
Critical thinking reduces the harm that arises from stupidity.
Harm others first before they harm you.
It’s morally permissible for me to do anything that doesn’t harm you.
Question 29
Which of the following statements is/are true of the harm principle?
The principle applies to children.
It applies to dictatorial as well as democratic states.
It tolerates all nonconforming behaviors.
Society has a legitimate interest in regulating behaviors that harm other people.
It allows paternalistic laws.
Question 30
Which of the following is a criticism of the harm principle?
The principle leaves no room for karma.
How can we be sure that our actions won’t harm others?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
What if harming others was deemed to be a good thing?
It’s impossible for an atheist to lead a morally virtuous life.
Question 31
The three basic concepts of morality are ____, concerned with right action and just institutions, ____, concerned with ends worth pursuing, and ____, concerned with goodness of character--respectively.
the big; the bad; the ugly
the rich; the poor; the middle class
the holy; the satanic; the secular
the religious; the demonic; the mundane
the right; the good; moral worth
Question 32
Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory that defines the good as happiness, understood as the net balance of ____.
light over darkness
absolute over relative principles
pleasure over pain
long-term over short-term
good over evil
Question 33
Which of the following is true of the impartial spectator?
An impartial and sympathetic spectator would respond negatively to any pain (no matter whose).
He would approve of those actions, social structures and traits of character which maximizes the net balance of pleasure over pain.
He would respond positively to any pleasure (no matter whose).
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 34
Which of the following statements is true of the Enlightenment period?
It was a scientific, philosophical and political movement.
It had its origins in the 17th and 18th century in Britain and France.
politically, it was a movement in opposition to aristocratic and feudal privilege.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 35
With which of the following statements would a utilitarian most likely DISAGREE?
Utilitarianism supports aristocratic and feudal privilege.
Suffering is bad, no matter whose.
Hunger, pain, and suffering are bad--no matter whose it is.
The advancement of human interests is important, no matter whose interests they are.
Utilitarianism arose as part of a democratic, egalitarian social outlook.
Question 36
According to Jeremy Bentham, pleasure is the only intrinsic good and pain the only intrinsic evil. His version of utilitarianism was attacked as a "____ philosophy," as ignoring the value of "higher" pursuits.
cow
pig
dung beetle
rabbit
squirrel
Question 37
John Stuart Mill: "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be ____ dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is only because they only know their own side of the question.”
Plato
Aristotle
Thomas Aquinas
St. Augustine
Socrates
Question 38
One objection to utilitarianism states that there is not enough ____ to calculate what will produce the greatest happiness before one is required to act.
time
money
data
information
energy
Question 39
According to one objection to utilitarianism, it is asking too much of people for them to be always motivated to promote ____.
their self interest
healthy eating
the general welfare
neutral government policies
their own good
Question 40
Jeremy Bentham said that the idea of ____ was "nonsense on stilts."
divine commandments
happiness
moral principles
consequences
natural rights
Question 41
How can a utilitarian respond to the charge that there is not enough time to calculate what will produce the greatest happiness before one is required to act?
We should apply subordinate principles for everyday decisions; we don't do a direct utilitarian calculation.
We should determine whether the action would violate any of God’s commands.
We should not look at the consequences, but whether the action is right or wrong in itself.
There will always be enough time to make a calculated utilitarian decision.
Time is relative to each person, so one may have more time than he originally thought.
Question 42
How does the utilitarian respond to the following objection: We can never be sure what the consequences of our actions will be, and so we cannot identify for sure the course of action that will have the best consequences?
We should strive to be omniscient (all-knowing).
We are usually more or less confident that an action will or will not have various consequences.
The moral propriety of an action (that is, whether it’s right or wrong) does not depend on the consequences.
The consequences of an action are in God’s hands, so we should pray about it.
This is an objection to which the utilitarian does not have a response.
Question 43
How would the utilitarian respond to the following objection: Morality absolutely forbids certain actions, regardless of the consequences. For example, some say that people have certain rights which ought not to be violated, no matter how good the consequences would be of doing so.
The utilitarian will try to invoke the concept of “natural rights.”
The utilitarian will disregard the concept of rights altogether; it does not fit in the utilitarian calculation.
The utilitarian will try to make room for rights by saying that the consequences of having a system of rights are better than the consequences of not having one.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 44
The marginal utility of a resource for a person is the ____.
average price of utility costs for an average consumer in an average city
consequence of maximizing short-term gain
product of intuitive judgments
long-term scarcity of a natural resource
difference in that person's happiness that an additional unit of the resource will make
Question 45
Singer compares speciesism with ____.
racism
dwarfism
sexism
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 46
At the beginning of his argument on nonhuman animal rights, which of the following assumptions does Singer make?
Pain is bad, and similar amounts of pain are equally bad, no matter whose pain it might be. By “pain” here I would include suffering and distress of all kinds.
Humans are not the only beings capable of feeling pain or of suffering.
We are responsible not only for what we do but also for what we could have prevented.
All of the above.
A and C only.
Question 47
A(n) ____ is a demand for an end to prejudice and discrimination based on an arbitrary characteristic like race or sex.
liberation movement
revolution
tour-de-force
eye opener
epiphany
Question 48
What is the final barrier that the animal liberation movement faces?
Cruelty
Habit
Selfishness
Ego
Compassion
Question 49
Isaac Singer: “They have convinced themselves that man, the worst transgressor of all the species, is the crown of creation. All other creatures were created merely to provide him with food, pelts, to be tormented, exterminated. In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal ____.”
Dachau
Auschwitz
Treblinka
concentration camp
slaughterhouse
Question 50
At the beginning of his argument on poverty, Peter Singer makes what assumption explicit?
That the United States is the world police.
That children are more deserving of our assistance than adults.
That it’s the challenge of ethics to care for people beyond your immediate family.
That suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad.
That the United States is the wealthiest nation in the world.
