CHAPTER NO.

1
1.

What does it mean to say that something is instrumentally valuable?

a. It is good for its own sake.
b. It is good because it helps us to achieve some other good.
c. It is good both for its own sake and for what it helps us to achieve.
d. It is useful to think it is valuable, even if it isn't really valuable.

2.

What is a theory of well-being supposed to tell us?

a. Which policies will make people better off
b. Why we ought to try to make other people's lives better
c. Which things are instrumentally good for us
d. Which things are intrinsically good for us

3.

Which of the following does the hedonist believe is intrinsically valuable?

a. The pain of exercising
b. The good health that is a result of exercise
c. The happiness that accompanies being healthy
d. All of the above

4.

Which of the following is an important distinction for hedonists?

a. Present vs. future pleasure
b. Physical vs. attitudinal pleasure
c. Aesthetic vs. emotional pleasure
d. Analytic vs. synthetic pleasure

5.

Who is widely regarded as the first great hedonist in Western philosophy?

a. Plato
b. Aristotle
c. John Stuart Mill
d. Epicurus

6.

Which of the following is an attraction of hedonism?

a. It allows us to explain why people fear lobotomies.

b. Accepting it frees us from moral obligations to others.
c. It explains why there are many different types of good life.
d. All of the above.
7.

How do hedonists typically support the claim that happiness has intrinsic value?
a. They claim that it can be proven on the basis of other principles.
b. They admit it cannot be proven, but must be accepted based on faith.
c. They claim it is self-evident, and is a starting point for thinking about wellbeing.
d. They admit that it is not true, but recommend that we believe it because it is
useful.

8.

How do hedonists regard most rules about how to live a good life?
a. Such rules are not very useful, but not necessarily harmful.
b. Many such rules are correct, and have no exceptions.
c. Such rules are merely tools of those in power, used to subordinate others.
d. Many such rules are useful, but they have exceptions.

9.

What would a hedonist say about a person who sometimes enjoyed his or her own pain?
a. Pain would sometimes be good for such a person.
b. Pain would never be good for such a person.
c. Hedonism would not apply to such a person.
d. The existence of such a person would disprove hedonism.

10. What is the point of Philippa Foot's example about the lobotomized patients?
a. Lobotomies make people unhappy and therefore are to be avoided.
b. Lobotomies make people happy and therefore are to be encouraged.
c. People with lobotomies are sometimes happy, and this is evidence for
hedonism.
d. People with lobotomies are sometimes happy, and this is a problem for
hedonism.

CHAPTER NO. 2
1.

What is the paradox of hedonism?

a. Those who try very hard to make themselves happy almost never succeed.
b. The less you care about material things like wealth and status, the happier you
will be.
c. The more you make other people happy, the happier you will be.
d. All of the above.
2.

How can hedonists overcome the Evil Pleasures objection?

a. By admitting that the pleasure that comes from doing evil deeds is not
valuable
b. By making a distinction between moral goodness and well-being
c. By making a distinction between physical and attitudinal pleasure
d. They can't; the Evil Pleasures objection refutes hedonism.

3.

What are the Two Worlds that Ross imagines in his objection to hedonism?
a. One world without people and another with people
b. One world where everyone is unhappy and another in which everyone is
happy
c. One world in which everyone is deluded and another in which everyone is
informed
d. One world in which everyone is virtuous and another in which everyone is
vicious

4.

What does Ross's Two Worlds objection falsely assume about hedonism?
a. That it provides a way of evaluating human lives
b. That it provides a way of evaluating the morality of human actions
c. That it provides a way of evaluating worlds
d. All of the above

5.

What is the experience machine thought experiment supposed to show?

a. The dangers of technology to our well-being
b. The value of autonomy
c. The value of being in contact with reality
d. The way in which selfishness can detract from well-being

6.

What is lacking in the lives of people in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World?

a. Happiness
b. The satisfaction of their desires
c. Autonomy
d. Physical pleasure
7.

What is paternalism?
a. Limiting someone's liberty against her will for her own good
b. Limiting someone's liberty against her will for your own good
c. Giving parental advice to someone and letting her make up her own mind
d. Treating someone biologically unrelated like one's own child

8.

Which kind of life do hedonists claim is best?

a. A life that begins in misery and ends with many happy years
b. A life that begins with many happy years and ends in misery
c. A life that is moderately happy from start to finish
d. All of these lives could be equally good according to hedonism.

9.

Which of the following claims is part of the argument from multiple harms against hedonism?
a. According to hedonism, things can harm you even if they don't make you
unhappy.
b. Things cannot harm you unless they make you unhappy.
c. According to hedonism, you can be harmed by something only because it
saddens you.
d. None of the above.

10. Which of the following claims is not true?

a. If hedonism is true, the only thing intrinsically good for people is happiness.
b. If hedonism is false, happiness is not intrinsically good for people.
c. If happiness is not intrinsically good for people, then hedonism is false.
d. Even if hedonism is true, many things may be instrumentally good for people.

CHAPTER NO. 3
1.

Which of the following is a central claim of the desire satisfaction theory?

a. The satisfaction of a desire always directly contributes to one's welfare.

b. The satisfaction of desires is the only thing that directly contributes to one's
welfare.
c. The only reason for which anything can contribute to one's welfare is because
it satisfies a desire.
d. All of the above.
2.

Which of the following would the desire satisfaction theorist accept?

a. Knowledge is always intrinsically good for people.
b. Knowledge is always instrumentally good for people.
c. Knowledge can be intrinsically good for people, but only when it satisfies a
desire.
d. Knowledge can be instrumentally good for people, but only when it satisfies a
desire.

3.

Which of the following types of life is guaranteed to go well, according to the desire
satisfaction theory?
a. A life filled with pleasure
b. A life spent satisfying the desires of others
c. A life spent pursuing knowledge
d. None of the above

4.

What is an objective theory of welfare?

a. A theory that claims that objects, not happiness or relationships, are the key
to happiness
b. A theory according to which there are facts about welfare, not merely opinions
c. A theory according to which some things contribute to our welfare
independently of our desires and beliefs
d. All of the above

5.

Which of the following is a common complaint about objective theories of welfare?

a. They can't account for the fact that knowledge is good for us.
b. They can't explain the relationship between well-being and motivation.
c. They falsely claim that happiness is not good for us.
d. They can't explain why wealth is instrumentally good for us.

6.

Which of the following is widely considered an attraction of the desire satisfaction theory?

a. It makes what is good for us up to us.

b. It explains why happiness is always good for us.
c. It explains why some things are good for us even if they don't satisfy any or
our desires.
d. All of the above.
7.

What is the desire satisfaction theorist's explanation of why we are motivated to benefit
ourselves?
a. Our beliefs about welfare motivate us.
b. Our desires motivate us.
c. We are socialized into the habit of benefiting ourselves.
us.

8.

d. Benefiting ourselves makes us happy, and the prospect of happiness motivates

Which of the following is a premise in the desire satisfaction theorist's argument for selfinterest?
a. If something satisfies our desires, then we have reason to obtain it.
b. People always morally ought to do whatever is in their self-interest.
c. No one is capable of acting unselfishly.
d. If everyone acted self-interestedly, everyone would be happier in the long run.

9.

Which of the following would the desire satisfaction theorist not endorse?
a. We can know what is good for us by figuring out what we want and how to get
it.
b. We always have reason to obtain whatever makes us better off.
c. Happiness is always good for people.
d. Sometimes it is difficult to know whether something is good for us.

10. Which of the following would the desire satisfaction theorist endorse?
a. The satisfaction of any of your desires directly benefits you.
b. The satisfaction of many (but not all) of your desires directly benefits you.
c. The satisfaction of any of your desires benefits you, but only instrumentally.
d. The satisfaction of many (but not all) of your desires benefits, you but only
instrumentally

CHAPTER 4

1.

Which of the following is the desire satisfaction theory committed to?

a. If something is good for us, then it fulfills our desires.
b. If something fulfills our desires, then it is good for us.
c. Nothing can be good for us unless it fulfills our desires.
d. All of the above.

2.

What is the example of giving vaccines to small children supposed to show?

a. Some things can benefit us without satisfying our desires.
b. Some things can satisfy desires without benefiting anyone.
c. Most benefits satisfy some desire or other.
d. Small children are incapable of being benefited or harmed.

3.

Which of the following shows that desire satisfaction is not necessary for becoming better off?
a. The paradox of self-sacrifice
b. Desires that are satisfied without our knowledge
c. Pleasant surprises
d. Passing fancies

4.

According to the text, what does the existence of desires based on false beliefs show?
a. We can become better off without having our desires satisfied.
b. The desire satisfaction theory needs to be modified.
c. The desire satisfaction theory is irreparably mistaken.
d. The desire satisfaction theory is plausible in many cases.

5.

What is a disinterested desire?

a. A desire that one doesn't care about very much
b. A desire that is not focused on oneself
c. A desire that is primarily the result of boredom
d. A desire that will lead to disappointment

6.

A desire directed toward the interests of a distant stranger is an example of which kind of
desire?

a. An uninformed desire
b. An other-regarding desire
c. An impoverished desire
d. None of the above
7.

Which of the following claims is the desire satisfaction theorist unable to endorse?
a. Health, wealth, and happiness are often instrumentally good for us.
b. Some desires are intrinsically better than others.
c. What is good for us is up to us.
d. Some desires are disinterested.

8.

What does it mean to say a desire is impoverished

a. It was not formed in an autonomous way.
b. It is based on false beliefs.
c. It does not regard oneself.
d. It is not very specific.

9.

What is the paradox of self-harm?

a. Attempts to make yourself better off often ending up harming you.
b. According to the desire satisfaction theory, it is impossible to intentionally
harm yourself.
c. Attempts to harm yourself often make you better off.
d. According to the desire satisfaction theory, all harm is self-harm.

10. What can never be in our self-interest, according to the desire satisfaction theory?
a. Making ourselves happy
b. Creating works of art
c. Changing all our desires
d. Trying to make autonomous decisions

CHPTER 5
1.

Which of the following assumptions was not examined in this chapter?

a. All religions teach basically the same moral message.

b. Religious belief is required to get us to do our duty.
c. God is the creator of morality.
d. Religion is an essential source of moral guidance.
2.

What is the term for a person who is not sure whether God exists?
a. Atheist
b. Agnostic
c. Deist
d. Theist

3.

Which of the following claims would the deist accept?

a. God does not exist.
b. God exists but does not give us commands.
c. God exists and gives commands but did not create morality.
d. God exists and is the creator of morality.

4.

According to the text, what does good moral character involve?

a. Doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do
b. Doing the right thing out of fear of punishment
c. Doing the right thing out of love of God
d. Any of the above would constitute good moral character.

5.

What is the relationship between religion and moral motivation?

a. Religion is required to motivate us to do the right thing.
b. Religion often motivates people to do the right thing.
c. Religion is not required to motivate us to do the right thing.
d. Both b and c.

6.

What is the Divine Command Theory?

a. The view that God's commands do not create morality but reliably track it
b. The view that God's commands create morality
c. The view that God created the universe simply by issuing a command

d. The view that God's commands are the only thing that motivates us to act
morally
7.

Which of the following is a premise in the argument for God's creation of morality?
a. Every law requires a lawmaker.
b. If theism is true, then the Divine Command Theory is true.
c. If God did not create morality, we have no reason to be moral.
d. All of the above.

8.

What problem does Socrates's question in the Euthyphroraise for the Divine Command
Theory?
a. If God does not exist, the Divine Command Theory must be false.
b. Many people don't believe in God but still behave morally.
c. If the Divine Command Theory is true, then God's commands are arbitrary.
d. If the Divine Command Theory is true, then it is impossible to know what is
right or wrong.

9.

Which of the following is required if we are to be justified in relying on religion for moral
guidance?
a. We must have good reason to believe in God.
b. We must have a way of selecting which religious text is the correct one.
c. We must have a way of accurately interpreting our chosen religious text.
d. All of the above.

10. Why is a literal reading of religious texts problematic?

a. Such texts sometimes contradict themselves.
b. A literal reading would often challenge our ordinary assumptions.
c. It is impossible to determine what a literal reading would consist of.
d. If we read the texts literally, we are not permitted to do many things we'd like
to do.

CHAPTER 6
1.

What makes someone a good person, according to the natural law theory?
a. Obeying the laws of the land
b. Obeying God's commands

c. Fulfilling his or her true nature

d. Doing whatever maximizes happiness
2.

Which of the following is natural law theory thought to explain?

a. The objectivity of morality
b. The origins of morality
c. The possibility of moral knowledge
d. All of the above

3.

What is an empirical truth?

a. A truth that couldn't possibly have been false
b. A truth that can be known simply by understanding it
c. A truth that can be known only by using the senses
d. A scientific hypothesis that is regarded as true but has not been proven

4.

How do we come to have moral knowledge, according to natural law theory?

a. By consulting religious texts
b. By careful scientific study
c. By reflecting on the idea of morality
d. Moral knowledge is impossible, according to natural law theory.

5.

Which of the following claims best describes Hobbes's conception of human nature?
a. People are inherently selfish and competitive.
b. People are inherently cooperative and altruistic.
c. People are inherently moral but are quickly corrupted by society.
d. People are inherently blank slates, neither naturally selfish nor naturally
altruistic.

6.

What two models of natural purposes are discussed in the text?

a. The Efficiency Model and the Fitness Model
b. The Pleasure Model and the Desire Satisfaction Model
c. The Natural Law Model and the Positive Law Model
d. The Empirical Model and the Conceptual Model

7.

What is it for a term to be ambiguous?

a. It is clear and precise.
b. It has more than one meaning.
c. It is meaningless.
d. It plays a key role in an argument.

8.

How do moral laws differ from natural laws?

a. They can be broken.
b. They do not describe how we actually behave.
c. They are not used to predict future behavior.
d. All of the above.

9.

According to the text, what is wrong with the argument from humanity?
a. It is invalid.
b. One of the premises is clearly false.
c. One of the key terms is ambiguous.
d. All of the above.

10. According to the text, what is the role of nature in moral theory?
a. Nature determines what is right or wrong.
b. Nature is completely irrelevant to morality.
c. Nature sets the outer bounds of morality.
d. None of the above.

CHAPTER 7
1.

What lesson have many people taken from the story of the Ring of Gyges?
a. People are fundamentally self-interested.
b. People are fundamentally altruistic.
c. Political power is best concentrated in the hands of a few good people.
d. Political power is dangerous when concentrated in the hands of a few people.

2.

Which of the following is impossible, according to psychological egoism?

a. Acting to benefit oneself

b. Acting to benefit others for the sake of oneself
c. Giving up some present benefit for the sake of a future benefit
d. Acting to benefit others for the sake of others
3.

Why isn't psychological egoism considered an ethical theory?

a. It aims to tell us how we do behave, not how we should behave.
b. It has no implications for ethics.
c. It is regarded as immoral.
d. Both a and b.

4.

What does psychological egoism say about acts of altruism?

a. They are very nice to perform but never morally obligatory.
b. People sometimes perform them, but doing so is immoral.
c. They are rare and are performed only by truly exceptional people.
d. They are impossible.

5.

Which of the following best describes the relationship between psychological egoism and
ethics?
a. Psychological egoism has no implications for ethics.
b. Psychological egoism aims to provide a comprehensive guide to our moral
obligations.
c. The truth of psychological egoism would have a few minor implications for
ethics.
d. The truth of psychological egoism would mean that most of what we take for
granted about morality would be mistaken.

6.

What is strictly conscientious action?

a. Any action that is morally permissible
b. Any action that is morally required
c. Any action performed because one believes it to be morally required
d. Any action performed because one consciously chooses it from a set of
alternatives

7.

Which of the following must be true in order for the argument from expected benefit to
succeed?

a. Any time we act, we expect to be better off.

b. Any time we act, we aim at making ourselves better off.
c. Any time we act, we make ourselves better off in some way.
d. Both a and b.
8.

If one cannot conceive of any evidence that would refute psychological egoism, what does this
suggest about the theory?
a. It is clearly true.
b. It is clearly false.
c. The theory is not being held rationally.
d. The theory is probably, but not certainly, true.

9.

According to the text, what does the evidence suggest about psychological egoism?
a. It is probably true, but it might be false.
b. It is probably false, but it might be true.
c. It is proven to be true.
d. It is proven to be false.

10. What would the psychological egoist say about someone who acts to avoid a guilty
conscience?
a. This would be impossible, according to psychological egoism.
b. Such a person acts out of a direct concern for morality.
c. Such a person acts out of a self-interested desire to avoid guilt.
d. Such a person behaves altruistically, which, according to psychological egoism,
is very rare.

Chapter 8
1.

What is ethical egoism?

a. The theory that every human action aims at some personal benefit
b. The theory that altruism is impossible
c. The theory that actions are morally right just because they promote one's selfinterest
d. The theory that it is permissible, but not obligatory, to value oneself over
others

2.

Which of the following accurately describes the relationship between ethical egoism and
psychological egoism?
a. If psychological egoism is true, this supports ethical egoism.
b. If ethical egoism is true, psychological egoism must be true.
c. They are competing theories about what we ought to do.
d. They are competing theories about the way humans actually behave.

3.

What would an ethical egoist say about a situation in which self-interest and morality conflict?
a. One should do what morality demands.
b. One should do what self-interest demands.
c. One should sometimes do what morality requires and sometimes pursue selfinterest.
d. Such a situation is impossible, according to ethical egoism.

4.

Which of the following rights do we have, according to ethical egoism?

a. A right to not be physically assaulted
b. A right not to have our property taken from us
c. A right to pursue our own self-interest
d. All of the above

5.

According to the text, what is wrong with the self-reliance argument?

a. It is not true that all would be better off if everyone tended to his or her own
needs.
b. The egoist cannot endorse the claim that we ought to do what benefits
everyone.
c. Both a and b.
d. Nothing; the argument is sound.

6.

What is the relationship between libertarianism and ethical egoism?

a. If libertarianism is true, ethical egoism must be true.
b. Libertarianism supports ethical egoism but does not require it.
c. Ethical egoism supports libertarianism but does not require it.
d. Libertarianism and ethical egoism are inconsistent.

7.

According to the text, what is the best argument for ethical egoism?

a. Our moral obligations give us reasons, and all reasons come from selfinterest.
b. Everyone would be better off if everyone were an ethical egoist.
c. Libertarianism is true, and libertarianism requires ethical egoism.
d. None of the above.
8.

Which of the following is a problem for ethical egoism?

a. It falsely claims that altruism is impossible.
b. It violates core moral beliefs.
c. It cannot explain why we have reason to be moral.
d. All of the above.

9.

According to ethical egoism, how should we regard the basic needs of others?
a. They are just as important as our needs.
b. They are important but less important than our needs.
c. We should completely discount them.
d. We should seek to thwart them whenever possible.

10. Which of the following claims about ethical egoism is nottrue?

a. It cannot allow for the existence of moral rights.
b. It claims that everyone always behaves selfishly.
c. It arbitrarily makes one's own interests all-important.
d. It may require us to do things that seem like paradigmatic cases of
immorality.

Chapter 9
1.

Which of the following best describes the relationship between utilitarianism and
consequentialism?
a. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism.
b. Consequentialism is a form of utilitarianism.
c. Utilitarianism and consequentialism are completely independent theories.
d. Utilitarianism and consequentialism are inconsistent.

2.

What is necessary in order to gain moral knowledge, according to most utilitarians?

a. Having a virtuous disposition

b. Accurately predicting the consequences of an action
c. Making a careful study of moral philosophy
d. Most utilitarians deny the existence of moral knowledge.
3.

Which of the following do most utilitarians believe determines the morality of actions?
a. The expected consequences of the action
b. The actual consequences of the action
c. The goodness of the intentions of the person performing the action
d. Whether or not the action violates God's commands

4.

What determines the morality of the intentions behind one's actions, according to
utilitarianism?
a. The expected consequences of the action
b. The actual consequences of the action
c. The emotions felt by the person performing the action
d. The sincerity of the person performing the action

5.

According to the text, what do most utilitarians believe about conventional moral wisdom?
a. Most of conventional morality is mistaken.
b. Conventional morality is mistaken in some ways but is mostly correct.
c. Conventional morality is entirely correct.
d. Conventional morality should be ignored whenever doing so is in one's selfinterest.

6.

What attitudes do most utilitarians take toward moral rules?

a. Many moral rules are absolute and must never be broken.
b. Moral rules can be helpful but can be broken if doing so is optimific.
c. Following moral rules is harmful and ought to be shunned.
d. Utilitarians believe that the idea of a moral rule is incoherent.

7.

What attitude do most utilitarians take toward non-human animals?

a. Their suffering does not matter morally.
b. Their suffering matters morally but not nearly as much as that of humans.

c. If an animal suffers to the same extent as a human, the animal's suffering is

equally important.
d. Animal suffering is morally more important than human suffering because
animals are not moral agents.
8.

In determining the moral permissibility of the death penalty, which is not a concern of a
consequentialist?
a. Whether or not the death penalty reduces crime
b. Whether or not the death penalty increases security
c. Whether or not the death penalty is applied fairly
d. Whether or not the death penalty expands respect for human life

9.

What does it mean for you to be a member of the moral community?

a. That you are part of a society that has certain moral beliefs
b. That you are part of a group that acts morally
c. That you are morally virtuous
d. That you are morally important in your own right

10. Consequentialists all agree that

a. morality requires whatever act is optimific.
b. well-being is the only thing that is intrinsically valuable.
c. all living things are members of the moral community.
d. all of the above.

Chapter 10
1.

Utilitarians can avoid the problem of adding up well-being by claiming that well-being consists
in
a. how happy you are.
b. the degree to which your desires are sissified.
c. both a and b.
d. None of the abovethe problem is unavoidable.

2.

Utilitarianism requires that agents always

a. consider each option and its effects before deciding how to act.
b. always be motivated by maximizing the good.
c. always act to achieve optimific results.
d. all of the above.
3.

How would most utilitarians characterize the principle of utility?

a. It is a standard of rightness.
b. It is a decision procedure.
c. It describes the single appropriate motivation when making choices.
d. All of the above.

4.

Which of the following would the utilitarian regard as wrong in all possible circumstances?
a. Violating someone's rights
b. Performing an action that is not optimific
c. Killing an innocent person
d. None of the above

5.

Which of the following responses to the problem of injustice is not consistent with
utilitarianism?
a. Justice must sometimes be sacrificed for the sake of well-being.
b. Justice is intrinsically valuable.
c. Injustice is never optimific.
d. In almost every case, the just action will also be the one that maximizes wellbeing.

6.

What is the primary motivation for rule consequentialism?

a. It is thought to solve the problem of injustice.
b. It avoids the irrational rule worship of act utilitarianism.
c. It allows for more moral flexibility than act utilitarianism.
d. It vindicates all actually existing social norms.

7.

What is the attitude of most consequentialists toward rule consequentialism?

a. It is an improvement over other versions of consequentialism.
b. Other versions of consequentialism are preferable to it.

c. It is an equal contender in the debate among consequentialists.

d. It turns out to be equivalent to ethical egoism.
8.

According to utilitarianism, it is intrinsically morally right to

a. donate to charity.
b. make someone happy.
c. act in your self-interest.
d. none of the above.

9.

Exemplary punishment is
a. punishment that makes an example of someone.
b. punishment that is a model for other punishments.
c. punishment that rehabilitates the criminal.
d. punishment that is targets innocent people.

10. An optimific social rule is a rule which

a. is optimific whenever it's followed.
b. is optimific when nearly everyone follows it.
c. is optimific most of the time.
d. is optimific for a certain society

Chapter 11
1.

What is the fundamental principle of morality, according to Kant?

a. Never lie.
b. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
c. Act only on maxims that are universalizable.
d. Always maximize happiness.

2.

What did Kant believe is the relationship between rationality and morality?
a. Morality and rationality are fundamentally opposed.
b. Rationality requires us to be moral.

c. Morality and rationality are completely independent.

d. Rationality might sometimes require immorality, but not often.
3.

Which of the following did Kant believe to be the central moral virtue?
a. Integrity
b. Benevolence
c. Compassion
d. None of the above

4.

The principle of universalizability states that you should

a. act only in such a way that you would be comfortable with everyone acting.
b. act towards others as you would want them to act towards you.
c. act only according to maxims that are universalizable.
d. act only if your maxim results in good consequences.

5.

According to the text, what is wrong with the principle of universalizability?

a. It fails to explain what's wrong with lying.
b. It permits the actions of principled fanatics.
c. It falsely claims that the central moral virtue is benevolence.
d. It makes the morality of actions solely a matter of their consequences.

6.

To have integrity is to
a. act in harmony with the principles you believe in.
b. act in a way that benefits others.
c. act morally.
d. act consistently.

7.

According to Kant, which actions have maxims?

a. Moral actions
b. Immoral actions
c. Rational actions
d. All of the above

8.

The Amoralist's Challenge is a direct challenge to what?

a. Kant's principle of universalizability

b. Kant's claim that immoral conduct is irrational
c. Kant's claim that every action has a maxim
d. Kant's verdict in the lying promise case
9.

According to Kant, moral requirements apply to

a. all living things.
b. all who possess reason.
c. all who can suffer.
d. none of the above.

10. According to Kant, if two actions have the same result

a. they have the same maxim.
b. they have the same moral status.
c. they are the same act.
d. none of the above.

Chapter 12
1.

Which of the following is Kant's principle of humanity?

a. Always treat a human being as an end, never as a mere means.
b. Always act so as to maximize the well-being of humanity.
c. Always act on maxims that all of humanity accepts.
d. None of the above.

2.

When Kant talks about humanity, to whom is he referring?

a. All and only those who are members of the species Homo sapiens
b. All sentient animals
c. All and only those beings that possess autonomy and rationality
d. All primates, including Homo sapiens

3.

What is autonomy?

a. The capacity to communicate using language

b. The ability to decide which principles will govern your life
to do

c. The tendency to do the right thing because you understand it is the right thing
d. The tendency to do the right thing because of your desires

4.

What is the only thing that has value in all circumstances, according to Kant?
a. Happiness
b. The satisfaction of desires
c. Wisdom
d. The good will

5.

When did Kant think that actions are truly praiseworthy?

a. When they are motivated by benevolence
b. When they are done in accordance with duty
c. When they are performed from the good will
d. When the consequences are optimific

6.

What is motivating a person who acts from the good will?

a. An understanding of what is morally required
b. A desire to benefit others
c. The emotion of empathy
d. A desire for reward

7.

What principle did Kant think tells us what criminals deserve?

a. The golden rule
b. Lex talionis
c. The principle of utility
d. The principle of non-contradiction

8.

Which of the following characterizes cases of moral luck?

a. One does the right thing for the wrong reasons.
b. One does the right thing for the right reasons.

c. The morality of an action depends on factors within one's control.

d. The morality of an action depends on factors outside of one's control.
9.

Which of the following claims, if true, would refute Kant's theory?

a. People are not autonomous.
b. People often behave immorally.
c. Some people lack the good will.
d. All of the above.

10. Which of the following claims about non-human animals did Kant not endorse?
a. They have no moral rights.
b. They lack rationality and autonomy.
c. Abusing them can have bad consequences.
d. It is permissible to treat them in any way we like.

Chapter 13
1.

What does the approach known as proceduralism claim?

a. All criminal trials must follow a rigorous procedure in order to be fair.
b. Ethical theorizing should begin with our deeply held moral judgments.
c. Ethical theorizing should begin by identifying a method for distinguishing right
from wrong.
d. Ethical theory is an empty formality.

2.

When is an action morally right, according to contractarianism?

a. When it does not break any of one's agreements
b. When it respects the rights and autonomy of others
c. When it is permitted by the rules that free, equal, and rational people would
agree to
d. When it maximizes the well-being of all involved

3.

What is the term for a situation in which everyone is made worse off when all pursue selfinterest?
a. Paradox of hedonism
b. Prisoner's dilemma

c. Egoistic pitfall
d. Mutually assured destruction
4.

What was Thomas Hobbes's term for a condition in which there is no government to maintain
order?
a. The lawless condition
b. The state of nature
c. The before time
d. The state of Eden

5.

What did Hobbes think is the only way to escape from the condition in which there is no
government to maintain order?
a. For each person, individually, to strive to morally improve himself
b. For people to accept a religious faith
c. To mutually agree on a set of rules for social cooperation
d. Hobbes did not think such a state could be truly escaped.

6.

How do contractarians seek to justify basic moral rules?

a. By showing that free, equal, and rational people would agree to such rules
b. By showing that they maximize utility
c. By showing that such rules are universalizable
d. Contractarians claim that basic moral rules cannot be justified.

7.

How does contractarianism regard the status of moral rules?

a. They are a matter of personal opinion.
b. They are a matter of societal convention.
c. They are objective.
d. There are no moral rules, according to contractarianism.

8.

When is it permissible to break moral rules, according to contractarianism?

a. Whenever doing so is in one's self-interest
b. Whenever most others consistently fail to abide by them
c. Whenever doing so will maximize utility
d. Never

9.

What is Rawls's veil of ignorance?

a. A metaphorical term for the way in which humans often fail to empathize with
one another
b. A description of the tools used by governments to keep their people ignorant
c. An imaginary device for ensuring that contractors make fair choices
d. An objection to contractarianism

10. When does contractarianism claim that civil disobedience is justified?

a. Whenever a law is grossly unjust
b. Whenever it is in one's long-term self-interest
c. Always
d. Never

Chapter 14
1.

Which of the following best characterizes the attitude of Hobbes's character the Fool?
a. He does not believe that breaking promises is unjust.
b. He believes that breaking promises is unjust but doesn't care.
c. He always keeps promises, whether it is in his interest or not.
d. He believes it is always irrational to break promises.

2.

Which of the following best describes the free-riderproblem?

a. Everyone would be better off if everyone refrained from pursuing self-interest.
b. People can sometimes enjoy common goods without contributing to them.
c. A person who receives welfare from the government thereby loses the
incentive to work.
d. Industrious people always attract others who try to capitalize on their success.

3.

What is the ultimate point of morality, according to contractarians?

a. To maximize the well-being of all sentient beings
b. To ensure that we behave in ways that are consistent and universalizable
c. To promote self-interest through mutually beneficial agreements
d. To obey God's commands

4.

What is the term for the idea that we have agreed to obey the law simply by living where we
do?
a. Explicit consent
b. Tacit consent
c. Lex talionis
d. Birthright citizenship

5.

What is the conclusion of the consent argument?

a. It is always irrational to break the law.
b. It is sometimes rational to break the law.
c. Everyone has a duty to obey the law.
d. Many people do not have a duty to obey the law.

6.

According to contractarianism, what fixes our basic moral duties?

a. Our actual agreements
b. Our tacit agreements
c. The agreements we would make if we were free, rational, and seeking
cooperation
d. The principle of utility

7.

What is Rawls's veil of ignorance thought to ensure?

a. The contractors will always agree among themselves
b. The agreements of the contractors will be fair
c. Both a and b.
d. Neither a nor b.

8.

Which of the following is a problem for the idea of veil of ignorance?

a. It is unclear why we should follow agreements made by people unlike us.
b. It renders the agreements of the contractors unfair.
c. It assures that the contractors will disagree among themselves.
d. All of the above.

9.

According to contractarianism, what motivates the contractors to select the rules they do?

a. A desire for revenge

b. Rational self-interest
c. Impartial benevolence
d. Selfless altruism
10. Which of the following are members of the moral community, according to contractarianism?
a. All contractors
b. Non-human animals
c. The severely mentally retarded
d. All of the above

Chapter 15
1.

Ethical egoism, utilitarianism, and contractarianism all fall into what family of theories?
a. Consequentialism
b. Hedonism
c. Ethical pluralism
d. Ethical monism

2.

What is the term for an ethical rule that may never permissibly be broken?
a. A fundamental rule
b. A monistic rule
c. An absolute rule
d. A pluralistic rule

3.

What does it mean to say that an ethical rule is fundamental?

a. It may never permissibly be broken.
b. Every other moral rule is derived from it.
c. It is not explained by some deeper, more basic rule.
d. All of the above.

4.

Which of the following would an ethical pluralist notaccept?

a. In questions of morality, there are no truths.

b. There is no single supreme principle of morality.
c. There is more than one fundamental moral rule.
d. Utilitarianism and ethical egoism are both false.
5.

What is the argument from disaster prevention supposed to show?

a. There are no absolute moral rules.
b. There are no fundamental moral rules.
c. Ethical pluralism is true.
d. Ethical pluralism is false.

6.

What is the term for the view that we are sometimes permitted to act in ways
that foreseeably cause certain harms, even though we are never permitted to intendthose
harms?
a. The Doctrine of Doing and Allowing
b. Ethical pluralism
c. The Doctrine of Double Effect
d. The Intentionality Doctrine

7.

Suppose someone could show that any two moral rules are bound to conflict at some point.
What would this show?
a. Ethical pluralism is false.
b. Ethical absolutism is false.
c. There can be, at most, only one absolute moral rule.
d. Consequentialism is true.

8.

In what sense is ethical absolutism sometimes thought to be irrational?

a. Adherence to absolute rules can frustrate the underlying purpose of the rules.
b. There is no evidence for the existence of objective moral rules.
c. Ethical absolutism requires assuming that one's views are right and that
everyone else is wrong.
d. All of the above.

9.

Which of the following claims states the Doctrine of Doing and Allowing?

a. It is never permissible to do harm but sometimes permissible to allow harm.

b. It is always morally worse to do harm than to allow the same harm to occur.
c. It is never permissible to allow harm but sometimes permissible to do harm.
d. It is always morally worse to allow harm than to do the same harm.
10. According to the text, which of the following is a problem for the Doctrine of Doing and
Allowing?
a. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish doings from allowings.
b. There seem to be cases in which allowing a harm is as bad as doing it.
c. The results of some thought experiments seem to conflict with it.
d. All of the above.

Chapter 16
1.

What is a prima facie duty?

a. A permanent, non-absolute reason to do something
b. Something that appears to be a duty but might not actually be morally
relevant
c. An absolute moral principle that coexists with other absolute principles
d. A legal obligation to fulfill one's contracts

2.

Which of the following claims would Ross accept?

a. The morality of an action is always determined by its consequences.
b. There is a supreme principle of morality.
c. There are several absolute moral rules.
d. Justice is always an important moral consideration.

3.

Which of the following is not included on Ross's list of prima facie duties?
a. Gratitude
b. Justice
c. Self-improvement
d. Promotion of beauty

4.

According to Ross's theory, regret

a. is always irrational.
b. is evidence that something of value has been sacrificed.
c. is appropriate only when one has behaved immorally.
d. is a prima facie duty.
5.

Which of the following does Ross's theory explain?

a. Why what is good for us is up to us
b. Why we sometimes experience moral conflict
c. Why there are many different kinds of good life
d. Why some moral rules may never be broken

6.

What did Ross think is the relationship between justice and well-being?
a. Behaving justly is always more important than promoting well-being.
b. Promoting well-being is always more important than behaving justly.
c. Sometimes behaving justly is more important than promoting well-being and
sometimes not.
d. The demands of justice will never conflict with promoting well-being.

7.

How does Ross think we can know our prima facie duties?
a. By deducing them from other moral principles
b. They are self-evident.
c. Through a process of circular reasoning
d. None of the aboveRoss did not think we could know our prima facie duties.

8.

How does Ross think we can know what the right thing to do is when our prima facie duties
conflict?
a. By deducing it from other moral principles
b. It is self-evident.
c. Through a process of circular reasoning
d. None of the aboveRoss did not think there was a definite method for
determining right action in such cases.

9.

Which of the following would ethical particularists accept?

a. There is a supreme principle of morality.

b. There is sometimes a fact of the matter about what we ought to do.
c. There are some true moral rules, but they all have exceptions.
d. All of the above.
10. According to the text, what is the most serious problem for ethical particularism?
a. It lacks unity.
b. It lacks an account of moral knowledge.
c. Some things seem to possess moral importance.
d. It falsely claims that some moral rules are exceptionless.

Chapter 17
1.

What notion should be at the heart of ethical theory, according to virtue ethics?
a. Duty
b. Intrinsic value
c. Moral character
d. Pleasure

2.

What is the relationship between duty and virtue, according to virtue ethics?
a. Duty is defined as what a virtuous person would do.
b. Virtue is defined as a character trait that leads us to do our duty.
c. The two concepts are independent of one another.
d. If one does one's duty, virtue is unnecessary.

3.

What is a moral exemplar?

a. A non-absolute moral rule
b. A person who serves as a role model
c. A situation that illustrates the consequences of a moral principle
d. A person to whom the moral rules do not apply

4.

Which of the following does virtue ethics have a hard time explaining?

a. Moral complexity
b. Moral education
c. The role of emotions in morality
d. How we can know who our role models should be
5.

What does moral understanding require, according to virtue ethics?

a. The application of absolute rules to particular cases
b. Calculation about the effects of one's actions
c. An exceptional amount of intelligence
d. Emotional maturity

6.

How did Aristotle think that virtue could be acquired?

a. It is inborn.
b. One must have a conversion experience in which one experiences the good
directly.
c. Virtue is acquired through education and training.
d. It is impossible to become virtuous.

7.

How do virtuous people differ from vicious people?

a. In their behavior
b. In their thoughts
c. In their perceptions
d. All of the above

8.

What do people seek above all else, according to Aristotle?

a. Eudaimonia
b. Ataraxia
c. Pleasure
d. Power

9.

What is a tragic dilemma?

a. A situation in which one has two options, only one of which will have a good
outcome
b. A situation in which a good person's life will be ruined, no matter what she

does
c. A situation in which one must choose between self-interest and morality
d. A situation in which it is impossible to behave morally
10. Which of the following is a statement of the priority problem?
a. Virtue ethics wrongly defines duty in terms of virtue instead of vice versa.
b. A person can be virtuous without having all her priorities straight.
c. The consequences of an action sometimes have priority over one's intentions.
d. Virtue ethics lacks a way of ranking moral principles in terms of importance.

Chapter 18
1.

Which of the following philosophers believed that women are the moral equals of men?
a. Aristotle
b. Thomas Aquinas
c. Rousseau
d. None of the above.

2.

Which of the following best describes feminist ethics?

a. It is a particular ethical theory.
b. It is a family of ethical theories.
c. It is an account of what rights people have.
d. It is a psychological theory about gender difference.

3.

According to the text, which author allowed feminist ethics to come into its own?
a. John Stuart Mill
b. Susan B. Anthony
c. Carol Gilligan
d. Elizabeth Cady Stanton

4.

Which claim did Carol Gilligan argue for in In a Different Voice?

a. Women's psychologies are innately different than men's.
b. Women tend to react to moral conflict differently from men.

c. All women share a common moral outlook.

d. All of the above.
5.

What relationship plays a central role in the ethics of care?

a. Mother/child
b. Wife/husband
c. Sister/brother
d. Friendship between females

6.

Which of the following carries great moral value, according to the ethics of care?
a. Competition
b. Abstraction
c. Partiality
d. Reason

7.

According to the text, what attitude do many feminists take toward rights?
a. They have been insufficiently emphasized in moral philosophy.
b. They have been overly emphasized in moral philosophy.
c. Claiming rights unites people more often than it divides them.
d. Both a and c.

8.

Which of the following is the supreme principle of morality, according to feminist ethics?
a. An action is right if and only if it maximizes utility.
b. An action is right if and only if it shows care for others.
c. An action is right if and only if it doesn't involve gender discrimination.
d. None of the above.

9.

How do feminists claim we can come to have moral knowledge?

a. By impartially considering interests
b. By rationally calculating what would be most beneficial to oneself
c. By reliably applying moral rules
d. By sensitively considering the particular circumstances

10. According to the text, which of the following is not a challenge for feminist ethics?

a. Partiality is sometimes permissible.

b. The theory threatens to restrict the scope of the moral community too greatly.
c. Justice is an important moral value.
d. Competition is sometimes valuable.

Chapter 19
1.

Which of the following would the ethical objectivist accept?

a. Morality is determined by the guiding ideals of a society.
b. Morality is determined by personal opinion.
c. There are no moral truths at all.
d. None of the above.

2.

Which of the following would a cultural relativist accept?

a. Morality is determined by the guiding ideals of a society.
b. Morality is determined by personal opinion.
c. There are no moral truths at all.
d. None of the above.

3.

Which of the following is not a version of moral skepticism?

a. Moral nihilism
b. Ethical objectivism
c. Ethical subjectivism
d. Cultural relativism

4.

Which of the following would a cultural relativist notaccept?

a. Different societies have different moral codes.
b. Individuals can be mistaken about what is morally required of them.
c. Some societies have better moral codes than others.
d. There are no objective moral standards.

5.

What does cultural relativism imply about iconoclasts who oppose the conventional moral
wisdom of a society?

a. They are always a source of moral progress.

b. They are always morally mistaken.
c. They can be morally correct but are often morally mistaken.
d. They are impossible.
6.

According to ethical subjectivism, what is the relationship between a thing being good and
someone approving of it?
a. The only reason people approve of things is because those things are good.
b. Whether something is good is independent of whether anyone approves of it.
c. Good people approve of good things, whereas bad people approve of bad
things.
d. Things are good only because people approve of them.

7.

If cultural relativism is true, what happens when the moral code of a society changes?
a. Such changes always indicate moral progress.
b. Such changes only rarely indicate moral progress.
c. Such changes never indicate moral progress.
d. It is impossible for a society's moral code to change, according to cultural
relativism.

8.

If I say, The death penalty is immoral, what does this mean, according to ethical
subjectivism?
a. The death penalty is objectively morally wrong.
b. My society disapproves of the death penalty.
c. I disapprove of the death penalty.
d. This claim is meaningless, according to ethical subjectivism.

9.

What is an ideal observer?

a. A fair third party who negotiates disputes
b. An improved version of oneself who is fully informed and perfectly rational
c. Someone who comes to moral verdicts by using thought experiments
d. None of the above

10. According to the text, what is the most serious problem for ideal observer subjectivism?

a. Ideal observers would approve of things because they were good and not vice
versa.
b. It cannot account for moral disagreement.
c. It makes moral progress impossible.
d. It makes questioning one's own commitments pointless.

Chapter 20
1.

What is the relationship between ethical relativism and moral nihilism?

a. Ethical relativism is a version of moral nihilism.
b. Moral nihilism is a version of ethical relativism.
c. They are competing theories that cannot both be true.
d. They are completely independent theories that could, in principle, both be
true.

2.

What is the relationship between expressivism and moral nihilism?

a. Expressivism is a form of moral nihilism.
b. Moral nihilism is a form of expressivism.
c. They are competing theories that cannot both be true.
d. They are completely independent theories; the truth of one doesn't require the
truth of the other.

3.

What is the fundamental error that the error theory seeks to debunk?
a. The idea that our culture is superior to other cultures
b. The idea that one's own moral views are better than other people's
c. The idea that moral claims seek to describe the world
d. The idea that morality is objective and requires things of us independently of
our desires

4.

Which of the following claims would an error theorist notaccept?

a. There are no moral features in this world.
b. The main aim of moral judgments is to express emotions.
c. No moral judgments are true.
d. There is no moral knowledge.

5.

Which of the following claims would cultural relativists and error theorists both accept?

a. Moral judgments aim to describe the moral features of things.

b. Whether a moral judgment is correct depends on the standards of one's
culture.
c. There is no moral knowledge.
d. There are no moral features in the world.
6.

What is a categorical reason?

a. A reason that applies to us only because acting on it will make us better off
b. A reason that applies to us only because acting on it will get us what we want
want

c. A reason that applies to us regardless of whether acting on it gets us what we

d. A reason that applies to us only if we accept its authority

7.

What is the function of moral claims, according to expressivism?

a. To describe the moral features of things
b. To vent our feelings
c. To describe the moral codes of our society
d. All of the above

8.

How might an expressivist translate the claim that stealing is wrong?

a. I disapprove of stealing.
b. The act of stealing has the moral feature of being wrong.
c. Don't steal!
d. Both a and c.

9.

Which of the following theories is inconsistent with the claim that there can be valid moral
arguments?
a. Ethical objectivism
b. Ethical subjectivism
c. Ethical relativism
d. Expressivism

10. Which of the following is impossible, according to expressivism?

a. A person who is motivated by her moral judgments

b. A person who is not motivated by her moral judgments
c. A moral judgment that is not based on a fundamental error
d. A moral judgment that is neither true nor false

Chapter 21
1.

What three types of theory exhaust all the possible views of the status of ethics?
a. Nihilism, relativism, and objectivism
b. Skepticism, dogmatism, and quietism
c. Monism, pluralism, and particularism
d. Utilitarianism, Kantianism, and contractarianism

2.

What is the relationship between ethical objectivism and ethical absolutism?

a. Ethical objectivism requires ethical absolutism.
b. Ethical objectivism is consistent with, but does not require, ethical absolutism.
c. Ethical objectivism is inconsistent with ethical absolutism.
d. If ethical absolutism is false, then so is ethical objectivism.

3.

According to the text, which of the following does ethical objectivism support?
a. Ethical absolutism
b. Ethical nihilism
c. Tolerance
d. Dogmatism

4.

If ethical objectivism is true, which of the following must be true?

a. We are permitted to force our moral views onto other people.
b. It is OK to be dogmatic about one's moral views.
c. Not all truths are subjective.
d. All of the above.

5.

What is the key assumption behind the claim that atheism is incompatible with ethical
objectivism?

a. God created absolutely everything.

b. All laws require a lawmaker.
c. Atheists are guaranteed to act immorally.
d. Religion is most people's only motivation for acting morally.
6.

What kind of reasons is the objectivity of morality often thought to require?

a. Categorical reasons
b. Hypothetical reasons
c. Prudential reasons
d. Theoretical reasons

7.

What is the conclusion of the motivational argumentinspired by David Hume?

a. Morality is relative.
b. Morality is subjective.
c. Moral beliefs can't be true.
d. Ethical objectivism is true.

8.

What is the term for the view that moral features are just ordinary scientific features?
a. Moral nihilism
b. Moral scientism
c. Moral naturalism
d. Moral physicalism

9.

What kind of claims tell us how things ought to be?

a. Positive claims
b. Normative claims
c. Scientific claims
d. Theoretical claims

10. According to the text, what is wrong with thinking that a claim is true only if science can verify
it?
a. Such a claim does not pass its own test.
b. Such a claim does not make room for religious knowledge.

c. Such a claim ignores the failings of science.

d. All of the above.

Introduction
1.

Which of the following questions falls within the domain of metaethics?

a. What is the status of moral claims and advice?
b. What are our fundamental moral duties?
c. Do the ends always justify the means?
d. What is the good life?

2.

Which of the following claims falls within the domain of value theory?
a. Morality is objective.
b. Moral knowledge is impossible.
c. The right thing to do is whatever maximizes happiness.
d. The only thing that matters in order to live well is to get what you want.

3.

What area of moral philosophy deals with questions about what our moral obligations are?
a. Value theory
b. Normative ethics
c. Metaethics
d. Moral epistemology

4.

Which of the following commonly motivates people to be skeptical about morality?

a. The existence of moral disagreement
b. The belief that science is the only way of discovering truth
c. The view that all moral rules have exceptions
d. All of the above

5.

What is an argument in philosophy?

a. A set of claims, including a conclusion and reasons given in support of the
conclusion
b. A formal debate between competing positions

c. A heated exchange of the sort that is frowned upon by serious philosophers

d. A complex philosophical theory
6.

According to the text, how should moral philosophy begin?

a. From a set of moral principles that cannot be doubted
b. From a set of moral rules that is clear enough so as to not require
interpretation
c. From a set of plausible ethical claims that is subject to revision
d. None of the above

7.

Which of the following is impossible?

a. A valid argument with a false conclusion
b. A sound argument with a false premise
c. A valid argument that is not sound
d. A sound argument with a true conclusion

8.

If we discover that an argument is invalid, what does this tell us about its conclusion?
a. It is true.
b. It is false.
c. It follows from the premises.
d. None of the above.

9.

According to the text, what is moral philosophy primarily concerned with?

a. Figuring out which particular actions are right or wrong in everyday life
b. Explaining why people make the moral judgments they do
c. Examining the attractions of various ethical theories
d. Learning about the differing moral codes of different societies

10. What is the best description of the following argument? If the sky is yellow, then grass is pink.
The sky is yellow. Therefore, grass is pink.
a. Valid and sound
b. Valid but unsound
c. Invalid but sound
d. Invalid and unsound