Western Ethics Questions and Answers

Q: Which one of the following theories of punishment views crime in terms of its contributing conditions and argues for the changing these conditions that punishing the offender ?

The theory is the Reformative theory.The reformative theory treats crime as the product of conditions, social, economic and psychological, that shaped the offender. Its aim is to change those conditions and reform the offender, through education, treatment and rehabilitation, rather than simply to make him suffer.The retributive theory looks back to the offence and demands punishment because it is deserved. The deterrent theory punishes to frighten the offender and others from offending, and the preventive theory aims to disable the offender, for example by imprisonment, from repeating the crime. None of these focuses on the contributing conditions.

Q: Which of the following best summarizes Kant's possible criticism of Egoism as a theory of Ethics ?

The best summary is one cannot will the egoistic maxim to be universalized.Kant's categorical imperative requires us to act only on a maxim that we can at the same time will to become a universal law. The egoist's maxim, 'always act for my own advantage, using others as needed', cannot be willed as a universal law without defeating itself, since if everyone acted on it the egoist would be used in turn; and it treats other persons merely as means. That is the Kantian test applied to egoism.The other options are criticisms made by other writers: that ethical egoism is self-contradictory (a charge made by G.E. Moore and others), that it rests on a wrong view of human nature (Butler's objection), or that it involves conflicts of will. They are not the specifically Kantian objection.

Q: Match the pairs :Group IGroup II(a) Good(i) Simple, unanalyzable(b) Right(ii) Obligatoriness(c) Duty(iii) Nobility(d) Virtue(iv) Appropriateness

The correct code is a-i, b-iv, c-ii, d-iii.Good is, for G.E. Moore, a simple, unanalyzable quality that cannot be defined in terms of anything else. Right describes an action that is fitting or appropriate to the situation. Duty carries the sense of obligatoriness, what one is bound to do. Virtue is an excellence of character, a nobility of the person.The first three codes all pair good with nobility, which belongs to virtue, and then shuffle the rest; only the last code matches each concept with its defining feature.

Q: Match the pairs :Group IGroup II(a) Golden rule(i) Conditional(b) Golden mean(ii) Reciprocity(c) Categorical imperative(iii) Avoiding extremes(d) Hypothetical imperative(iv) Unconditional

The correct code is a-ii, b-iii, c-iv, d-i.The golden rule, treat others as you would wish to be treated, is a rule of reciprocity. Aristotle's golden mean places virtue between two extremes, as courage lies between rashness and cowardice. Kant's categorical imperative commands unconditionally, whatever one's desires. A hypothetical imperative is conditional: if you want this end, take these means.The first two codes pair the golden rule with 'conditional', and the last pairs it with avoiding extremes, so only the third code is right.

Q: The primacy of character over action is asserted in :

The primacy of character is asserted in virtue-ethics.Virtue ethics, from Aristotle to modern writers such as Elizabeth Anscombe and Alasdair MacIntyre, asks first what kind of person one should be. Right action is what a person of good character, the virtuous person, would do, so character comes before action.The ethics of care stresses relationships and responsiveness to particular others rather than character traits as such. Meta-ethics studies the meaning and status of moral terms and takes no stand on character versus action. 'Traditional ethics' in this context means the act-centred theories, deontology and utilitarianism, which judge actions first.

Q: Which of the following statements is not true of Act-deontological theory of Ethics ?

The statement not true of act-deontology is Act-deontology is a position that implicitly assumes hedonism.Deontological theories hold that the rightness of an action does not depend on the good it produces, so they do not rest on hedonism or any theory of value. Act-deontology in particular, as William Frankena describes it, says that we must judge each particular situation directly, without relying on rules or on consequences.The other three statements describe it correctly: particular judgements are basic and any rules are generalisations from them; the method is to get clear about the facts of the case and then judge; and no rule-of-thumb judgement can be made without taking stock of the concrete situation.

Q: Happiness is construed by Hedonistic egoism as :

Hedonistic egoism construes happiness as maximization of one's own pleasure.Hedonism says pleasure is the only intrinsic good, and egoism says each agent ought to pursue his own good. Together they give the view that each person should seek the greatest amount of pleasure, and the least pain, for himself.'Maximization of pleasure of maximum number of people' is the utilitarian, universalistic principle of Bentham and Mill, not egoism. 'Maximisation of pleasure and minimization of pain' leaves out whose pleasure counts, which is the defining egoistic element. 'Bliss' (ananda) is a spiritual state, not a hedonistic quantity.

Q: "Each person's happiness is a good to that person, and the general happiness, therefore, is good to the aggregate of all persons" is the view upheld by :

The view is J. S. Mill's.This is Mill's 'proof' of the principle of utility in chapter 4 of Utilitarianism (1863): each person desires his own happiness, so happiness is a good to him, and the general happiness is therefore a good to the aggregate of all persons. Critics charge it with the fallacy of composition.Bentham founded utilitarianism on the felicific calculus, Sidgwick defended it through rational intuition, and Kant rejected happiness as the ground of morality.

Q: 'Ramu was punished in the school in such a way that no other student would dare to commit similar mischief in future'. Which of the following theories of punishment subscribes to the above view ?

The view is that of the deterrent theory.The deterrent theory justifies punishment by its effect on others: Ramu is punished so that other students, seeing the consequence, will not commit similar mischief. The offender is used as an example to discourage potential wrongdoers.The retributive theory punishes because the offender deserves it, whatever the effect on others. The preventive theory aims to stop the same offender from offending again, for example by disabling him, and the reformative theory aims to improve the offender himself.

Q: Which one of the following statements can be attributed to Ethical Non-cognitivists ? Select the correct code :(i) Moral sentences are not propositions(ii) Moral sentences are propositions(iii) Moral sentences have truth value(iv) Moral sentences have not truth value

The answer is only (i) and (iv) are true.Ethical non-cognitivists, such as the emotivists Ayer and Stevenson and the prescriptivist Hare, hold that moral sentences do not state facts. They express attitudes or emotions, or issue prescriptions, so they are not propositions (i) and are neither true nor false (iv).Statements (ii) and (iii) are the cognitivist view, that moral sentences are propositions with truth values, so every code containing them is wrong.

21.

Which one of the following theories of punishment views crime in terms of its contributing conditions and argues for the changing these conditions that punishing the offender ?

A.Deterrent theory
B.Retributive theory
C.Preventive theory
D.Reformative theory

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The theory is the Reformative theory.

The reformative theory treats crime as the product of conditions, social, economic and psychological, that shaped the offender. Its aim is to change those conditions and reform the offender, through education, treatment and rehabilitation, rather than simply to make him suffer.

The retributive theory looks back to the offence and demands punishment because it is deserved. The deterrent theory punishes to frighten the offender and others from offending, and the preventive theory aims to disable the offender, for example by imprisonment, from repeating the crime. None of these focuses on the contributing conditions.

Discuss in Forum

22.

Which of the following best summarizes Kant's possible criticism of Egoism as a theory of Ethics ?

A.Ethical egoism is logically self-contradictory
B.Egoism involves conflict of will
C.Egoism involves wrong view of human nature
D.One cannot will the egoistic maxim to be a universalized

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The best summary is one cannot will the egoistic maxim to be universalized.

Kant's categorical imperative requires us to act only on a maxim that we can at the same time will to become a universal law. The egoist's maxim, 'always act for my own advantage, using others as needed', cannot be willed as a universal law without defeating itself, since if everyone acted on it the egoist would be used in turn; and it treats other persons merely as means. That is the Kantian test applied to egoism.

The other options are criticisms made by other writers: that ethical egoism is self-contradictory (a charge made by G.E. Moore and others), that it rests on a wrong view of human nature (Butler's objection), or that it involves conflicts of will. They are not the specifically Kantian objection.

Discuss in Forum

23.

Match the pairs :

Group I	Group II
(a) Good	(i) Simple, unanalyzable
(b) Right	(ii) Obligatoriness
(c) Duty	(iii) Nobility
(d) Virtue	(iv) Appropriateness

A.a-iii, b-ii, c-iv, d-i
B.a-iii, b-i, c-ii, d-iv
C.a-iii, b-iv, c-i, d-ii
D.a-i, b-iv, c-ii, d-iii

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The correct code is a-i, b-iv, c-ii, d-iii.

Good is, for G.E. Moore, a simple, unanalyzable quality that cannot be defined in terms of anything else. Right describes an action that is fitting or appropriate to the situation. Duty carries the sense of obligatoriness, what one is bound to do. Virtue is an excellence of character, a nobility of the person.

The first three codes all pair good with nobility, which belongs to virtue, and then shuffle the rest; only the last code matches each concept with its defining feature.

Discuss in Forum

24.

Match the pairs :

Group I	Group II
(a) Golden rule	(i) Conditional
(b) Golden mean	(ii) Reciprocity
(c) Categorical imperative	(iii) Avoiding extremes
(d) Hypothetical imperative	(iv) Unconditional

A.a-i, b-iv, c-iii, d-ii
B.a-i, b-iv, c-ii, d-iii
C.a-ii, b-iii, c-iv, d-i
D.a-iii, b-i, c-iv, d-ii

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: C

The correct code is a-ii, b-iii, c-iv, d-i.

The golden rule, treat others as you would wish to be treated, is a rule of reciprocity. Aristotle's golden mean places virtue between two extremes, as courage lies between rashness and cowardice. Kant's categorical imperative commands unconditionally, whatever one's desires. A hypothetical imperative is conditional: if you want this end, take these means.

The first two codes pair the golden rule with 'conditional', and the last pairs it with avoiding extremes, so only the third code is right.

Discuss in Forum

25.

The primacy of character over action is asserted in :

A.Traditional ethics
B.Meta-ethics
C.Ethics of care
D.Virtue-ethics

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The primacy of character is asserted in virtue-ethics.

Virtue ethics, from Aristotle to modern writers such as Elizabeth Anscombe and Alasdair MacIntyre, asks first what kind of person one should be. Right action is what a person of good character, the virtuous person, would do, so character comes before action.

The ethics of care stresses relationships and responsiveness to particular others rather than character traits as such. Meta-ethics studies the meaning and status of moral terms and takes no stand on character versus action. 'Traditional ethics' in this context means the act-centred theories, deontology and utilitarianism, which judge actions first.

Discuss in Forum

26.

Which of the following statements is not true of Act-deontological theory of Ethics ?

A.Particular judgements are basic and any general rules are to be derived from them, not the other way around.
B.It presents a method determining what is right by becoming clear about facts in the case and then forming a judgement about action.
C.We cannot form a thumb of rule judgement without taking stock of concrete situation.
D.Act-deontology is a position that implicitly assumes hedonism.

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The statement not true of act-deontology is Act-deontology is a position that implicitly assumes hedonism.

Deontological theories hold that the rightness of an action does not depend on the good it produces, so they do not rest on hedonism or any theory of value. Act-deontology in particular, as William Frankena describes it, says that we must judge each particular situation directly, without relying on rules or on consequences.

The other three statements describe it correctly: particular judgements are basic and any rules are generalisations from them; the method is to get clear about the facts of the case and then judge; and no rule-of-thumb judgement can be made without taking stock of the concrete situation.

Discuss in Forum

27.

Happiness is construed by Hedonistic egoism as :

A.Maximisation of pleasure and minimization of pain
B.Bliss
C.Maximization of one's own pleasure
D.Maximization of pleasure of maximum number of people

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: C

Hedonistic egoism construes happiness as maximization of one's own pleasure.

Hedonism says pleasure is the only intrinsic good, and egoism says each agent ought to pursue his own good. Together they give the view that each person should seek the greatest amount of pleasure, and the least pain, for himself.

'Maximization of pleasure of maximum number of people' is the utilitarian, universalistic principle of Bentham and Mill, not egoism. 'Maximisation of pleasure and minimization of pain' leaves out whose pleasure counts, which is the defining egoistic element. 'Bliss' (ananda) is a spiritual state, not a hedonistic quantity.

Discuss in Forum

28.

"Each person's happiness is a good to that person, and the general happiness, therefore, is good to the aggregate of all persons" is the view upheld by :

A.J. S. Mill
B.Bentham
C.Sidgwick
D.Kant

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: A

The view is J. S. Mill's.

This is Mill's 'proof' of the principle of utility in chapter 4 of Utilitarianism (1863): each person desires his own happiness, so happiness is a good to him, and the general happiness is therefore a good to the aggregate of all persons. Critics charge it with the fallacy of composition.

Bentham founded utilitarianism on the felicific calculus, Sidgwick defended it through rational intuition, and Kant rejected happiness as the ground of morality.

Discuss in Forum

29.

'Ramu was punished in the school in such a way that no other student would dare to commit similar mischief in future'. Which of the following theories of punishment subscribes to the above view ?

A.Deterrent theory
B.Retributive theory
C.Preventive theory
D.Reformative theory

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: A

The view is that of the deterrent theory.

The deterrent theory justifies punishment by its effect on others: Ramu is punished so that other students, seeing the consequence, will not commit similar mischief. The offender is used as an example to discourage potential wrongdoers.

The retributive theory punishes because the offender deserves it, whatever the effect on others. The preventive theory aims to stop the same offender from offending again, for example by disabling him, and the reformative theory aims to improve the offender himself.

Discuss in Forum

30.

Which one of the following statements can be attributed to Ethical Non-cognitivists ? Select the correct code :

(i) Moral sentences are not propositions
(ii) Moral sentences are propositions
(iii) Moral sentences have truth value
(iv) Moral sentences have not truth value

A.Only (i) and (iv) are true
B.Only (i) and (ii) are true
C.Only (iii) is true
D.Only (i) and (iii) are true

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: A

The answer is only (i) and (iv) are true.

Ethical non-cognitivists, such as the emotivists Ayer and Stevenson and the prescriptivist Hare, hold that moral sentences do not state facts. They express attitudes or emotions, or issue prescriptions, so they are not propositions (i) and are neither true nor false (iv).

Statements (ii) and (iii) are the cognitivist view, that moral sentences are propositions with truth values, so every code containing them is wrong.

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