Free Practice Quiz Question List

03 Consequentialism and Utilitarianism Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 03 Consequentialism and Utilitarianism, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

Written response

1 point

Classical utilitarians chiefly identified the good with which one of these two closely related experiences, setting aside the avoidance of suffering?

Choose one

1 point

Which statement best distinguishes consequentialism from utilitarianism?

A
Consequentialism requires maximizing happiness, while utilitarianism assesses only the consequences of individual actions.
B
Consequentialism assesses moral status by consequences; utilitarianism aims to maximize overall good impartially.
C
Consequentialism and utilitarianism both specify that pleasure is the only possible good.
D
Consequentialism assesses actions by motives; utilitarianism assesses them by rules.

Fill in the blank

1 point

Theories about what benefits or harms a person are accounts of that person's .

True or false

1 point

True or false: Consequentialists may evaluate a policy by its effects, not just evaluate individual actions.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Which option correctly distinguishes total utilitarianism from average utilitarianism?

A
Total utilitarianism seeks the greatest average welfare per person; average utilitarianism seeks the greatest sum.
B
Total utilitarianism considers only the worst-off person; average utilitarianism considers only the best-off person.
C
Total utilitarianism seeks the greatest sum of welfare; average utilitarianism seeks the greatest average welfare per person.
D
Total utilitarianism maximizes pleasure; average utilitarianism maximizes preference satisfaction.

Fill in the blank

1 point

Considering comparable interests without favoring someone merely because of who they are is a form of .

True or false

1 point

True or false: Utilitarian impartiality requires identical treatment for everyone, regardless of differences in needs and consequences.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A decision-maker is choosing between a program that helps one person greatly and one that helps many people somewhat. According to utilitarian reasoning, what should guide the comparison?

A
Compare the expected welfare effects on everyone affected.
B
Choose whichever program benefits the decision-maker most.
C
Choose the program that helps the greatest number, regardless of the size of the benefits or harms.
D
Choose the program that gives every affected person an identical benefit.

Written response

1 point

What is the name of the objection that impartial maximization may require people to give up personal purchases, projects, or commitments whenever they could produce more good elsewhere?

Choose all

1 point

Select all statements that explain how a utilitarian can endorse familiar rules such as keeping promises without abandoning consequentialism.

A
Generally following familiar rules may tend to produce better results.
B
Using rules means that consequences no longer determine what makes an action right.
C
A useful method for deciding what to do can differ from the standard that makes an action right.
D
Rules are justified only when they guarantee the best outcome in every individual case.

Choose one

1 point

What is the central concern in the objection that consequentialism can conflict with rights and justice?

A
It cannot assess the consequences of institutions or policies.
B
It may appear to permit violating an individual's rights when doing so increases overall welfare.
C
It requires everyone to receive identical treatment, regardless of their needs.
D
It cannot distinguish happiness from preference satisfaction.

Choose all

1 point

Select all responses a consequentialist could give to the objection that maximizing welfare may justify punishing an innocent person.

A
Injustice, fear, and loss of trust can themselves be serious harms.
B
A rights violation is always permissible whenever more people benefit.
C
Rules protecting rights may produce better outcomes when generally accepted.
D
Consequences are irrelevant whenever a rights claim is made.

True or false

1 point

True or false: Difficulty predicting and comparing outcomes is a practical challenge for applying consequentialism, but does not by itself show that consequences are morally irrelevant.

A
True
B
False

Open ended

1 point

Explain the separateness of persons objection to aggregating welfare. Why might a large total of benefits fail to answer the concern about a severe harm imposed on one person?

Choose one

1 point

A policymaker judges two programs by their effects but has not specified whether good outcomes consist of happiness, preference satisfaction, or some other value. Which conclusion best fits this description?

A
It is necessarily utilitarian because every consequentialist seeks to maximize happiness.
B
It is consequentialist, but not necessarily utilitarian, because the value assigned to outcomes has not been specified.
C
It is not consequentialist because it considers the effects of a policy rather than an individual action.
D
It is utilitarian only if the decision-maker personally benefits.

Written response

1 point

What principle says that each person’s welfare counts without extra weight simply because that person is the decision-maker?

Choose one

1 point

Option A gives 10 people a total of 100 welfare units. Option B gives 30 people a total of 180 welfare units. Which approach favors Option A?

A
Total utilitarianism, because the first option has the larger total.
B
Total utilitarianism, because it benefits fewer people.
C
Average utilitarianism, because the first option has the greater average welfare per person.
D
Neither approach, because utilitarianism requires identical welfare for everyone.

Choose one

1 point

A person keeps promises by following a familiar rule because doing so generally builds trust and produces better results. Which interpretation best fits consequentialism?

A
The rule can be a practical guide because generally following it tends to produce better results, even if rightness is ultimately assessed by consequences.
B
Using the rule proves that consequences do not determine whether actions are right.
C
The rule must be followed in every case, regardless of its effects.
D
The person is acting consequentially only if they calculate every possible outcome before deciding.

Written response

1 point

What objection arises when maximizing welfare seems to require someone to give up a modest personal purchase to help another person more?

Choose one

1 point

A critic argues that punishing an innocent person could be justified if it benefits many others. Which consequentialist reply directly addresses this concern?

A
Rights never matter because only the decision-maker’s welfare counts.
B
Punishing an innocent person is always right if it prevents disorder.
C
Consequences cannot be used to assess whether a punishment is justified.
D
Injustice and loss of trust can themselves cause serious harms, making the practice consequentially bad.