Free Practice Quiz Question List

08 Moral Reasoning and Ethical Cases Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 08 Moral Reasoning and Ethical Cases, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

True or false

1 point

True or false: Consequentialist reasoning asks which available action is expected to produce the best overall results and least harm.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Which ethical approach asks what an honest, compassionate, and practically wise person would do in a particular situation?

A
Deontology
B
Virtue ethics
C
Consequentialism
D
Applied ethics

Written response

1 point

What term describes outcomes an agent expects or should reasonably anticipate, as distinct from what the agent aims to do?

Fill in the blank

1 point

An action’s intention is .

Choose one

1 point

A decision-maker is assessing whether a promise creates an obligation even when breaking it might produce better results. Which question most directly reflects deontological reasoning?

A
Whether the agent’s action produces the best total outcome
B
Which duties, rights, or constraints apply
C
Whether the agent’s character is admirable
D
Whether a judgment matches the agent’s personal preference

True or false

1 point

True or false: When two moral obligations conflict, the situation is necessarily a genuine moral dilemma.

A
True
B
False

Fill in the blank

1 point

Ignorance is less likely to excuse an agent when the agent information they could and should have sought.

Written response

1 point

What is the name of the method of mutual adjustment between moral principles and considered judgments about cases?

Choose all

1 point

Which circumstances may reduce an agent’s moral responsibility? Select all that apply.

A
The agent acted under coercion.
B
The harmful outcome occurred by accident.
C
The agent culpably avoided information they could and should have sought.
D
The agent had limited ability to choose.

Choose one

1 point

A student is beginning a structured ethical analysis. What should the student do first?

A
Apply ethical approaches before identifying the decision.
B
State the question or choice at issue.
C
Defend a judgment before establishing relevant facts.
D
Reflect and revise before considering affected parties.

Choose all

1 point

A counselor is deciding how to respond to a serious threat. Which statements accurately describe what the three ethical approaches may highlight? Select all that apply.

A
Consequentialist reasoning considers effects on everyone affected by the decision.
B
Deontological reasoning can consider confidentiality and preventing harm as relevant duties.
C
Virtue ethics considers character and practical wisdom in context.
D
Virtue ethics decides only by calculating which option produces the most beneficial outcomes.

Choose one

1 point

A counselor is evaluating responses to a serious threat. Which option best reflects the instruction to include feasible alternatives rather than only the two most obvious choices?

A
Keep the information entirely confidential or disclose it publicly; these are the only feasible options.
B
Choose an action first and identify alternatives only if it fails.
C
Consider limited disclosure to an appropriate person as distinct from public disclosure.
D
Ignore alternatives that could protect safety while limiting disclosure.

Open ended

1 point

You promised a friend to keep a confidence, but you learn that the information may help prevent serious harm to another person. Explain how you would analyze what to do. Identify relevant facts or uncertainties, affected parties and competing obligations, feasible options, how ethical approaches would frame the decision, and how you would defend a judgment while addressing an objection or moral cost.

True or false

1 point

True or false: Deontological reasoning may consider consequences when deciding how duties apply.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

A counselor learns of a credible threat against another person. Which approach most directly reflects consequentialist reasoning about whether to disclose the threat?

A
Choose the action that most strictly protects confidentiality, whatever its effects.
B
Compare the expected overall effects of disclosure and nondisclosure, including harms and effects on trust.
C
Choose the action that best expresses the counselor’s personal compassion.
D
Follow whichever action is easiest to explain as a general rule.

Written response

1 point

What is the term for what an agent aims to do through an action?

Choose one

1 point

Which circumstance makes ignorance less likely to excuse an agent’s responsibility?

A
The agent lacked information because of a reasonable, unavoidable mistake.
B
The agent was coerced and had little ability to choose.
C
The agent culpably avoided information they could and should have sought.
D
The harmful outcome was accidental and not foreseeable.

Choose one

1 point

When deciding how to respond to a threat, which question best expresses deontological reasoning?

A
Ask which duties, rights, or constraints apply, and how any conflict between them should be judged.
B
Choose only the option expected to produce the greatest overall benefit.
C
Ask only whether the counselor’s action reflects a compassionate character.
D
Ignore the parties’ rights if disclosure could prevent harm.

Written response

1 point

What is the two-word name for the process of adjusting principles and considered judgments in response to conflicts between them?

Choose one

1 point

A counselor is considering how to respond to a specific threat. Which option best illustrates setting out feasible alternatives rather than treating the choice as all-or-nothing?

A
Treat total confidentiality and public disclosure as the only possible options.
B
Consider whether limited disclosure to an appropriate person could reduce the danger.
C
Disclose every detail publicly so that all affected parties can decide what to do.
D
Decide before establishing which facts are known or uncertain.