01
True or false
1 point
Rawls’s original position describes an agreement that actual citizens historically made when forming their society.
Free Practice Quiz Question List
09 Rawls and Justice as Fairness Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 09 Rawls and Justice as Fairness, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
What is the primary subject that Rawls’s justice as fairness is meant to assess?
- A
The basic structure of a democratic society
- B
The personal choices of every citizen
- C
A single detailed economic policy
- D
A historical agreement among citizens
03
Written response
1 point
What did Rawls later develop to address how citizens with different religious and moral beliefs might support shared political principles?
04
Fill in the blank
1 point
The veil of ignorance is meant to prevent people from designing rules to favor their own .
05
Choose all
1 point
Which institutional domains are identified as part of the basic structure of society? Select all correct answers.
- A
Political institutions
- B
Family traditions
- C
Legal institutions
- D
Personal hobbies
- E
Economic institutions
- F
Individual tastes
06
Written response
1 point
What is the name of the restriction that prevents representatives in the original position from knowing the particular identities and circumstances of those they represent?
07
Choose one
1 point
Which statement best expresses the priority Rawls gives to basic liberties?
- A
Economic gains may justify reducing basic liberties whenever total wealth rises.
- B
Equal basic liberties cannot be traded away merely to increase overall social welfare.
- C
Basic liberties matter only when they benefit the least advantaged.
- D
The principles allow political participation to be exchanged for higher incomes.
08
Fill in the blank
1 point
Within Rawls’s second principle, comes before the .
09
True or false
1 point
Rawls’s difference principle requires everyone to have identical incomes.
- A
True
- B
False
10
Choose one
1 point
Which arrangement best meets the conditions of Rawls’s second principle?
- A
Positions may be reserved for wealthy people if this increases total wealth.
- B
Positions must be open under fair conditions, and inequalities must benefit the least advantaged.
- C
All economic inequalities are prohibited, even when they improve the prospects of the least advantaged.
- D
Fair access to positions is sufficient, regardless of how inequalities affect the least advantaged.
11
Open ended
1 point
In the original position, what kinds of information may representatives know, and what kinds of information are withheld by the veil of ignorance?
12
Choose all
1 point
Which options are examples of basic liberties in Rawls’s first principle? Select all correct answers.
- A
Political participation
- B
Equal personal wealth
- C
Freedom of thought and conscience
- D
A guarantee of identical incomes
- E
Speech and association
- F
Maximizing total social welfare
13
Written response
1 point
What is the name of Rawls’s thought experiment in which representatives choose principles for society without knowing the particular identities or circumstances of the people they represent?
14
Choose one
1 point
A government argues that restricting some citizens’ freedom of thought would increase overall economic prosperity. Which response best reflects Rawls’s principle of equal basic liberties?
- A
Reduce freedom of conscience if doing so increases average income.
- B
Protect each person’s equal claim to basic liberties, even when reducing them could increase overall wealth.
- C
Give greater political liberties to citizens who contribute more to the economy.
- D
Allow each community to restrict basic liberties whenever a majority supports doing so.
15
Choose one
1 point
A profession is legally open to everyone, but unequal access to education makes it much harder for some groups to qualify. Which change best addresses Rawls’s requirement of fair equality of opportunity?
- A
The positions are fair if anyone is legally allowed to apply, regardless of barriers to preparation.
- B
The positions are fair if the highest-paying roles are reserved for people with the most wealth.
- C
The positions should be open under conditions that provide fair access, not merely formal permission to apply.
- D
The positions are fair only if everyone receives the same job and income.
16
Choose one
1 point
How does Rawls order the two principles of justice when a proposed policy would increase economic benefits by reducing a basic liberty?
- A
The equal basic liberties principle has priority over the second principle.
- B
The difference principle has priority over equal basic liberties.
- C
Fair equality of opportunity has priority over the equal basic liberties principle.
- D
All parts of the two principles have equal priority and may be traded against one another.
17
True or false
1 point
True or false: Rawls’s theory offers a standard for assessing institutions rather than a detailed policy blueprint.
- A
True
- B
False
18
Written response
1 point
What is the name of Rawls’s later framework addressing how citizens with different religious and moral beliefs might support shared political principles?
19
Choose one
1 point
A society is comparing two feasible economic arrangements. One produces greater overall wealth, while the other improves the prospects of its least advantaged members. Under Rawls’s difference principle, what should guide the assessment of inequality?
- A
The policy is just if it raises the society’s total income, regardless of who gains.
- B
The policy is just only if it makes incomes identical.
- C
The policy is just if it benefits the people who already have the most resources.
- D
The policy may be just if it improves the prospects of the least advantaged compared with feasible alternatives.
20
Choose one
1 point
When Rawls asks which principles should govern the basic structure of society, what does the basic structure refer to?
- A
A person’s private choices about hobbies and friendships.
- B
Society’s major political, legal, and economic institutions.
- C
Only the rules governing elections and political parties.
- D
The distribution of personal income, considered apart from institutions.