Deck 44: Recognizing the Ethical Costs of Upward Mobility

Question 1

Why did Jennifer M. Morton spend so much time with Todd's and Henry's stories? Do you think that she was right to describe their gains and victories in the way she did? If so, explain what she gets right. If not, explain what she missed.

Answer 1

Demonstrate an understanding of the force of Henry's and Todd's stories.
Include a thesis that's focused and appropriate given the assignment.
Clearly and succinctly state the main argument for the thesis.
Correctly identify and defend the argument's controversial premises using sound reasoning, well-chosen examples, insightful analogies, etc.

Question 2

Strivers are not the only people who have to tradeoff ethical goods. Describe a situation you are aware of where some ethical good had to be prioritized, how it gave rise to an ethical conflict, and how the person doing the prioritizing chose to tradeoff between goods. What does an experience like this one tell us about the good things we cherish? What does it tell us about how we make complicated ethical decisions?

Answer 2

Demonstrate an understanding of the terms "tradeoff," "ethical goods," and "prioritization of ethical goods."
Include a thesis that's focused and appropriate given the assignment.
Clearly and succinctly state the main argument for the thesis.
Correctly identify and defend the argument's controversial premises using sound reasoning, well-chosen examples, insightful analogies, etc.

Question 3

Part of Todd's story involves experiencing culture shock at his university. In your essay, briefly describe your college culture. Are there resources on campus that make it welcoming to all students, including strivers? If so, describe how these resources help to address the problems that Jennifer M. Morton identifies. If not, describe what would have to change to make your campus culture less disorienting for people who have a "feeling of still being other."

Answer 3

Offer a description of the author's college culture, detailing the way in which it might alienate or welcome strivers.
Include a thesis that's focused and appropriate given the assignment.
Clearly and succinctly state the main argument for the thesis.
Correctly identify and defend the argument's controversial premises using sound reasoning, well-chosen examples, insightful analogies, etc.

Question 4

What does the term "striver" refer to?

A) A disadvantaged student who is barred from upward mobility
B) A student from any marginalized group who makes it to college
C) A disadvantaged student who is on the path of upward mobility
D) A student who studies in an underrepresented area of academia
E) A student who was zoned for an inadequate high school

Question 5

Morton describes what's involved with ethical goods. Which of the following is NOT a part of her description of ethical goods?

A) They matter to our sense of identity
B) They involve certain aspects of our lives, like friends and interests
C) Some are particular and irreplaceable
D) They matter to us in and of themselves
E) Their loss is generally mitigated by success and achievement

Question 6

Morton argues that what is often at stake for young strivers?

A) Those ethical goods that will be valuable but are currently far off in the future
B) Those opportunities for economic success within their communities of origin
C) Those potential connections with other strivers that are missed due to insecurity
D) Those ethical goods that are central to their development and self-conception now
E) Those material goods that are easily lost once strivers attain them

Question 7

When Morton says, "If my husband were replaced with another equally intelligent and funny man in the middle of the night, I would be understandably upset!," what point is she illustrating?

A) Some ethical goods are particular
B) She would be sad if her husband were upwardly mobile
C) Some goods are fragile or easy to lose
D) Guilt would be appropriate if she fell in love with the new man
E) Striving involves unexpected upsets

Question 8

Morton asserts that the ethical costs involved in upward mobility may give rise to feelings of ________:

A) Shame and fear
B) Loss and anger
C) Regret and guilt
D) Insensitivity and pain
E) Callousness and ennui

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the state of moral ambiguity?

A) It reflects something deeply important about what is at stake and recognizes that the striver can do the right thing by sacrificing that thing of importance
B) It reflects a state of profound apathy as the striver is unable to care about the good and believes that any available choice is meaningless
C) It reflects a state of difficulty in discerning which moral theory is the best one to apply in some situation and recognizes that choosing wrongly would be problematic
D) It reflects something deeply important about what is at stake and recognizes that if the striver sacrifices that thing it will be a great moral failure indeed
E) It reflects a state of quasi-indifference about multiple paths to material success and recognizes that all available choices have their downsides

Question 10

Who bears to costs of upward mobility?

A) The striver and the striver's educators
B) The striver's classmates and the striver's future colleagues
C) The striver's classmates and the striver's educators
D) The striver and the striver's community
E) The striver and the striver's current academic community

Question 11

Morton says that because we cannot prioritize all valuable goods, ________:

A) We face ethical conflicts
B) We have to make peace with fear
C) We are tempted to choose the bad instead
D) We cannot be perfectly moral
E) We can't praise upward mobility

Question 12

What does a "tradeoff" refer to?

A) A sacrifice of something trivial for the sake of some substantial gain
B) A victory in one area of one's life that required not cultivating skills in some other area
C) An exchange with one community member for some other community member's good
D) An opportunity for success that involves trading one's own goods for someone else's
E) A sacrifice in one valuable domain of our lives for the sake of a gain in another

Question 13

Morton suggests that strivers might never feel like they are rejecting or sacrificing past relationships, but they might come to discover after a number of years that they didn't invest enough in those relationships.