Deck 8: Answering Moral Questions

Question 1

Which of the following best captures the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8?

A) Gather information about your chosen topic to identify a specific question to ask. List at least three answers to the question and at least one argument for each answer. Choose the answer you want to defend and identify at least one objection to it, along with a response.
B) Starting with a general topic, collect information about that topic, narrow your topic to a specific question, and identify important answers to that question and arguments for and against each answer. Then identify objections and responses before drawing a final conclusion.
C) Pick a question about a moral topic and identify salient answers to that question. Identify arguments for and against each answer and objections for and against each answer. On the basis of those arguments and objections, draw a final conclusion.
D) Identify a moral issue that you want to discuss and a claim you want to make about that moral issue. Gather information and arguments to support your claim, being sure to consider objections to your arguments and potential replies you could make. Pick the best arguments and replies to support your final conclusion.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8?

A) Collect information about a topic of interest. Then, choose a specific question about that topic and create a list of salient answers to that question. Find arguments for and against each answer, along with objections to each argument. Consider possible responses to those objections. Draw a final conclusion.
B) Collect information relevant to the specific question that you want to answer. Based on that information, generate a list of answers to your question. Look up arguments that people have given for each of those answers and objections that people have given to each of those arguments. After reading all of the arguments you can find, draw a final conclusion.
C) Collect information about a general topic. Choose a specific question to answer about that topic and identify relevant answers to that question. Identify important arguments for each argument, along with at least one objection to at least one argument. Draw a final conclusion.
D) Collect information to support the moral claim that you want to make about your chosen topic, along with arguments to support that claim. Identify objections people might make to your arguments and figure out how to respond to them. Use those arguments and responses to defend your final conclusion.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT one of the steps in the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8?

A) Gather information about your chosen issue.
B) Identify a specific question that you want to answer.
C) Find opinion polls about the moral issue you're exploring.
D) Identify and evaluate important objections to each answer.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the purpose of the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8?

A) To fully prepare for an intelligent defense of your moral views on a specific issue.
B) To reach a well-reasoned answer to a moral question and be able to justify that answer.
C) To identify the most commonly held beliefs and widely accepted arguments on a particular moral issue.
D) To identify the main weaknesses in other people's arguments for salient answers to a moral question.

Question 5

What is the point of the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8?

A) To prepare yourself to defend your moral views against objections.
B) To practice applying the skills developed in other chapters.
C) To find the most persuasive arguments for your own moral views.
D) To reach the best-supported answer to a moral question.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT identified in Chapter 8 as one of the purposes of gathering information about your chosen topic?

A) Ensuring that you know relevant information about your topic.
B) Ensuring that you correct mistaken beliefs about your topic.
C) Helping you focus on a specific issue within your broader topic.
D) Helping you expose other people's confirmation bias.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT identified in Chapter 8 as one of the goals of gathering information about your chosen topic?

A) Identifying questions about your topic that you didn't know to ask.
B) Ensuring that you have interesting pieces of information to keep readers or listeners engaged.
C) Enabling that you eliminate mistaken beliefs about your topic.
D) Helping you focus on a specific issue within your broader topic.

Question 8

According to Chapter 8, what kinds of information should you be gathering when you first begin trying to answer a moral question?

A) Moral arguments relevant to that question.
B) Opinion polls that show how most people feel about the question.
C) Information you might need to make an informed moral judgment about the issue.
D) As much information as possible so that you can fully explain the background and context for your issue.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT discussed in Chapter 8 as a good way to gather information about your chosen topic when trying to answer a moral question?

A) Ask basic journalistic questions, such as: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
B) Read unbiased introductions to your topic written by experts.
C) Survey the entire first page of results from a search engine.
D) Deliberately seek information that conflicts with your initial ideas and beliefs.

Question 10

What is confirmation bias?

A) A tendency to seek information that confirms what we already think and ignores or downplays information that conflicts with what we think.
B) A tendency to affirm the beliefs of those around us, especially those of popular people or people in positions of power or authority.
C) A bias against information that we receive from people and sources associated with disempowered or marginalized groups.
D) A bias in favor of people who provide information that agrees with what we already believe, regardless of the person's credentials or reasoning.

Question 11

Which of the following best explains the idea of confirmation bias?

A) Confirmation bias is a universal human tendency to seek out and accept only information that supports our preexisting ideas, avoiding or ignoring information that conflicts with those ideas.
B) Confirmation bias is a tendency, frequently found in political conservatives, to ignore evidence that undermines their social and political views.
C) Confirmation bias is a tendency, frequently found in political liberals, to ignore evidence that undermines their social and political views.
D) Confirmation bias is the predisposition to accept new information if it agrees with our existing beliefs but reject it if it conflicts with our beliefs.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT recommended in Chapter 8 as a way to resist confirmation bias?

A) Intentionally seek out information that might conflict with your beliefs.
B) Stick only to information from nonpartisan sources.
C) Take care not to dismiss information that conflicts with your beliefs.
D) Treat information that supports your beliefs with extra skepticism.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways identified in Chapter 8 to combat confirmation bias?

A) Look especially carefully at the evidence for information that supports your existing beliefs.
B) Be sure to take seriously information that undermines your beliefs.
C) Ask questions about which you won't be vulnerable to confirmation bias.
D) Look for information that would undermine your beliefs.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT one of the kinds of moral questions that Chapter 8 identifies as appropriate?

A) A question about a specific action taken by a specific person.
B) A question about the morality of a specific type of action.
C) A question about the conditions under which some type of action would be permissible.
D) A question about whether a specific kind of action is viewed as permissible in a particular society.

Question 15

According to Chapter 8, what is a "salient answer" to a question?

A) An answer that is worth thinking about as you consider your question.
B) An answer that is relevant to the question you're asking.
C) An answer that is widely accepted by members of your society.
D) An answer that you think is plausible.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT listed in Chapter 8 as a reason to count an answer as a "salient answer" to a moral question?

A) The answer is widely accepted.
B) The answer has been defended by someone who has thought hard about the question.
C) The answer is easy to show to be false.
D) The answer is one that you find plausible.

Question 17

Which of the following best explains the fallacy of equivocation?

A) An argument commits the fallacy of equivocation when it appears to be cogent only as long as you don't realize that it's using the same word or phrase in two different ways.
B) An argument commits the fallacy of equivocation when it criticizes the person making an argument rather than the argument itself.
C) An argument commits the fallacy of equivocation when it falsely claims that the arguments or evidence on one side of a question are just as strong as the arguments or evidence on another side of the question.
D) An argument commits the fallacy of equivocation when it repeats the same idea in two or more premises using different words to say the same thing.

Question 18

Which of the following best captures the basic problem with an argument that commits the fallacy of equivocation?

A) It criticizes a weak or distorted version of another argument, rather than the strongest form of that argument.
B) It uses a word or phrase in two different ways but doesn't work when the difference is made explicit.
C) It assumes the truth of its conclusion as an explicit or hidden premise.
D) It wrongly assumes that something that is true of a group as a whole is also true of each member of that group.

Question 19

Which fallacy do the cyclops Polyphemus's friends commit when they assume that Polyphemus doesn't need help because "nobody is attacking him?"

A) The fallacy of equivocation.
B) The fallacy of circular reasoning.
C) The ad hominem fallacy.
D) The fallacy of amphiboly.

Question 20

Which of the following silly arguments commits the fallacy of equivocation?

A) Cameron arranged a date through an online dating site. Her date's profile claimed to be a model. Cameron read on the Internet that you can't publish anything on the Internet if it's not true. Therefore, Cameron's date must really be a model.
B) All banks have money in them. Captain Jack is standing on a river bank. Therefore, if Captain Jack digs right below his feet, he'll find some money.
C) Alex has been wearing a hat made of aluminum foil for years now. The government hasn't controlled his mind with radio waves since he put the hat on. Therefore, Alex's hat protects against government mind-control technology.
D) Nate Silver said that the Cubs had a smaller chance of winning the World Series than Donald Trump had of being elected president. Thus, when the Cubs won the World Series, it was clear that Trump would win the election.

Question 21

Which of the following arguments commits the fallacy of equivocation?

A) Jim has been playing poker for hours, and he's been dealt bad cards nine times in a row. The chances of being dealt bad cards ten times in a row are almost zero. Therefore, Jim will probably be dealt good cards next time.
B) If one building has more stories than another building, then the first building is taller. The Empire State Building has 102 stories. The library has thousands of stories. Therefore, the library is taller than the Empire State Building.
C) If there is a vast government conspiracy to control the population by spraying chemicals from airplanes, then the government won't admit that they are spraying chemicals from airplanes. The government won't admit that they are spraying chemicals from airplanes. Therefore, there is a vast government conspiracy to control the population by spraying chemicals from airplanes.
D) Vaccines used to contain mercury. It's unnatural to put mercury in your body. Therefore, it used to be wrong to give vaccines to children.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT listed in Chapter 8 as a good way to identify arguments relevant to a moral question?

A) Coming up with arguments yourself.
B) Discussing your question with other people.
C) Reading books and articles on the topic.
D) Googling "arguments in applied ethics."

Question 23

What is an objection?

A) An argument that aims to show that another argument is flawed.
B) A point or piece of information that undermines an argument.
C) A citation to a relevant law showing something to be illegal.
D) A common pattern of mistaken reasoning.

Question 24

What is an objection to an argument?

A) An objection is anything that shows a flaw in the argument.
B) An objection is an argument that shows that another argument commits a fallacy.
C) An objection is anything that undermines competing answers to a specific question.
D) An objection is an argument meant to show that another argument is flawed.

Question 25

An objection is:

A) A rebuttal that defends another argument against a criticism.
B) An argument that aims to undermine another argument.
C) An irrefutable piece of evidence that undermines an argument.
D) A decisive criticism that clearly shows that some argument fails.

Question 26

A rebutting objection is:

A) An argument that aims to shows that the conclusion of another argument is false.
B) An argument that aims to show that some of the premises of another argument are unacceptable.
C) An argument that aims to show that another argument fails to establish its conclusion.
D) An argument that defends another argument against a rebuttal.

Question 27

What is a rebutting objection?

A) An objection that tries to show that the premises of another argument are irrelevant.
B) An objection that tries to rebut another argument by disproving its premises.
C) An objection that tries to show that another argument's conclusion is false.
D) An objection that tries to rebut another argument by pointing out a fallacy.

Question 28

An undercutting objection is:

A) An argument that aims to undercut another argument by proving its conclusion to be false.
B) An argument that aims to show that some of the premises of another argument are unacceptable.
C) An argument that aims to show that another argument fails to establish its conclusion.
D) An argument that aims to show that another argument commits a specific fallacy.

Question 29

What is an undercutting objection?

A) An objection that tries to rebut another argument by disproving its premises.
B) An objection that tries to show that another argument's conclusion is false.
C) An objection that tries to rebut another argument by pointing out a fallacy.
D) An objection that tries to show that another argument is not cogent.

Question 30

What is the difference between a rebutting objection and an undercutting objection?

A) An undercutting objection aims to show that the conclusion of another argument is false, whereas a rebutting objection only tries to show that the argument doesn't establish its conclusion.
B) A rebutting objection aims to show that the conclusion of another argument is false, whereas an undercutting objection only tries to show that the argument doesn't establish its conclusion.
C) An undercutting objection is an argument that shows that another argument commits a specific fallacy, whereas a rebutting argument aims to show that one or more premises in another argument are unacceptable or irrelevant.
D) A rebutting objection is an argument that shows that another argument commits a specific fallacy, whereas an undercutting argument aims to show that one or more premises in another argument are unacceptable or irrelevant.

Question 31

The KEEPING UP WITH THE GAMBINOS objection in Chapter 8 argues that the key normative premise in the UNFAIR DISADVANTAGE argument is false. This makes KEEPING UP WITH THE GAMBINOS:

A) A rebutting objection.
B) A normative objection.
C) An undercutting objection.
D) A decisive objection.

Question 32

Because Sarah Krakoff's LOVE THE PLANET argument to Walter Sinnott-Armstrong's NOT MY FAULT argument provides a reason to deny the conclusion of NOT MY FAULT, it counts as:

A) An ad hominem attack on NOT MY FAULT.
B) An undercutting objection to NOT MY FAULT.
C) A rebutting objection to NOT MY FAULT.
D) A supplementary support to NOT MY FAULT.

Question 33

An objection commits the ad hominem fallacy when:

A) It assumes the falsity of the target argument's conclusion as one of its premises.
B) It appeals to the cultural views of one's homeland to criticize an argument.
C) It uses a word or phrase from the target argument differently than the target argument does.
D) It criticizes the person making an argument instead of the argument itself.

Question 34

An objection commits the strawman fallacy when:

A) It attacks the person making an argument when he or she is not there to defend him- or herself.
B) It distorts or misrepresents the target argument to make it easier to refute.
C) It asserts that the target argument is flawed without explaining why.
D) It presents a weaker version of the objection to make it easier to respond to.

Question 35

Consider this argument: Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that although he has a right to do so, Colin Kaepernick shouldn't kneel during the national anthem because it's disrespectful to the country. But that's just silly. Protest is essential in a healthy democracy, so it's ridiculous to say that no one can protest anything his or her country does. Which of the following fallacies does this argument commit?

A) The ad hominem fallacy.
B) The strawman fallacy.
C) Both (a) and (b).
D) Neither (a) nor (b).

Question 36

Gathering information is the first step in the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8.

Question 37

Brainstorming arguments for your view is the first step in the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8.

Question 38

Identifying a specific moral question is the first step in the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8.

Question 39

The point of Chapter 8's six-step process of answering moral questions is to help you find the most well-supported answer to a moral question.

Question 40

The point of Chapter 8's six-step process of answering moral questions is to prepare you to defend your existing moral views against philosophical criticism.

Question 41

According to Chapter 8, it is never acceptable to use partisan sources to gather information about or find arguments related to a moral issue.

Question 42

Confirmation bias is a tendency to seek out and pay more attention to information that supports your existing views.

Question 43

One part of confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out only information that supports your existing views.

Question 44

One part of confirmation bias is to ignore, downplay, or dismiss information that conflicts with our existing views.

Question 45

One part of confirmation bias is to seek out arguments that conflict with our existing views so that we can criticize them.

Question 46

One important way to resist confirmation bias is to be especially skeptical of information and arguments that support your existing views.

Question 47

The six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8 works only for questions about the morality of specific actions.

Question 48

A salient answer, as explained in Chapter 8, is an answer that you think might be correct.

Question 49

The salient answers to a moral question, as explained in Chapter 8, include all and only answers that are widely accepted in your society.

Question 50

The fallacy of equivocation involves criticizing the person who made an argument instead of the argument itself.

Question 51

The fallacy of equivocation involves using a word or phrase in two different ways.

Question 52

If an argument commits the fallacy of equivocation, you can often show that the argument fails by replacing a word or phrase with a synonym.

Question 53

An objection does not have to be a complete argument.

Question 54

An objection must include a conclusion and at least one premise.

Question 55

An objection to a moral argument must contain at least one premise.

Question 56

An undercutting objection aims to show that an argument is not cogent without showing that the conclusion is false.

Question 57

A rebutting objection aims to show that the conclusion of another argument is false.

Question 58

An argument commits the ad hominem fallacy when it criticizes the person making an argument instead of the argument itself.

Question 59

An argument commits the strawman fallacy when it attacks the person making an argument instead of the argument itself.

Question 60

An argument commits the strawman fallacy when it criticizes a distorted version of another argument.

Question 61

In your own words, explain the six-step process for answering moral questions that was outlined in Chapter 8.

Question 62

What is confirmation bias? Why is it a problem? What are three things you can do to resist confirmation bias?

Question 63

What is a "salient answer" to a question, as explained in Chapter 8?

Question 64

Identify three ways that you can identify arguments and objections related to a moral question.

Question 65

In your own words, explain the fallacy of equivocation.

Question 66

What is an objection? What is the point of identifying objections and responses to those objections during the six-step process for answering moral questions?

Question 67

In your own words, explain the difference between an undercutting objection and a rebutting objection.

Question 68

What is the ad hominem fallacy? Give an example, other than one discussed in the book.

Question 69

In your own words, explain the strawman fallacy. What is wrong with it as an objection to an argument?

Question 70

At what point in the six-step process for answering moral questions should you decide which answer you are going to accept? Why?