Deck 14: Ethics

Question 1

Ethics is ________.

A) a recent concern dating roughly to the 1960s
B) a debate that has occupied humanity for millennia
C) not really relevant to students
D) something best left to lawyers and the courts

Answer 1

B

Question 2

As a rough guide to ethical behaviour, when you think of the consequences of your actions and choices, what's a good question to ask yourself?

A) Is this strictly legal?
B) How can I maximize profits or benefits to me or my organization?
C) Am I treating others the way I would like to be treated in this situation?
D) What are the odds of getting caught?

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a potential consequence of unethical behaviour?

A) embarrassment, fines, loss of employment, and ejection from school
B) harm to your reputation, your company's reputation, or your entire profession's reputation
C) the long-term respect and admiration of your professional or academic contacts
D) short-term gains in profits or promotions

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Harm caused by unethical behaviour could be ________.

A) physical
B) financial
C) emotional
D) all of the above

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a likely consequence of unethical behaviour within a profession?

A) Other professionals will overlook the occasional lapses in ethics and continue to conduct business or research with the same level of trust.
B) Trust within the profession will be eroded, which makes the profession less adaptable, flexible, and efficient.
C) Professionals in the field won't be able to trust the opinions, ideas, and suggestions of other professionals.
D) The public cannot be certain that a product works as advertised or that public monies were spent on the best product, design, or bidder.

Question 6

It is easier to compromise one's ethics in group settings because ________.

A) someone else is likely to be in authority and to be ultimately responsible
B) you can hide in the crowd
C) you can argue that you were just following established procedures
D) a and c

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a potential consequence of pointing out your organization's unethical behaviour?

A) apathy on the part of your superiors
B) pressure to be silent about the issue
C) harassment, isolation, a stalled career
D) an earnest and honest discussion with your superiors about how to resolve the issue

Question 8

If you feel that your organization may be acting unethically and you feel compelled to do something about it, what should you do first?

A) Alert the media.
B) Discuss your concerns with someone in authority to make sure that you correctly understand what is going on.
C) Send an anonymous complaint letter to your organization or post a complaint on their social media.
D) Put out feelers to other organizations to see whether you can find a job at a more ethical organization.

Question 9

If you are going to seek advice on an ethical issue, to whom can you turn within your organization?

A) shop stewards if you are in a union
B) a trusted mentor, colleague, or superior
C) counsellors, advisors, or even helplines if your organization is large enough to offer these services
D) all of the above

Question 10

After all the discussion with colleagues, etc., is done, what question can you ask yourself as a quick check on whether the organization's decision agrees with your morals?

A) Would I stand by this decision if I were solely responsible for it and had to defend it to a judge or an ethics committee?
B) What am I going to say to my significant other if I lose my job?
C) If I am the only one expressing concerns how serious can this issue really be?
D) Who is really getting hurt and how much does this really matter?

Question 11

For students, the most likely ethical breach is going to be ________.

A) gross financial impropriety
B) identity theft
C) plagiarism
D) claiming to be a close personal friend of Aubrey Drake Graham (Drake)

Question 12

Plagiarism is ________.

A) a form of slow, relaxing exercise related to Pilates
B) a risky, but potentially rewarding, way to coast through school
C) becoming increasingly acceptable because of the internet
D) taking someone else's ideas or words and passing them off as your own

Question 13

Getting caught for plagiarism is ________.

A) getting more and more likely because of the Internet
B) getting less and less likely because of the Internet
C) hardly worth worrying about
D) a victim-less crime

Question 14

The consequences of plagiarism include ________.

A) a grade of zero on the assignment
B) getting kicked out of a course
C) getting kicked out of a program
D) all of the above

Question 15

Who or what suffers when a student successfully plagiarizes?

A) other students who are competing with someone who doesn't do the work and doesn't have the same abilities but gets the grades
B) the institution that graduates the student who then underperforms in the workplace
C) the future employer whose worker does not do the sort of quality work that their transcript suggests they should be capable of
D) all of the above

Question 16

Your reputation as a person of integrity, reliability, and honesty will prove one of your most valuable assets throughout your career. When do you start to build your professional reputation?

A) after your probationary period at your first full-time job in the field
B) as soon as you start your first full-time job in the field
C) in school because many of your peers will enter the same field and take their opinion of you with them
D) when you began posting on social media

Question 17

To be an ethical writer in a technical field, your job is to present information as ________ as possible.

A) attractively formatted
B) detailed
C) grammatically correct
D) accurately and objectively

Question 18

Which of the following writing strategies is unethical?

A) omitting or altering information that might lead a reader to a conclusion or a decision you don't want
B) burying information that potentially weakens your proposal so the reader won't notice it
C) phrasing inconvenient information so vaguely that the reader is likely not to understand its real meaning
D) all of the above

Question 19

What are the possible consequences to you if you are caught plagiarising in a professional setting?

A) fines and dismissal from work
B) a jail term of not less than six months, up to three years
C) a sentence to perform community service, generally in a public library
D) all of the above

Question 20

How else, other than with your words, can you deceive or be unethical in a technical report?

A) by not citing sources for ideas you've sourced
B) by accidentally misspelling people's names and transposing numbers
C) by misrepresenting information or figures in graphics
D) a and c

Question 21

Which two chapters of the text describe how to cite sources and how to use graphics ethically?

A) Chapter 8 and 9
B) Chapters 9 and 10
C) Chapters 10 and 11
D) The Grammar and Usage Handbook

Question 22

If your numbers in a technical report are approximate, what should you do?

A) Just use your numbers as they are; let the reader do their own due diligence.
B) Clearly indicate that you are providing an approximation by using modifiers such as "approximately," "around," or "roughly."
C) Place a statement in the summary indicating that all numbers are approximate.
D) Place a statement in an appendix indicating that all numbers are approximate.

Question 23

Non-inclusive language can act as a slight to someone's dignity and is therefore no longer considered ethical. Which of the following terms is NOT inclusive? Review Chapter 2 if you're not sure.

A) fireman
B) actor
C) chair(person)
D) dentist

Question 24

Which of the following salutations in a letter or email is NOT inclusive?

A) Dear Mr. Smith,
B) Dear Homeowner,
C) Dear Miss Smith,
D) a blank salutation because you don't know the name of the reader

Question 25

You've agreed to meet a deadline for a report, but you are now fairly sure that you won't be able to meet it. You should ________.

A) let the recipient know that there may be a delay
B) wait and hope for the best; things may turn around
C) start readying excuses and looking for someone to blame
D) keep in mind that you are doing them the favour; things take as long as they take

Question 26

The topic of ethics is huge and has been discussed for millennia.

Question 27

In some ways, the discussion of ethics boils down to treating others the way you would like to be treated in a similar situation.

Question 28

People don't mind the occasional ethical lapse. You can generally get away with a few lies without consequence.

Question 29

Fundamentally, poor ethics is a victimless crime; people worry too much about it.

Question 30

It's easier to surrender one's ethical responsibilities in large groups or organizations.

Question 31

Plagiarism and intellectual property theft are really only concerns in a school setting.

Question 32

Unethical behaviour in school stays in school. No one will find out once you're in the workforce.

Question 33

It's common practice to bury information that doesn't meet your purpose in a report or to omit it entirely.

Question 34

Graphics can be as deceptive as words.

Question 35

It's best to admit to an inability to meet a deadline earlier rather than later so all parties have a chance to adapt to the changed circumstances.

Question 36

It is still acceptable to use gendered terms such as "fireman," "chairman," or "actress."

Question 37

The appellation "Miss" is a useful and accepted way to identify an unmarried woman.

Question 38

Once you are a professional, you don't really have to distinguish between proven fact and your educated opinion; they're essentially the same.

Question 39

Using qualifiers like "approximately" to modify your figures when you are estimating or providing best guesses is considered weak and unprofessional.

Question 40

Any act that you perform or any words that you write whose purpose it is to give yourself an advantage rather than to provide objective fact as you best know it is unethical.

Question 41

How big a topic is ethics and ethical behaviour?

Question 42

What is a relatively simple way in which a novice can assess an ethical dilemma?

Question 43

What makes an action unethical?

Question 44

What are the ramifications of unethical behaviour in the professions, broadly speaking?

Question 45

What are some specific outcomes of unethical behaviour in a professional field?

Question 46

Why is it sometimes harder to act ethically in a group or an organization?

Question 47

What is plagiarism? Why is it so tempting for students to plagiarize?

Question 48

What are the academic consequences of plagiarism? Consult your institutions policy to get a specific answer.

Question 49

What is the fundamental principle of ethical technical writing?

Question 50

Why is it easy for unethical technical writers to deceive, at least temporarily?

Question 51

Describe why plagiarizing is so damaging for the plagiarizing student, for other students, for the institution, and for employers.

Question 52

Describe how unethical behaviour can affect a profession, both internally and in the eyes of the wider public.

Question 53

Describe the principle of ethical technical writing. What is unethical technical writing and how does it affect a business or an entire profession?