Criminal Justice Ethics Theory and Practice Sixth Edition Cyndi Banks
Chapters 1-17
Chapter 1
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The field of ethics is also known as: (p. 3)
a. Moral philosophy*
b. Moralography
c. Post-modernism
d. Moralology
2. Ethics involves making judgments about: (p. 3)
a. how to live a “good” life
b. what “good” means
c. what is absolute truth
d. what is right or wrong*
3. What type of ethics is concerned with methods, language, and logical structure? (p. 3)
a. Metaethics*
b. Normative ethics
c. Applied ethics
d. Method ethics
4. The branch of ethics concerned with the question of what “good” means is: (p. 3)
a. normative ethics
b. metaethics*
c. applied ethics
d. philosophy
5. Normative ethics is a form of ethics devised to assist in: (p. 3)
a. Deciding which system of ethics is best.
b. Making decisions about the proper behavior.*
c. Deciding what is good or right in the abstract
d. Deciding which government or agency policies are best.
6. Among the reasons commonly given for studying ethics, which of the following are not
mentioned: (p. 4)
a. It is crucial that ethical decisions are made, and the study of ethics enables the
development of tools that enhance ethical decision making
b. It is important to have the capacity to point to moral reasoning in justifying
behavior, and the study of ethics develops that capacity
, c. The study of ethics increases sensitivity to issues of right and wrong and the right
way to conduct oneself, and aids in identifying acts that have a moral content
d. All of the following are reasons commonly given*
7. The study of ethics is especially important in criminal justice because: (p. 4)
a. unethical behavior is more rampant in criminal justice that other fields
b. ethics is not studied at police academies
c. CJ professionals have historically ignored ethics in their decision making
d. the potential of abuse of discretion and the powers of arrest and use of force
society grants to law enforcement personnel*
8. The central notion to is that one‟s conduct must take into account moral
issues. (p. 6)
a. Metaethics
b. Normative ethics*
c. Applied ethics
d. Method ethics
9. Ethical relativism assumes that: (p. 6)
a. All issues are related.
b. What is right or ethical may vary from person to person or culture to culture.*
c. Answers to ethical questions are relative to the etiology of the problem.
d. All people on the planet are related to each other in a symbiotic relationship.
10. According to Holmes (1998), which of the following agree that there is moral right and
wrong but contend what is right for one, may be wrong for another? (p. 6)
a. Ethical relativism*
b. Cultural relativism
c. Extreme or individual relativism
d. Ethical absolutism
11. Proponents of which ethical theory argue that every society has a different moral code
that explains which acts are permitted or not? (p. 7)
a. Ethical relativism
b. Cultural relativism*
c. Extreme or individual relativism
d. Ethical absolutism
12. Which of the following is a major problem with cultural relativism? (p. 8)
a. It provides answers to issues and spurs debate.
b. It operates as a moral isolationism*
c. Values of different historical periods are valid throughout time
d. Cultures are totally isolated from one another
13. Ethical absolutism assumes that: (p. 8)
a. There is an eternal, unchanging moral law that applies everywhere to everyone.*
, b. There are absolutely no moral universals.
c. There are many possible ethical truths.
d. No set of moral rules is absolutely true in all times and all places.
14. Which of the following is considered valid regardless of the thought and feeling? (p. 8)
a. Ethical relativism
b. Cultural relativism
c. Extreme or individual relativism
d. Ethical absolutism*
15. Which of the following teaches the value of an open mind, of tolerance, and
understanding? (p. 9)
a. Ethical relativism
b. Cultural relativism
c. Extreme or individual relativism
d. Ethical absolutism*
16. Ethical pluralism argues that in most situations: (pp. 9-10)
a. There are a lot of alternatives but only one can be correct.
b. The principle with which the greatest number of people agree is the correct
principle.
c. There are many truths rather than a single truth.*
d. Ethical absolutism applies only when there are a large number of ethical options.
17. The principles of understanding, tolerance, standing up and fallibility are all parts of the
theory of ethical: (p. 9)
a. Relativism.
b. Pluralism.*
c. Absolutism.
d. exoneration
18. The principle of understanding requires that we: (p. 9)
a. appreciate the meaning of ethical standards in other cultures from the perspective
of those cultures*
b. accept the existence of differences but deny diversity in ethical standards
c. be prepared to stand up against moral wrongdoing by creating more laws
d. be prepared to learn from other cultures yet have our own moral codes
19. According to Hinman (1998), under which principle should people be prepared to stand
up to what he calls “egregious moral wrongdoing”? (p. 9)
a. The principle of understanding
b. The principle of tolerance
c. The principle of standing up against evil*
d. The principle of fallibility
, 20. The author of the text suggests that supporting and upholding the execution of persons 16
or younger violates the principle of: (p. 9)
a. Relativism.
b. Absolutism.
c. Fallibility.*
d. Tolerance.
21. Kane (1996) argues for an approach that emphasizes ethical pluralism that does not imply
indifference. He calls this approach: (p. 9)
a. Closeness
b. Openness*
c. Correctness
d. Demonstrative
22. Which of the following does not reflect the views of an ethical pluralist? (pp. 9-10)
a. there is no possibility that there are moral absolutes*
b. we can learn from the morality of other societies
c. we must accept the fact that there are differences in the morality of different
societies
d. we should be willing to have our own society‟s shortcomings exposed
23. Which famous philosopher discussed the issue of whether divine command theory was
concerned with power of the gods to command? (p. 10)
a. Plato
b. Aristotle
c. Socrates*
d. Euripides
24. Divine Command Theory argues that: (p. 10)
a. religion is the only basis one should use to make moral decisions
b. natural law and religion command that individuals do the right thing
c. What is morally right is what God directs, and conversely, what is morally wrong
is what God prohibits.*
d. we are unable to be critical thinkers if we do not value religion
25. Which of the following beliefs do not reflect of a divine command theory believer? (p.
10)
a. ethical standards of conduct are derived from the interpretation of religion
b. divine commands will necessarily have to be drawn from a variety of religious
texts
c. the divine commands right conduct because it is right
d. divine commands are those that arise from superstition*
26. The idea of natural law is: (p. 11)
a. is almost identical to religious law
b. we can identify some factors that are common to our human nature*