FE ETHICS EXAMS SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
2025/2026 ALL RATED A+
✔✔Engineering is considered by many to be one of the learned "professions" rather
than a more fundamental "occupation." What is characteristic of a profession? - ✔✔1.
Satisfies an indispensable and beneficial social need
2. Is based on knowledge and skills not common to the general public
3. Depends to a great extent on the personal judgment of its members
✔✔An environmental engineer with 5 years of experience reads a story in the daily
paper about a proposal being presented to the city council to construct a new sewage
treatment plant near protected wetlands. Based on professional experience and the
facts presented in the newspaper, the engineer suspects the plant would be extremely
harmful to the local ecosystem. What would be an acceptable course of action? -
✔✔The engineer should contact appropriate agencies to get more data on the project
before making a judgment.
✔✔An engineer is consulting for a construction company that has been receiving bad
publicity in the local papers about its waste-handling practices. Knowing that this
criticism is based on public misperceptions and the paper's thirst for controversial
stories, the engineer would like to write an article to be printed in the paper's editorial
page. What is the engineer's ethical responsibility with this article? - ✔✔The article must
be objective and truthful, present all relevant information including the engineer's
professional credentials, and disclose all details of the engineer's affiliation with the
company
✔✔A survey crew is hired by the general contractor on a large government project to
verify pertinent data on the owner-supplied plans. While performing their functions, the
survey crew is approached by a subcontractor who wants them to perform some work
for him on the same project. He states that he will pay for this additional work and notes
that it will be easy for the survey crew to perform both services at the same time. What
should the survey crew do? - ✔✔The survey crew should accept this additional work as
long as the circumstances are fully disclosed and agreed to by all parties
✔✔An engineering firm is hired by a developer to prepare plans for a shopping mall.
Prior to the bid date, several contractors who have received bid documents and plans
contact the engineering firm with requests for information relating to the project. What
can the engineering firm do? - ✔✔The firm cannot reveal facts, data, or information
relating to the project without the consent of the client as authorized or required by law
✔✔Without your knowledge, an old classmate applies to the company you work for.
Knowing that you recently graduated from the same school, the director or engineering
shows you the application and resume. It turns out you friend exaggerated a lot of
details, but was very smart in school and could help the company. What do you do? -
, ✔✔You should recommend the applicant, but qualify you recommendation by pointing
out that you think he may have exaggerated some details on the resume
✔✔While working to revise the design of the suspension for a car, an engineer
discovers a flaw in the design currently being produced. Based on a statistical analysis,
the company determines that although this mistake is likely to cause a small increase in
fatalities seen each year, it would be prohibitively expensive to do a recall to replace the
part. Accordingly the company decides not to issue a recall notice. What should the
engineer do? - ✔✔The engineer should notify the National Transportation Safety Board,
providing enough details for them to initiate a formal inquiry
✔✔"Ethics" is best defined as.... - ✔✔A philosophy concept dealing with normal conduct
A set of standards establishing right and wrong actions
Rules that describe your duty to society and other professionals
Guidelines that help you make decisions
✔✔Complete the sentence: "If you check the calculations for a licensed (registered)
friend who has gone into a consulting engineering business for himself/herself...." -
✔✔"your friend's client should be told of your involvement
✔✔Which of the following can override your ethical requirement to perform a thorough
analysis and check of the work for your client
a. time constraints
b. budgetary constraints
c. legal constraints, including subpoenas, and judicial orders
d. ethical obligations to society - ✔✔Ethical obligations to society
✔✔What does it mean when a design professional accepts a punishment for an
unethical acts from this technical society "with prejudice?" - ✔✔Even after the sentence
is served or punishment is completed, further actions may be taken
✔✔While supervising a construction project in a developing country, an engineer
discovers that his client's project manager is treating laborers in an unsafe and
inhumane (but for that country, legal) manner. When he protests, the engineer is told by
company executives that the company has no choice in the matter if it wishes to remain
competitive in the region, and he should just accept that is this is the way things are.
What, if anything, would ethics require the engineer do? - ✔✔Withdraw from the project,
returning any fees that may have already been received
2025/2026 ALL RATED A+
✔✔Engineering is considered by many to be one of the learned "professions" rather
than a more fundamental "occupation." What is characteristic of a profession? - ✔✔1.
Satisfies an indispensable and beneficial social need
2. Is based on knowledge and skills not common to the general public
3. Depends to a great extent on the personal judgment of its members
✔✔An environmental engineer with 5 years of experience reads a story in the daily
paper about a proposal being presented to the city council to construct a new sewage
treatment plant near protected wetlands. Based on professional experience and the
facts presented in the newspaper, the engineer suspects the plant would be extremely
harmful to the local ecosystem. What would be an acceptable course of action? -
✔✔The engineer should contact appropriate agencies to get more data on the project
before making a judgment.
✔✔An engineer is consulting for a construction company that has been receiving bad
publicity in the local papers about its waste-handling practices. Knowing that this
criticism is based on public misperceptions and the paper's thirst for controversial
stories, the engineer would like to write an article to be printed in the paper's editorial
page. What is the engineer's ethical responsibility with this article? - ✔✔The article must
be objective and truthful, present all relevant information including the engineer's
professional credentials, and disclose all details of the engineer's affiliation with the
company
✔✔A survey crew is hired by the general contractor on a large government project to
verify pertinent data on the owner-supplied plans. While performing their functions, the
survey crew is approached by a subcontractor who wants them to perform some work
for him on the same project. He states that he will pay for this additional work and notes
that it will be easy for the survey crew to perform both services at the same time. What
should the survey crew do? - ✔✔The survey crew should accept this additional work as
long as the circumstances are fully disclosed and agreed to by all parties
✔✔An engineering firm is hired by a developer to prepare plans for a shopping mall.
Prior to the bid date, several contractors who have received bid documents and plans
contact the engineering firm with requests for information relating to the project. What
can the engineering firm do? - ✔✔The firm cannot reveal facts, data, or information
relating to the project without the consent of the client as authorized or required by law
✔✔Without your knowledge, an old classmate applies to the company you work for.
Knowing that you recently graduated from the same school, the director or engineering
shows you the application and resume. It turns out you friend exaggerated a lot of
details, but was very smart in school and could help the company. What do you do? -
, ✔✔You should recommend the applicant, but qualify you recommendation by pointing
out that you think he may have exaggerated some details on the resume
✔✔While working to revise the design of the suspension for a car, an engineer
discovers a flaw in the design currently being produced. Based on a statistical analysis,
the company determines that although this mistake is likely to cause a small increase in
fatalities seen each year, it would be prohibitively expensive to do a recall to replace the
part. Accordingly the company decides not to issue a recall notice. What should the
engineer do? - ✔✔The engineer should notify the National Transportation Safety Board,
providing enough details for them to initiate a formal inquiry
✔✔"Ethics" is best defined as.... - ✔✔A philosophy concept dealing with normal conduct
A set of standards establishing right and wrong actions
Rules that describe your duty to society and other professionals
Guidelines that help you make decisions
✔✔Complete the sentence: "If you check the calculations for a licensed (registered)
friend who has gone into a consulting engineering business for himself/herself...." -
✔✔"your friend's client should be told of your involvement
✔✔Which of the following can override your ethical requirement to perform a thorough
analysis and check of the work for your client
a. time constraints
b. budgetary constraints
c. legal constraints, including subpoenas, and judicial orders
d. ethical obligations to society - ✔✔Ethical obligations to society
✔✔What does it mean when a design professional accepts a punishment for an
unethical acts from this technical society "with prejudice?" - ✔✔Even after the sentence
is served or punishment is completed, further actions may be taken
✔✔While supervising a construction project in a developing country, an engineer
discovers that his client's project manager is treating laborers in an unsafe and
inhumane (but for that country, legal) manner. When he protests, the engineer is told by
company executives that the company has no choice in the matter if it wishes to remain
competitive in the region, and he should just accept that is this is the way things are.
What, if anything, would ethics require the engineer do? - ✔✔Withdraw from the project,
returning any fees that may have already been received
