PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN ENGINEERING

Which among the following dichotomies is used in a discourse on ethics?

1. Empirical – Normative

2. Descriptive – Prescriptive

3. Fact – Value

4. Profit - Loss

Which of the following is correct?

• 1 and 3

• 1 and 2

• 1, 2 and 3

• 2, 3 and 4

How does the individual come to be able to make moral decisions?

1) By understanding his motives

2) By understanding the consequences of his actions

3) By being deterred and frightened of the penalties incurred on him for his action

4) By understanding the means adopted to execute action

• 1,2 and 3

• 1,3 and 4

• 1,2,3 and 4

• 1, 2 and 4

Which of the following statements are true about Engineering Ethics?

1) Engineering Ethics is an area of practical or applied ethics

2) The aim of Engineering Ethics is to illuminate the ethical dimensions of engineering practice

3) Engineering Ethics is constituted of an eclectic contribution of all schools of ethics

4) Professional Engineering Societies are a major source of codes for engineering ethics.

Which of the following is correct?

• Only 2

• 1 and 3

• 1, 3 and 4

• 1, 2, 3 and 4

Which of the following assumption about moral behavior is reasonably justified?

1) Most people will behave morally if the socialization process has successfully inculcated the right values

2) Some people will behave more morally than others even if they have been under the same socialization process

3) Social situations provide the best stimulus to moral action or inaction; i.e social pressure determines moral action/inaction.

4) Socialization has no role in developing moral values

• 1 and 4

• 1,2 and 3

• 1,2,3 and 4

• 2 and 3

Which among the following are principle concerns with ‘professional ethics’

1) To study ethical dilemmas in professions by application of moral theory

2) The study of unique moral obligations created by special social roles

3) The practice and consultancy of ethics by a trained professional ethicist

4) The ethical challenges of a professional lifestyle

Which of the following are correct?

• 1 and 2

• 2 and 3

• 1, 2 and 3

• 1, 2, 3 and 4

Which of the following are true

1) Ethical dilemmas arise when it is thought that serious good and bad are bound together in the same activity

2) Ethics uses the instrument of coercion to oblige its subjects

3) Ethical behavior is dependent on the conditions and circumstances under which an action/event takes place

4) Codes of Conduct form a part of ethical training

• 1 and 3

• 1, 3 and 4

• 1,2 and 3

• 2, 3 and 4

Which of the following statements is most appropriate to describe deontological ethics?

• The central idea is that the right or wrong consideration is what makes the act right or wrong, other things being equal

• The central idea is that an adherence to the codes prescribed under the duty one is employed in makes for the right action

• The central idea is that right and wrong are relative to time and circumstance

• The central idea is that right and wrong are determined by humans according to their subjective conscience

Consider the following statements behavior and the type of activity corresponding to them as impediments to responsible action for an engineer

Type of Behavior

1. When group comes to agreement at the expense of critical thinking

2. When we see things at the microscopic level, we can’t see them at the general and ordinary level

3. We tend to interpret situations from very limited perspectives

4. An engineer genuinely does not realize that a design poses a safety problem

Type of Activity

A) Microscopic Vision

B) Egocentrism

C) Groupthink

D) Ignorance

Which of the following are correct?

• 1 – A; 2 – B; 3 – C; 4 –D

• 1 – C; 2 –A; 3 –B; 4 –D

• 1 –B; 2 –C; 3 –D; 4 –A

• 1 –A; 2 – C; 3 –B; 4 –D

Which of the following statements are true about ‘Morale’

1) It is a form of ‘attitude’

2) It is reflected in positive feelings about the work group

3) It instills confidence that difficult goals can be achieved easily

4) It is the knowledge of the distinction between right and wrong action

• 1,2 and 3

• 1,2,3 and 4

• 2 and 3

• 2, 3 and 4

Which of the following is the most appropriate definition of “practice” vis-a-vis professional ethics?

• “practice” is a cooperative arrangement to pursue the goods that are internal to a structured communal life

• “practice” is an endeavor to achieve excellence by incessant repetition

• “practice” is the application of knowledge into real time problems

• “practice” is symbolic of the humble admission that humans can never know and learn enough