Name: Section Number: Honor Code (Signature): TA:.

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1 FINAL EXAM PHIL / ENGR 482 Fall 2004, AM Version Name: Section Number: Honor Code (Signature): TA:. 1.) Which of the following criteria for determining when the environment is considered clean best reflects the cost/benefit and utilitarian orentation? a.) The environment is clean if it imposes no greater threat to human life or health than other risks. b.) The environment is clean if the pollutant present in it are normally present in nature to the same degree c.) The environment is clean if the funds required to reduce pollution further could be used in other ways that would produce more overall human well-being. d.) The environment is clean if every pollutant that is demonstrably harmful to human health has been eliminated. 2.) The viewpoint that excludes nonhuman animals from the ranks of those beings having intrinsic value is a definition of. a.) paternalism b.) ethnocentrism c.) anthropocentrism d.) non- anthropocentrism 3.) Which of the following cases focuses on a factual issue a.) Derek wonders wether a computer program is still the same program after he has made some changes to the code. b.) Jim argues that benzene emissions of 10ppm do not cause health problems. Tom argues that they do c.) Jim and Derek argue over whether it is ok to lie to pretect a co-worker. d.) Jim and Dekek argue over whether failing to speak up in a meeting when you have relevant information is ok. 4.) Susan works for ACME Systems. As one of her duties, she is supposed to purchase new gas filters. Archie owns a company that manufactures filters. Susan has a conflict of interest if: a.) Archie offers her $1,000 in cash to give him the contract. b.) Archie is the brother of Susan s best friend. c.) Archie and Susan are sexually attracted to each other. d.) All of the above 5.) Typically, a scientist works at the 95% confidence interval as the standard for scientific truth. In contrast, a public policy expert is willing to accept a lower confidence interval to protect the public from a a.) true positive b.) false positive c.) true negative d.) false negative

2 6.) Which of the following is the best statement of the self-defeating test? a.) Ask whether you would be willing to be the recipient of the consequences of the actions you are contemplating. b.) Ask whether you could perform the action if everyone performed the action c.) Ask whether you would perform the action if the consequences affected everyone except you d.) Ask whether performing the action will benefit some more than others 7.) Proper engineering response to risk includes a.) Avoiding redundancy b.) Making sure safety factors are as far below 1 as practically possible c.) Making sure safety factors are as far above 1 as practically possible d.) Making sure safety factors are in multiples of 10 8.) Which is the best example of a conflict of interest? a.) An engineer has an interest in designing airplanes and designing automobiles and is not sure which interest to follow b.) An engineer is designing a new microwave oven. She has an obligation to the public to make it safe but an abligation to the employer to make it profitable. c.) An engineer is designing a microwave oven and his family owns a company which makes a component for the oven which he could specify. d.) An engineer is designing a microwave oven and he finds it difficult to decide between two components because one is somewhat more reliable and the other is somewhat cheaper. 9.) Jane is an engineer who is selecting a valve for a chemical plant that she is helping to design. Which of the following considerations is the LEAST important to her as an engineer, as opposed to a manager? a.) The valve is state-of-the-art b.) The valve has a quicker shut-off mechanism c.) The valve has been implicated in some industrial accidents d.) The valve can be delivered on time 10.) The textbook attempts to find a creative-middle-way solution to the issue of the responsibilities of engineers for the environment. Which of the following statements best describes this solution? a.) Engineers should not be required as professionals to inject environmental concerns unrelated to human health into their engineering work, but should have the right to speak and act on these concerns is they desire b.) Engineers should not be required as professionals to inject (human) health-related concerns into their professional work, but professional societies should support them if they do c.) Engineers should be able to decide for themselves what their responsibilities to the environment should be d.) Engineers should not speak or act on environmental issues in the workplace (whether or not they are related to human health), but should be allowed to do so freely outside the workplace 11.) Which of the following is the best argument for critical loyalty? a.) Engineers are not experts in public policiy b.) Laws cannot be written to prevent every possible abuse, so individual responsibility is needed. c.) Organizations need teamwork d.) Employees should obey their superiors

3 12.) Normalizing deviance a.) Is deciding what is normal before any experimental evidence on the behavior of the product is obtained b.) Is allowing increasing numbers of deviances from what was originally considered proper standards d.) Is judging the behavior of a product by normal engineering standards and declaring as deviant anything that departs from those standards 13.) An official of a construction company requires that a bidder pay him $10,000 before the bid will even be considered. Given the definitions of extortion and bribery that we have used, which of the following statements is most appropriate? a.) This is extortion, because it is payment of money for something to which one is already entitled.. b.) This is bribery, because it is payment of money for something to which one is already entitled. c.) This is extortion, because it is payment of money for something to which one is not entitled. d.) This is bribery, because it is payment of money for something to which one is not entitled. 14.) Which of the following best illustrates a potential conflict of interest? a.) John now thinks Bolt A is the best on the product for his design, but anticipates that recent improvements in Bolt B may make it the best product for his design in the future. b.) John is considering Bolt A and Bolt B for his design, and he owns stock in the company that makes Bolt A. c.) John is considering Bolt A and Bolt B for his design, and he has reason to think he may discover, when he looks at the list of officers in the company, that an old buddy is now an officer in the company that makes Bolt A d.) John is considering Bolt A and Bolt B, and he knows that a lot of people think (falsely) that he is going to buy stock in the company that makes Bolt A. 15.) An engineer and manager of Company A disagree as to who should make the decision on a certain aspect of a new design. Which factors would suggest that the manager should make the decision? a.) The parts to the specified appear to be equally good, but one is somewhat more expensive than the other. b.) If the company buys a part for the product under design from Supplier X, the supplier may in turn buy products from our Company A. c.) One part has a longer track record than the other d.) Both a and b 16.) Nancy believes that a new product her company is placing on the market is not designed to state-of the-art standards, although she does not believe the design poses a danger to the public. She is afraid to talk to anyone in the company or outside the company about her view, because she is a new employee and does not want to make waves. According to DeGeorge s criteria a.) She is not permitted to blow the whistle, because she has no reason to believe the design could cause serious harm b.) She is not permitted to blow the whistle, because she has not notified her professional society d.) She is permitted to blow the whistle if she is willing to take the consequences of her actions if she is proven wrong.

4 17.) Suppose a biomedical engineer attempts to explain the risks of an experimental treatment to a patient who is dying of cancer. The engineer asks a physician to translate the complicated medical analysis of the possible effects of the procedure into layperson s language and convey it to the patient. The physician warns, however, that the translation into lay terms really distorts the situation rather fundamentally. The engineer urges that the physician make the decision for the patient a.) This is an example of weak paternalism, if the engineer does not think the patient can make a truly informed decision. b.) This is an example of weak paternalism, if the engineer thinks one of the choices is better than the other and does not want the patient to make the wrong choice c.) This is an example of strong paternalism, if the engineer thinks the patient cannot fully decide because of undue pressure from family to make one decision rather than another d.) This is an example of strong paternalism, if the engineer thinks the moral agency of the patient cannot be fully exercised under the circumstances 18.) John s firm owns 90% of the land devoted to pineapple production in Country X, and few other jobs are available. The workers are paid very low wages. As described, this is the best characterized as exploitation because a.) The pineapples are consumed in other countries, not by the producers b.) There is an unequal balance of power between workers and the firm c.) The workers are unhappy with their condition d.) Both a and c 19.) Which is an example of an idea associated with a non-anthropocentric ethical viewpoint? a.) Wetlands should be preserved, even if they do not contribute to human well-being b.) Human population should be limited in order to provide better conditions for human well-being d.) Global warming should be reversed, if possible, because it could severely damage the prospects for human survival 20.) Which of the following is a claim about an application issue? a.) A false positive judgement is defined as one in which there is a claim that there is a positive when there is not b.) The judgement that benzene does not cause a health problem, when it in fact does cause health problems, is a false negative c.) Errors in judgement about false negatives are more common that errors about false positives d.) A false negative judgement about risk is more dangerous to the public than a false positive 21.) Which of the following statements is true? a.) I am using the Golden Rule test if the question is whether I would be willing to be the recipient of the consequences of the action I am considering b.) I am using the Golden Rule test if the question is whether another person s performing the action would benefit him (her) as much as it benefits me c.) I am using the self-defeating test if the question is whether it would benefit society if others perfomed the same action I am considering d.) I am using the self-defeating test if the question is whether everyone else s performing the action would benefit me

5 22.) Traditionally, American law regarding employer/employee rights has been governed by the commonlaw doctrine of employment at will. This traditional doctrine has been modified, however, in several respects, in accordance with what the courts perceive as a public policy exception. Which statement below is true with respect to the present status of employee protection by the courts? a.) Courts now generally protect the employee s right not to be ordered by the employer to do things that violate the employee s conscience. b.) Courts do not recognize the right of employees to serve on juries, if the employer objects. c.) Courts often distinguish between the codes promulgated by professional societies and those promulgated by regulatory boards giving the former more standing in court because they are thought to be more unbiased. d.) Courts have usually declined to protect employees where there is a difference in judgment between employer and employee. 23.) In its Fundamental Canons, the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers a.) Lists the protection of the environment as an important obligation for professional engineers b.) Lists the safety, health and welfare of the public as something professional engineers should hold paramount. d.) Holds that a code should consist entirely of Fundamental Canons, and that engineers should be trusted to think out the implications of these canons without further specification in the code. 24.) The Mardirosian case a.) Convinced many professional engineering societies that they should be more vigorous in enforcing ethics b.) Convinced many professional engineering societies that their ability to enforce professional ethics was limited c.) Involved an engineer who was guilty of violations of environmental law and convinced engineering societies that they should do more to protect the environment. d.) Was the first case to be considered by the NSPE s Board of Ethical Review 25.) The Texas Board of Professional Engineers has the power to a.) Determine what constitutes the practice of engineering b.) Determine which professional societies must have only P.E. s as members c.) Revoke an engineer s P.E. license d.) Both a and c 26.) Which of the following environmental laws has had the greatest impact on the world as a whole? a.) The U.S. Clean Water Act b.) The U.S. Clean Air Act c.) The U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act d.) The U.S. National Environmental Policy Act 27.) Engineering practice in the United States is legally regulated primarily by a.) U. S. Federal law b.) Individual state laws c.) The National Society for Professional Engineers d.) The state branches of professional societies, such as the Texas society of Professional Engineers. 28.) Which of the following organizations is in the strongest position to legally enforce engineering ethics?? a.) NSPE b.) Individual State Engineering Boards c.) State Societies of professional Engineers d.) Discipline area Engineering Organizations

6 29.) Which of the following topics is not covered on the F.E. exam? a.) Mathematics b.) Engineering Ethics c.) Design problems in the chosen field of engineering d.) Engineering Sciences 30.) Computer software does not fit the typical case of something that should be copyrighted or something that should be patented. Which factors suggest that it should be copyrighted? a) It is written in a language. b) It contains a list of ways to react to certain conditions c) It has a sequence like a story d) Both a and c 31.) Computer matching is one way that computers can be envolved in the posible violation of the right to privacy. a.) The argument that people need to control information aboaut themselves in order to control the intimacy of their relationships and thus their personal integrity is an RP argument regarding privacy. b.) The argument that individuals should not be identified as suspicious before there is any evidence against them because it violates their right to equality before the law is an RP argument regarding privacy. c.) The argument that matching is necessary if we are going to have such things as credit card is an RP argument regarding privacy. d.) Both a and b 32.) The Therac-25 case is one of the best known cases in computer ethics. Where does the textbook place the primary blame? a.) On the negligence of the managers of the hospitals where the Therac-25 was used. b.) On the negligence of the physicians who were slow to recognize the overexposure of patients to the Therac-25 beam. c.) On the negligence at the individual and corporate levels of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. d.) On the negligence of the federal agencies in the U.S. that should have exercised more oversight over the use of the Therac Which of the following cases focuses on an application issue? a.) Mary selects vendors to supply components for her company s products. One vendor sends her a desk calendar with his company s logo on it. Mary wonders whether accepting the calendar is a bribe. b.) Mary and Jim disagree over what bribe means. c.) Mary and Jim disagree over whether paying extortion is ok when it is necessary to protect company property. d.) Jim argues that benzene emissions of 10ppm do not cause health problems. Mary argues that they do.