Ethics & Advocacy - 2026 Professional Nursing Standards:
Exam 3 - Questions with Correct Answers
100 questions
1. An ethical dilemma exists when:
A. There is a clear right answer
B. A law is broken
C. Two or more morally justifiable options conflict and choosing one means not fully honoring
the other
D. A mistake is made
Correct Answer: C. Two or more morally justifiable options conflict and choosing one means
not fully honoring the other
Rationale: Dilemmas involve competing obligations. Frameworks help reason through them.
2. Integrity as a professional value means:
A. Changing values to fit convenience
B. Hiding mistakes
C. Following popularity
D. Acting consistently with moral values and professional standards
Correct Answer: D. Acting consistently with moral values and professional standards
Rationale: Integrity sustains trust. Compromises that violate core values threaten it.
3. Ethical sensitivity refers to:
A. Being easily offended
B. The ability to recognize ethical aspects of a situation
C. Avoiding ethical topics
D. Following orders
Correct Answer: B. The ability to recognize ethical aspects of a situation
Rationale: Recognition is the first step in ethical action. Education builds sensitivity.
,4. Moral uncertainty occurs when a nurse:
A. Senses a moral problem but is unsure which principles apply or what is right
B. Knows exactly what to do
C. Faces no ethical issues
D. Follows clear law
Correct Answer: A. Senses a moral problem but is unsure which principles apply or what is
right
Rationale: Uncertainty differs from distress and dilemma. Consultation can help.
5. Virtues commonly associated with nursing include:
A. Indifference and detachment
B. Compassion, integrity, honesty, courage and trustworthiness
C. Competitiveness and secrecy
D. Obedience without question
Correct Answer: B. Compassion, integrity, honesty, courage and trustworthiness
Rationale: Character shapes ethical practice. Virtues are developed over time.
6. Morals differ from ethics in that morals generally refer to:
A. Formal legal codes
B. Scientific laws
C. Personal or community beliefs about right and wrong, often shaped by culture and religion
D. Hospital rules
Correct Answer: C. Personal or community beliefs about right and wrong, often shaped by
culture and religion
Rationale: Ethics is the formal study of morality. The terms are often used interchangeably in
practice.
,7. Prima facie duties, described by W.D. Ross, are:
A. Absolute duties never overridden
B. Duties that are binding unless they conflict with a stronger duty
C. Legal duties only
D. Optional preferences
Correct Answer: B. Duties that are binding unless they conflict with a stronger duty
Rationale: Fidelity, nonmaleficence and beneficence are examples. Conflicts require weighing.
8. Virtue ethics focuses on:
A. Rules only
B. The moral character of the person, asking what a good nurse would do
C. Consequences only
D. Laws only
Correct Answer: B. The moral character of the person, asking what a good nurse would do
Rationale: Aristotle is associated with virtue ethics. Virtues include compassion, honesty and
courage.
9. Beneficence and nonmaleficence together require nurses to:
A. Ignore harms
B. Weigh benefits against harms when recommending interventions
C. Ignore benefits
D. Avoid all treatment
Correct Answer: B. Weigh benefits against harms when recommending interventions
Rationale: Risk-benefit analysis is central. Patients' values inform the weighing.
, 10. Beneficence may require nurses to:
A. Avoid all interventions
B. Advocate for interventions that improve a patient's well-being
C. Ignore suffering
D. Prioritize convenience
Correct Answer: B. Advocate for interventions that improve a patient's well-being
Rationale: Promoting good is an active duty. Pain management is an example.
11. Respect for autonomy does not require nurses to:
A. Inform patients
B. Provide treatments that are clinically inappropriate or harmful
C. Respect refusals
D. Seek consent
Correct Answer: B. Provide treatments that are clinically inappropriate or harmful
Rationale: Autonomy includes refusal rights but not unlimited demands. Professional judgment
applies.
12. Equality differs from equity in that equity means:
A. Giving everyone exactly the same
B. Ignoring differences
C. Providing resources according to need so people can achieve fair outcomes
D. Rewarding status
Correct Answer: C. Providing resources according to need so people can achieve fair outcomes
Rationale: Equal treatment may not produce fair results. Equity addresses disadvantage.
Exam 3 - Questions with Correct Answers
100 questions
1. An ethical dilemma exists when:
A. There is a clear right answer
B. A law is broken
C. Two or more morally justifiable options conflict and choosing one means not fully honoring
the other
D. A mistake is made
Correct Answer: C. Two or more morally justifiable options conflict and choosing one means
not fully honoring the other
Rationale: Dilemmas involve competing obligations. Frameworks help reason through them.
2. Integrity as a professional value means:
A. Changing values to fit convenience
B. Hiding mistakes
C. Following popularity
D. Acting consistently with moral values and professional standards
Correct Answer: D. Acting consistently with moral values and professional standards
Rationale: Integrity sustains trust. Compromises that violate core values threaten it.
3. Ethical sensitivity refers to:
A. Being easily offended
B. The ability to recognize ethical aspects of a situation
C. Avoiding ethical topics
D. Following orders
Correct Answer: B. The ability to recognize ethical aspects of a situation
Rationale: Recognition is the first step in ethical action. Education builds sensitivity.
,4. Moral uncertainty occurs when a nurse:
A. Senses a moral problem but is unsure which principles apply or what is right
B. Knows exactly what to do
C. Faces no ethical issues
D. Follows clear law
Correct Answer: A. Senses a moral problem but is unsure which principles apply or what is
right
Rationale: Uncertainty differs from distress and dilemma. Consultation can help.
5. Virtues commonly associated with nursing include:
A. Indifference and detachment
B. Compassion, integrity, honesty, courage and trustworthiness
C. Competitiveness and secrecy
D. Obedience without question
Correct Answer: B. Compassion, integrity, honesty, courage and trustworthiness
Rationale: Character shapes ethical practice. Virtues are developed over time.
6. Morals differ from ethics in that morals generally refer to:
A. Formal legal codes
B. Scientific laws
C. Personal or community beliefs about right and wrong, often shaped by culture and religion
D. Hospital rules
Correct Answer: C. Personal or community beliefs about right and wrong, often shaped by
culture and religion
Rationale: Ethics is the formal study of morality. The terms are often used interchangeably in
practice.
,7. Prima facie duties, described by W.D. Ross, are:
A. Absolute duties never overridden
B. Duties that are binding unless they conflict with a stronger duty
C. Legal duties only
D. Optional preferences
Correct Answer: B. Duties that are binding unless they conflict with a stronger duty
Rationale: Fidelity, nonmaleficence and beneficence are examples. Conflicts require weighing.
8. Virtue ethics focuses on:
A. Rules only
B. The moral character of the person, asking what a good nurse would do
C. Consequences only
D. Laws only
Correct Answer: B. The moral character of the person, asking what a good nurse would do
Rationale: Aristotle is associated with virtue ethics. Virtues include compassion, honesty and
courage.
9. Beneficence and nonmaleficence together require nurses to:
A. Ignore harms
B. Weigh benefits against harms when recommending interventions
C. Ignore benefits
D. Avoid all treatment
Correct Answer: B. Weigh benefits against harms when recommending interventions
Rationale: Risk-benefit analysis is central. Patients' values inform the weighing.
, 10. Beneficence may require nurses to:
A. Avoid all interventions
B. Advocate for interventions that improve a patient's well-being
C. Ignore suffering
D. Prioritize convenience
Correct Answer: B. Advocate for interventions that improve a patient's well-being
Rationale: Promoting good is an active duty. Pain management is an example.
11. Respect for autonomy does not require nurses to:
A. Inform patients
B. Provide treatments that are clinically inappropriate or harmful
C. Respect refusals
D. Seek consent
Correct Answer: B. Provide treatments that are clinically inappropriate or harmful
Rationale: Autonomy includes refusal rights but not unlimited demands. Professional judgment
applies.
12. Equality differs from equity in that equity means:
A. Giving everyone exactly the same
B. Ignoring differences
C. Providing resources according to need so people can achieve fair outcomes
D. Rewarding status
Correct Answer: C. Providing resources according to need so people can achieve fair outcomes
Rationale: Equal treatment may not produce fair results. Equity addresses disadvantage.
