PHL 100 FINAL EXAM ACTUAL
UPDATED QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
1. The greater goods defense assumes
a. the presence of human moral evil needs explanation but natural evils do not.
b. God could not create free agents who never did wrong.
c. the presence of evil can be justified if it helps bring about a greater amount of good
d. the problem of evil makes belief in God impossible. - CORRECT ANSWERS C
2. Natural evil consists of
a. all those evils, such as crimes, that result from the wickedness of human nature.
b. terrible events such as tornadoes that are produced by nature.
c. human moral evil that is natural and, therefore, forgivable.
d. evils done to nature, such as pollution. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
3. Which statement best characterizes John Hick's position?
a. A good God would make our life completely free of pain.
b. Even an all-powerful God could not make free persons into ready-made, perfected moral
agents.
c. The reason God allows suffering in this life is to punish us when we have gone astray.
d. The problem of evil is solved by recognizing that what is good and evil is simply a matter of
personal, subjective, opinion. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
4. According to your text, John Hick's critics, Edward Madden and Peter Hare, argue that
a. there is never any justification for allowing people to suffer.
b. Hick's position is weak because he justifies it by basing it on the Bible rather than by giving
philosophical arguments.
c. there is no way of knowing whether or not something is evil.
,d. Hick assumes that the only choice God had was between the present amount of evil and no
evil at all. - CORRECT ANSWERS D
5. The free will defense assumes that
a. God can freely do anything he wishes and we should not question him.
b. there are some things that are logically impossible for God to do.
c. we would be better off lacking free will than suffering.
d. we will be rewarded for enduring suffering in the afterlife. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
6. Which of the following criticisms of the free will defense is/are mentioned in the text?
a. It seems possible that God could make us so that we always freely choose the good.
b. God could allow people to be free to commit minor evils while preventing them from
committing major evils.
c. The value of having the amount of freedom we have does not justify the amount of moral evil
that results.
d. all of the above - CORRECT ANSWERS D
7. According to the text, C. S. Lewis argues that
a. God's ways are so far beyond our ways that we shouldn't try to explain why he allows evil to
happen.
b. God is incapable of preventing natural evil, but he can comfort us in our suffering.
c. suffering results from the laws of nature, which are necessary if there is to be human freedom
at all.
d. suffering is a punishment for violating God's moral law. - CORRECT ANSWERS C
. In Plato's story of the ring of Gyges, the ring had the power to make one invisible.
a. True
b. False - CORRECT ANSWERS T
, 2. The task of normative ethics is to describe various cultures' moral beliefs.
a. True
b. False - CORRECT ANSWERS F
3. All religious philosophers necessarily hold to the divine command theory of ethics.
a. True
b. False - CORRECT ANSWERS F
4. In the reading from Plato's Republic, Glaucon says that the reason to be moral is because
a. that is simply the right thing to do.
b. of its social consequences.
c. immorality corrupts the soul, which is our true self.
d. we want to avoid punishment in the afterlife. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
5. A problem that the text raised with the divine command theory of ethics is that
a. no intelligent person believes in God.
b. many morally abhorrent actions have been defended on the basis of God's commands.
c. if moral goodness is defined in terms of God's will, it makes it meaningless to say God's will is
good.
d. all of the above - CORRECT ANSWERS C
6. Which of the following is not a problem the text raised with divine command theory of
ethics?
a. There is a lack of agreement as to which religious authority should be the basis of ethics.
b. Some ethical questions cannot be answered by traditional religious traditions apart from
philosophical considerations.
c.
d. Some nonreligious people are morally good persons but do not derive their morality from any
religious tradition. - CORRECT ANSWERS C
UPDATED QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
1. The greater goods defense assumes
a. the presence of human moral evil needs explanation but natural evils do not.
b. God could not create free agents who never did wrong.
c. the presence of evil can be justified if it helps bring about a greater amount of good
d. the problem of evil makes belief in God impossible. - CORRECT ANSWERS C
2. Natural evil consists of
a. all those evils, such as crimes, that result from the wickedness of human nature.
b. terrible events such as tornadoes that are produced by nature.
c. human moral evil that is natural and, therefore, forgivable.
d. evils done to nature, such as pollution. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
3. Which statement best characterizes John Hick's position?
a. A good God would make our life completely free of pain.
b. Even an all-powerful God could not make free persons into ready-made, perfected moral
agents.
c. The reason God allows suffering in this life is to punish us when we have gone astray.
d. The problem of evil is solved by recognizing that what is good and evil is simply a matter of
personal, subjective, opinion. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
4. According to your text, John Hick's critics, Edward Madden and Peter Hare, argue that
a. there is never any justification for allowing people to suffer.
b. Hick's position is weak because he justifies it by basing it on the Bible rather than by giving
philosophical arguments.
c. there is no way of knowing whether or not something is evil.
,d. Hick assumes that the only choice God had was between the present amount of evil and no
evil at all. - CORRECT ANSWERS D
5. The free will defense assumes that
a. God can freely do anything he wishes and we should not question him.
b. there are some things that are logically impossible for God to do.
c. we would be better off lacking free will than suffering.
d. we will be rewarded for enduring suffering in the afterlife. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
6. Which of the following criticisms of the free will defense is/are mentioned in the text?
a. It seems possible that God could make us so that we always freely choose the good.
b. God could allow people to be free to commit minor evils while preventing them from
committing major evils.
c. The value of having the amount of freedom we have does not justify the amount of moral evil
that results.
d. all of the above - CORRECT ANSWERS D
7. According to the text, C. S. Lewis argues that
a. God's ways are so far beyond our ways that we shouldn't try to explain why he allows evil to
happen.
b. God is incapable of preventing natural evil, but he can comfort us in our suffering.
c. suffering results from the laws of nature, which are necessary if there is to be human freedom
at all.
d. suffering is a punishment for violating God's moral law. - CORRECT ANSWERS C
. In Plato's story of the ring of Gyges, the ring had the power to make one invisible.
a. True
b. False - CORRECT ANSWERS T
, 2. The task of normative ethics is to describe various cultures' moral beliefs.
a. True
b. False - CORRECT ANSWERS F
3. All religious philosophers necessarily hold to the divine command theory of ethics.
a. True
b. False - CORRECT ANSWERS F
4. In the reading from Plato's Republic, Glaucon says that the reason to be moral is because
a. that is simply the right thing to do.
b. of its social consequences.
c. immorality corrupts the soul, which is our true self.
d. we want to avoid punishment in the afterlife. - CORRECT ANSWERS B
5. A problem that the text raised with the divine command theory of ethics is that
a. no intelligent person believes in God.
b. many morally abhorrent actions have been defended on the basis of God's commands.
c. if moral goodness is defined in terms of God's will, it makes it meaningless to say God's will is
good.
d. all of the above - CORRECT ANSWERS C
6. Which of the following is not a problem the text raised with divine command theory of
ethics?
a. There is a lack of agreement as to which religious authority should be the basis of ethics.
b. Some ethical questions cannot be answered by traditional religious traditions apart from
philosophical considerations.
c.
d. Some nonreligious people are morally good persons but do not derive their morality from any
religious tradition. - CORRECT ANSWERS C
