Ethics & Advocacy - 2026 Professional Nursing Standards:
Midterm Exam (Units 1-7) - Questions with Correct Answers
100 questions
1. The relationship between law and ethics is that:
A. Laws set minimum standards of conduct, while ethics may require more than the law
B. They are always identical
C. Ethics is enforced by courts
D. Laws never reflect ethics
Correct Answer: A. Laws set minimum standards of conduct, while ethics may require more
than the law
Rationale: Something legal may still be unethical. Ethics often guides higher professional
standards.
2. An ethical environment in health care organizations is supported by:
A. Silence about concerns
B. Punishing questions
C. Profit-only goals
D. Clear policies, ethics resources, leadership commitment and open dialogue
Correct Answer: D. Clear policies, ethics resources, leadership commitment and open
dialogue
Rationale: Organizational ethics influences individual practice. Resources such as ethics
committees help.
3. Kohlberg's theory of moral development proposes that moral reasoning progresses through:
A. Childhood, adulthood and old age
B. Fear, guilt and shame
C. Rules, roles and rewards
D. Preconventional, conventional and postconventional levels
Correct Answer: D. Preconventional, conventional and postconventional levels
Rationale: Postconventional reasoning relies on universal principles. Gilligan critiqued the
theory for neglecting care-based reasoning.
,4. Kant's categorical imperative includes the principle that people should:
A. Be used for the greater good
B. Be treated as ends in themselves and never merely as means
C. Act only for personal gain
D. Follow majority opinion
Correct Answer: B. Be treated as ends in themselves and never merely as means
Rationale: This underpins respect for persons. Using patients only to benefit others violates it.
5. Ethics is best defined as:
A. A set of laws enforced by courts
B. Personal taste in behavior
C. The systematic study of what is right and good in human conduct and decision-making
D. Hospital policy only
Correct Answer: C. The systematic study of what is right and good in human conduct and
decision-making
Rationale: Ethics examines reasons for actions. Laws and policies may reflect ethics but are not
identical to it.
6. Distinguishing an ethical dilemma from a practical problem is important because:
A. Some problems are communication or resource issues rather than conflicts of moral
principles
B. All problems are dilemmas
C. Practical problems are always ethical
D. Dilemmas are always legal
Correct Answer: A. Some problems are communication or resource issues rather than
conflicts of moral principles
Rationale: Accurate framing guides solutions. Communication may resolve apparent dilemmas.
,7. Communitarian ethics emphasizes:
A. Only individual rights
B. Community values, shared goods and social responsibilities
C. Only economic markets
D. Only professional authority
Correct Answer: B. Community values, shared goods and social responsibilities
Rationale: Public health often draws on communitarian reasoning. It balances individualism.
8. Discourse ethics emphasizes:
A. Decisions by one authority
B. Avoiding discussion
C. Voting without discussion
D. Reaching moral decisions through fair dialogue among those affected
Correct Answer: D. Reaching moral decisions through fair dialogue among those affected
Rationale: Habermas is associated with it. Family meetings reflect this approach.
9. Feminist ethics in health care highlights:
A. Power imbalances, oppression and the importance of context and relationships
B. Only abstract principles
C. Only economic outcomes
D. Only individual rights without context
Correct Answer: A. Power imbalances, oppression and the importance of context and
relationships
Rationale: It critiques structures that disadvantage groups. It overlaps with care ethics.
, 10. A nurse whose personal values conflict with a patient's choice should:
A. Impose personal values
B. Recognize the conflict and continue to respect the patient's informed decisions
C. Refuse care without arrangement
D. Pressure the patient
Correct Answer: B. Recognize the conflict and continue to respect the patient's informed
decisions
Rationale: Professional obligations prioritize the patient. Transfer may be arranged if conflict is
serious.
11. Principlism, developed by Beauchamp and Childress, uses four core principles:
A. Honesty, loyalty, privacy and duty
B. Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice
C. Utility, liberty, equality and charity
D. Faith, hope, charity and prudence
Correct Answer: B. Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice
Rationale: These principles guide biomedical ethics. They may conflict and require balancing.
12. Ethical reasoning skills in nurses can be developed through:
A. Avoiding ethics
B. Memorizing laws only
C. Following others blindly
D. Case discussions, ethics education and reflective practice
Correct Answer: D. Case discussions, ethics education and reflective practice
Rationale: Practice improves reasoning. Ethics rounds are useful.
Midterm Exam (Units 1-7) - Questions with Correct Answers
100 questions
1. The relationship between law and ethics is that:
A. Laws set minimum standards of conduct, while ethics may require more than the law
B. They are always identical
C. Ethics is enforced by courts
D. Laws never reflect ethics
Correct Answer: A. Laws set minimum standards of conduct, while ethics may require more
than the law
Rationale: Something legal may still be unethical. Ethics often guides higher professional
standards.
2. An ethical environment in health care organizations is supported by:
A. Silence about concerns
B. Punishing questions
C. Profit-only goals
D. Clear policies, ethics resources, leadership commitment and open dialogue
Correct Answer: D. Clear policies, ethics resources, leadership commitment and open
dialogue
Rationale: Organizational ethics influences individual practice. Resources such as ethics
committees help.
3. Kohlberg's theory of moral development proposes that moral reasoning progresses through:
A. Childhood, adulthood and old age
B. Fear, guilt and shame
C. Rules, roles and rewards
D. Preconventional, conventional and postconventional levels
Correct Answer: D. Preconventional, conventional and postconventional levels
Rationale: Postconventional reasoning relies on universal principles. Gilligan critiqued the
theory for neglecting care-based reasoning.
,4. Kant's categorical imperative includes the principle that people should:
A. Be used for the greater good
B. Be treated as ends in themselves and never merely as means
C. Act only for personal gain
D. Follow majority opinion
Correct Answer: B. Be treated as ends in themselves and never merely as means
Rationale: This underpins respect for persons. Using patients only to benefit others violates it.
5. Ethics is best defined as:
A. A set of laws enforced by courts
B. Personal taste in behavior
C. The systematic study of what is right and good in human conduct and decision-making
D. Hospital policy only
Correct Answer: C. The systematic study of what is right and good in human conduct and
decision-making
Rationale: Ethics examines reasons for actions. Laws and policies may reflect ethics but are not
identical to it.
6. Distinguishing an ethical dilemma from a practical problem is important because:
A. Some problems are communication or resource issues rather than conflicts of moral
principles
B. All problems are dilemmas
C. Practical problems are always ethical
D. Dilemmas are always legal
Correct Answer: A. Some problems are communication or resource issues rather than
conflicts of moral principles
Rationale: Accurate framing guides solutions. Communication may resolve apparent dilemmas.
,7. Communitarian ethics emphasizes:
A. Only individual rights
B. Community values, shared goods and social responsibilities
C. Only economic markets
D. Only professional authority
Correct Answer: B. Community values, shared goods and social responsibilities
Rationale: Public health often draws on communitarian reasoning. It balances individualism.
8. Discourse ethics emphasizes:
A. Decisions by one authority
B. Avoiding discussion
C. Voting without discussion
D. Reaching moral decisions through fair dialogue among those affected
Correct Answer: D. Reaching moral decisions through fair dialogue among those affected
Rationale: Habermas is associated with it. Family meetings reflect this approach.
9. Feminist ethics in health care highlights:
A. Power imbalances, oppression and the importance of context and relationships
B. Only abstract principles
C. Only economic outcomes
D. Only individual rights without context
Correct Answer: A. Power imbalances, oppression and the importance of context and
relationships
Rationale: It critiques structures that disadvantage groups. It overlaps with care ethics.
, 10. A nurse whose personal values conflict with a patient's choice should:
A. Impose personal values
B. Recognize the conflict and continue to respect the patient's informed decisions
C. Refuse care without arrangement
D. Pressure the patient
Correct Answer: B. Recognize the conflict and continue to respect the patient's informed
decisions
Rationale: Professional obligations prioritize the patient. Transfer may be arranged if conflict is
serious.
11. Principlism, developed by Beauchamp and Childress, uses four core principles:
A. Honesty, loyalty, privacy and duty
B. Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice
C. Utility, liberty, equality and charity
D. Faith, hope, charity and prudence
Correct Answer: B. Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice
Rationale: These principles guide biomedical ethics. They may conflict and require balancing.
12. Ethical reasoning skills in nurses can be developed through:
A. Avoiding ethics
B. Memorizing laws only
C. Following others blindly
D. Case discussions, ethics education and reflective practice
Correct Answer: D. Case discussions, ethics education and reflective practice
Rationale: Practice improves reasoning. Ethics rounds are useful.
