Chapt 2

Chapter 2 Environmental Philosophy, Ethics and Science
1. The branch of philosophy concerned with the distinction between right and wrong and the ultimate worth
of actions or things is
A. values.
B. ethics.
C. morals.
D. attitudes.
E. characters.
Answer: B
Question Classification: Knowledge
2. Universalists such as Plato assert that

A. moral principles are always relative to a particular person, situation, or society.
B. an action is right if it holds the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
C. there are fundamental principles of ethics that are eternal and unchanging.
D. moral principles are social constructs.
E. every opinion or interpretation is equally valid.
Answer: C
3. The early conservationists (Pinchot and others) were inspired by the contentions of the empirical and
intellectual form of
A. Universalists.
B. Postmodernists.
C. Relativists.
D. Utilitarians.
E. Nihilists.
Answer: D
4. Yesterday you told your friend that you didnt need to worry about recycling or decreasing your
consumption of resources because you feel overwhelmed by environmental problems and survival is the
ultimate reason for being. She responded that your philosophical view was in accordance with the
A. Nihilists.
B. Utilitarians.
C. Relativists.
D. Postmodernists.
E. Universalists.
Answer: A
Question Classification: Application
5. John Muir argued that nature deserves to exist for its own sake, regardless of its usefulness to humans. If
he believed that this is not contextual and is valid, regardless of the interests, attitudes, or preferences of
humans, it could be stated that Muir was a
A. Postmodernist.
B. Utilitarian.
C. Relativist.
D. Universalist.
E. Nihilist.
Answer: D
6. You were discussing a scenario with your classmate and he stated that protecting wildlife needed to take
precedence over human life if wildlife was in danger of going extinct. He further supported his position by
saying that the context of the situation is very important to him. Your classmates viewpoint is consistent
with the
A. Relativists.
B. Utilitarians.
C. Universalists.
D. Postmodernists.
E. Nihilists.
Answer: A
7. Moral agents ___________________________ and moral subjects ___________________________.

A. have rights, are not responsible for doing what is right
B. are responsible for doing what is right, have rights
C. are not responsible for doing what is right, have rights
D. have rights, are responsible for doing what is right
E. are not responsible for doing what is right, are responsible for doing what is right
Answer: B
8. Could a person change from being a moral subject to a moral agent?

A. Yes, if they mature in adulthood.
B. No, they would not be able to make the transition.
C. Yes, if they have children.
D. No, as a person matures they can no longer be a moral agent.
E. Yes, if they study the philosophical nature of ethics long enough.
Answer: A
Question Classification: Comprehension
9. Most pet owners would probably ___________ with Rene Descartes view of animals as
_______________.
A. disagree, automa
B. disagree, moral subjects
C. agree, automa
D. agree, moral subjects
E. agree, moral extensions.
Answer: A
10. The Mineral King Valley court case is important environmental history because it was a case that
argued for the
A. inherent value of trees, rocks, and wildlife.
B. instrumental value of trees, rocks, and wildlife.
C. status of moral agents for trees, rocks, and wildlife.
D. sustainable development of the area.
E. moral consideration of sentient things.
Answer: A
11. The early conservationists (Pinchot and others) would argue that forests have _______________ value.
A. inherent
B. individual
C. instrumental
D. increasing
E. investment
Answer: C
12. Admonitions from the Bible have often been used to

A. condemn exploitation of nature.
B. argue that we are just another animal species.
C. urge conservation for future generations.
D. justify exploitation of nature.
E. support stewardship for other species.
Answer: D
13. The question of whether humans are just another animal species or are destined to rule nature is
important because
A. our answer to this question determines our friends and enemies.
B. one opinion is for the environment, the other against it.
C. our opinions determine our policies.
D. our answer determines how long we will survive.
E. we have to decide humanitys role in nature.
Answer: C
14. Another word for steward is

A. caretaker
B. organizer
C. participant
D. consumer
E. leader
Answer: A
15. The idea of stewardship is that humans have a/the ___________ the environment.
A. privilege of using
B. technology to shape
C. duty to care for
D. opportunity to degrade
E. responsibility to use resources in
Answer: C
16. Anthropocentric means ________________.

A. focused on people
C. selfish
B. disinterested in nature
D. morally upright
E. centered on animals
Answer: A
17. Unlike most other ethics, an ecocentric philosophy grants rights and value to
A. plants.
B. inanimate things (e.g. rocks and water).
C. all animal species.
D. minority peoples.
E. things that can perceive things like pain.
Answer: B
18. In the words biocentric and anthropocentric, the root centric means ________________.
A. recognition of
B. exclusion of
C. centered on
D. acting like
E. perceiving things like pain
Answer: C
19. Ecofeminists assert that

A. women make better ecologists than men do because they are able to see relationships.
B. women and nature have been oppressed in many of the same ways.
C. nature has historically suffered from sexism.
D. nature is essentially female.
E. women, men, and animals have equal standing.
Answer: B
20. Which of the following is not an important characteristic of ecofeminism?

A. hierarchical organization
B. pluralism
C. kinship values
D. reciprocity
E. caregiver roles
Answer: A
21. Environmental justice can be seen as

A. the power to make laws for a just society.
B. an issue that is of special interest to the global community.
C. teaching the values of the environment to improve living standards for people.
D. a local issue central to the middle class citizens in the United States.
E. both a local and an international issue.
Answer: E
22. The issue that racial and ethnic minorities face unusually high exposure to environmental hazards is a
central argument to
A. sustainable development.
B. environmental justice.
C. economic development.
D. urban renewal.
E. interpretive science
Answer: B
23. The term toxic colonialism has been used in describing

A. lax environmental regulations for toxic wastes.
B. the exportation of toxic wastes to poor communities.
C. rulings that toxins must not be exported to wealthy nations.
D. high level of toxic waste production by wealthy nations.
E. the high level of toxic pesticide use by wealthy nations.
Answer: B
24. Your Native American friend explains that she lives in a community that has an uncontrolled toxic
waste site. Unfortunately, you are not surprised because ______________ the people with her ethnic
background live in communities with locally unwanted land uses.
A. a small percentage of
B. about a quarter of
C. nearly half of
D. over three-quarters of
E. almost all
Answer: C
25. Lead poisoning in children is an example that exemplifies the problem of ___________ for minority
children.
A. environmental racism
B. inadequate nutrition
C. poverty
D. sanitary conditions
E. inadequate healthcare
Answer: A
26. Maquiladoras are

A. treaties that regulate international shipping of toxins.
B. regulations for the cleanup of industrial facilities along the US/Mexico border.
C. birth defects in towns along the US/Mexico border.
D. assembly plants located along the US/Mexico border.
E. polluted rivers along the US/Mexico border.
Answer: D
27. NIMBY protests often result in

A. the reduction of waste generation.
B. the invention of new ways to process waste.
C. putting waste in rich, powerful communities.
D. putting waste in poor, socially powerless areas.
E. waste generated power plants.
Answer: D
28. Ideally, science

A. is correct most of the time.
C. tells us what we expected to find.
B. uses new technology.
D. is orderly and methodical.
E. proves that our hypotheses are correct.
Answer: D
29. Of the following statements and questions, which is the best example of deductive reasoning?
A. If all insects have six legs, then butterflies have six legs.
B. In repeated tosses of a coin, there is a 50/50 chance of each toss resulting in a head.
C. How many times will the toss of coins turn heads-up if 100 people each toss a coin?
D. Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs.
E. All of these are examples of deductive reasoning.
Answer: A
30. The statement, Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must
have six legs. is an example of:
A. inductive reasoning
B. deductive reasoning
C. hypothesis testing
D. reductive reasoning
E. parsimony
Answer: A
31. Generally, distinguished scientists

A. always agree if they really are expert scientists.
B. may have different interpretations of the same evidence.
C. never disagree once a theory is established.
D. believe each other and support each other in their work.
E. always disagree so they can prove theories.
Answer: B
32. Proof in science is always

A. firmly established.
C. beyond question.
B. an impossible goal.
D. changing very quickly.
E. open to question or new evidence.
Answer: E
33. Although your sister is not a scientist, she says that she uses scientific techniques in her everyday life.
You do not believe her but she insists it is true. Which of the following examples could she use to best
persuade you?
A. When she cooks she measures ingredients and puts them together to form something else (i.e., a cake).
B. When she drives in her car she hypothesizes about things (i.e., when the red light will turn green).
C. She put some tomatoes in the sun and some in the shade to see if the sun causes them to ripen faster.
D. She buys a brand of toothpaste based on statistical data (four out of five dentists recommend it).
E. All of these are examples of using scientific techniques in her everyday life.
Answer: C
34. Why might you disagree with someone if they said that astronomers are not really scientists because
they do not use controls in their experiments?
A. I would not disagree with them because scientific techniques require a hypothesis, an experiment with
controls, and interpretations of the results.
B. Since science proves theories and astronomers have theories, astronomers must be scientists.
C. I would not disagree with them because having controls in a scientific experiment is a way of ensuring
that they are only testing one variable at a time.
D. Hypotheses can be tested indirectly with historic evidence or model systems.
E. Controls are not used in science anymore because as more information is gathered they are no longer
necessary.
Answer: D
35. One factor that has led to decreased shark populations is an increase in the affluence of people in China.
A. True
B. False
Answer: A
36. In general, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam groups do not get involved in the issue of nature and the
role of humans in nature.
A. True
B. False
Answer: B
37. The pollution exposure of middle class blacks and middle class whites is about the same.
A. True
B. False
Answer: B
38. An important value of science is that it provides the methodology to prove that a theory is correct.
A. True
B. False
Answer: B
39. Science progress mainly happens when a scientist working in isolation discovers something very
important.
A. True
B. False
Answer: B
Short Answer/EssayQuestions
40. Environmental stewardship is associated with an anthropocentric worldview. Explain why stewardship
is associated with anthropocentrism instead of a biocentric worldview. In your explanation, make sure you
describe stewardship, anthropocentrism, and biocentrism.
Answer: For a total of 6 points (Note: The numbers can be changed to fit your assessment needs.)
6=
Accurately described the three terms; Provided an accurate explanation of the association between
stewardship and anthropocentrism; Communicated effectively with a well written analysis
4=
Accurately described two terms; Provided an accurate explanation of the association between
stewardship and anthropocentrism; Communicated with a fairly well written analysis
2=
Accurately described one term; Provided a fairly accurate explanation of the association between
stewardship and anthropocentrism; Communicated with a poorly written analysis
0=
Accurately described no terms; Provided an inaccurate explanation of the association between
stewardship and anthropocentrism; Communicated with a very poorly written analysis

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Chapt 2

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Chapter 2 Environmental Philosophy, Ethics and Science

2. Universalists such as Plato assert that

7. Moral agents _ and moral subjects _.

8. Could a person change from being a moral subject to a moral agent?

12. Admonitions from the Bible have often been used to

14. Another word for steward is

16. Anthropocentric means ________________.

19. Ecofeminists assert that

20. Which of the following is not an important characteristic of ecofeminism?

21. Environmental justice can be seen as

23. The term toxic colonialism has been used in describing

26. Maquiladoras are

27. NIMBY protests often result in

28. Ideally, science

31. Generally, distinguished scientists

32. Proof in science is always

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