Multiple choice

Directions: The passage given below is followed by four alternative summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage. Key in the number of the option you choose as your answer.

In the notion of consequences, the Utilitarian includes all of the good and bad produced by the act, whether arising after the act has been performed or during its performance. If the difference in the consequences of alternative acts is not great, some Utilitarians do not regard the choice between them as a moral issue. According to Mill, acts should be classified as morally right or wrong only if the consequences are of such significance that a person would wish to see the agent compelled, not merely persuaded and exhorted, to act in the preferred manner.

  1. Acts that produce consequences of no significant difference tend to have minimal moral repercussions.

  2. Mill tried to distinguish “moral” acts through the outcomes of performance or during the process of performance.

  3. An urge to force an agent to toe a particular line causes his actions to fall in the realm of moral appraisal.

  4. It is the consequences ensuing from an action that determine the moral basis of the agent.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
  1. Not true. If two acts are identical in terms of their consequences, it cannot be said that they have no moral repercussions. The topic, here, is whether the act is morally right or wrong.
    1. True. This is what Mill did. However, the essence is not captured, as “why” and “how” are not captured by the option.
    2. True. This captures the main point of the paragraph. Whenever an agent is forced to act in a particular manner, the act needs to be evaluated from a moral standpoint.
    3. Not true. If the consequences are identical, then the moral basis need not be determined.

Keep practicing — related questions