- You sit down to take an important test. You know you don’t know the answers to most of the questions because you haven’t had enough time to study. There is a person sitting next to you who is very smart and well-prepared and you can see her answers.
- Try to copy her answers on your own test.
- Once in a while glance at her test for ideas about the right answers.
- Answer the test as best you can by yourself, even if you won’t do well.
On lying about an act of vandalism:
- Some school property has been destroyed. Your best friend brags to you that he did it. The school principal asks you if you know what happened. In this situation, you would probably,
- Deny that you know anything about it.
- Deny it at first, but later leave the principal an unsigned note telling who did it.
- Tell the principal who did it.
On underage drinking:
- You go to a party where some of your friends are drinking alcohol. Someone hands you a drink. In this situation, you would probably,
- Refuse the drink.
- Take the glass but only pretend to drink it.
- Drink with them but not feel great about it.
- Drink with them without worrying about it.
On altruism and self-sacrifice:
- You already have a regular after-school activity you’ve said you would do, but you learn that a student in your class had a bad accident and cannot come to school for many months. The teacher asks you if you would be willing to give up your activity for two or three afternoons each week for those months to help that student with schoolwork. In this situation, you would probably,
- Go ahead with your own activity but feel badly about not helping.
- Give up your activity so that you can help, but only if your activity is not that important to you.
- Give up your activity so you can help, but only until you can find someone else to take your place.
- Help the student no matter what you have to give up.
On helping a homeless person:
- You are walking down the street near where you live, and you see a person you don’t know who is very poor and has no home. That person asks you for some money. In this situation, you would probably,
- Tell him he ought to get a job.
- Try to avoid him.
- Give him a little money.
- Stop and talk to him about his problems.
On sexual morality:
- You are on your third date with a person of the opposite sex. You like each other very much. You would like to go beyond kissing, but you are not sure of just how far you should go. In this situation, you would probably.
- Be willing to go a lot beyond kissing.
- Be willing to go a little beyond kissing.
- Not be willing to go beyond kissing.
On premarital sex:
- You have had a steady relationship for a long time and you feel very much in love. At this point your girlfriend or boyfriend tells you they want to have sex with you. In this situation, you would probably,
- Have sex.
- Try to hold off if you can.
- Refuse to have sex for now.
- Insist on waiting until you are married.
Advice to a friend about an unplanned pregnancy:
- An unmarried friend of yours just found out that she is pregnant. She doesn’t know what to do for sure. She asks you for your opinion about what she should do. In this situation, you would probably,
- Advise her to have an abortion.
- Advise her to have the baby but give it up for adoption.
- Advise her to have the baby and keep it.
(from, The Death of Character, Moral Cultures and Their Consequences, James Hunter)