PrepTest 123, Section 2, Question 7
Ethicist: The most advanced kind of moral motivation(26 more words not shown)
The actions of which one(17 more words not shown)
- ABobby contributed money(22 more words not shown)
- BWes contributed money(23 more words not shown)
- CDonna's employers engaged(32 more words not shown)
- DJadine's employers engaged(35 more words not shown)
- ELeigh's employers engaged(31 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Don't just ask whether the action looks good. Ask why the person did it.
The ethicist's “abstract principles” are general rules a person believes should guide behavior. Think of “Treat others as you'd want to be treated.” That's different from acting because it will help you get ahead or because people expect you to fit in. The passage explicitly contrasts those motives.
What we’re looking for
So when we apply the description, the reason given after “because” will do most of the work. Someone might follow the same rule because they believe it's right, because it helps them, or because everyone around them expects it. The same outward action could have different motives. We're looking for the person acting solely from a general principle, rather than from personal advantage or social pressure.
Working the answers
- A
Bobby gives to charity because he doesn't want to look stingy. The donation may help someone, but the stated motive is how other people will view him. That is the pressure to fit in that the ethicist contrasts with the most advanced motivation.
- B
Wes wants to improve his employer's opinion of him. Again, the donation itself isn't enough. His stated reason concerns an advantage for Wes, not a principle he thinks should guide his conduct regardless of that advantage.
- C
Donna stays silent because she fears retaliation. We can understand her concern without classifying it as an abstract principle. Her stated motive is protecting herself from what her employer might do, which falls on the self-interest side of the distinction.
- DCorrect
Jadine believes protecting the environment is always more important than monetary profit. That is a general rule about what should take priority, and the choice says that belief motivates her report. It fits the ethicist's description of acting from an abstract principle.
- E
Leigh reports wrongdoing, much as Jadine does. But Leigh acts only because colleagues are pressuring her. That's why the outcome of the action can't decide this question. Jadine follows a principle; Leigh responds to social pressure. Only the former matches the motivation we're asked to identify.
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