Ethical Dilemmas Quiz: Test Your Moral Reasoning | Philosophy and Ethics
Presents moral dilemmas to explore decision-making and values.
Welcome to the Ethical Dilemmas Quiz — a carefully designed Philosophy and Ethics assessment that presents realistic moral dilemmas to explore decision-making, values, and moral reasoning. This quiz uses classic and contemporary ethical scenarios to help you discover whether your judgments tend toward utilitarian consequence-based thinking, deontological duty-based reasoning, or a more mixed/pragmatic approach. Whether you are a student of philosophy, an educator, or simply curious about moral psychology, this Ethical Dilemmas Quiz offers an engaging self-check of your ethical inclinations.
Each question in this Philosophy and Ethics test encourages reflection on trade-offs, rights, responsibilities, and the consequences of action. The quiz is optimized for clarity and learning: after you finish, you will receive an interpretable score and actionable recommendations to sharpen ethical awareness and decision-making. Try the Ethical Dilemmas Quiz to learn more about your values, improve moral reasoning, and compare practical ethics frameworks like utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics.
The trolley problem: a runaway tram heads toward five workers. You can divert it to a track where one worker will be killed. Do you pull the lever?
Classic utilitarian vs deontological scenario about sacrificing one to save five.
You can lie to protect an innocent person from harm. Is lying justified?
Weigh honesty against protection of others.
A friend steals medicine to save a dying family member. Is their action morally acceptable?
Conflict between legal rules/property rights and compassion for suffering.
You discover your company is polluting. Reporting it will cost jobs but stop long-term harm. Do you blow the whistle?
Tension between loyalty/employment and wider social/environmental duties.
An action will maximize overall happiness but requires breaking a promise. Do you break the promise?
Promise-keeping versus maximizing welfare.
Animal testing could produce a cure for many humans but harms animals. Is it permissible?
Balancing sentient animal welfare against human benefits.
You must choose to allocate limited funds: support a small vulnerable group or a program that helps many. Which do you choose?
Distribution of scarce resources and fairness vs greatest good.
Euthanasia: a competent patient requests assistance to end severe suffering. Should it be allowed?
Autonomy, suffering, and sanctity-of-life considerations.
Government surveillance could prevent attacks but invades privacy. Do you support expanded surveillance?
Security versus civil liberties trade-off.
A talented but dishonest person gets a key leadership role that benefits many. Should you support appointing them?
Character and integrity versus effectiveness.
Frequently asked questions
The quiz sums the numeric values assigned to each selected option. Each question's options are scored -2, 0, or +2. The total score ranges from -20 (strong principle/duty orientation) to +20 (strong consequence/outcome orientation).
Positive scores indicate a tendency toward consequentialist or utilitarian reasoning (prioritizing outcomes). Negative scores indicate a tendency toward deontological or duty-based reasoning (prioritizing rules, rights, and principles). Scores near zero reflect a mixed or pragmatic approach.
Yes — you can retake the Ethical Dilemmas Quiz. Results can change after reflection, study, or exposure to new ethical frameworks. We encourage retaking the test after reading about utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics to observe shifts in your reasoning.
No — this quiz is a pedagogical tool to highlight tendencies in moral reasoning. It is not a clinical or definitive assessment of character. Use it to increase self-awareness and to guide further study in Philosophy and Ethics.
Review the questions where your answers clustered, study opposing ethical frameworks, discuss dilemmas with others, and practice articulating reasons for different choices. The results page provides recommendations and next steps to develop balanced moral judgment.
This quiz definition does not include storage or sharing logic. If you implement the quiz, be transparent about data handling and privacy. For public deployments, follow privacy regulations and allow anonymous participation when possible.
Yes — the Ethical Dilemmas Quiz is well-suited for classroom discussions, ethics modules, and philosophy seminars. Use results to prompt debates, compare theoretical frameworks, and assign readings based on students' tendencies.
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