Deck 9: Professional Ethics

Question 1

A principal factor contributing to the loss of the space shuttle Challenger was that

A) its payload was too heavy.
B) there were no experienced astronauts on board.
C) the weather in Florida was unusually cold.
D) it was hit by lightning.
E) NASA was experimenting with a new type of fuel.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is not one of the characteristics of a mature profession?

A) code of ethics
B) licensing
C) mandatory drug testing
D) mandatory professional development
E) continuing professional education

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to the textbook, which of the following careers is not an example of a mature profession?

A) accountant
B) doctor
C) dentist
D) lawyer
E) software engineer

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The Principles and Clauses in the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

A) address every ethical dilemma a software engineer may face.
B) provide algebraic formulas for determining the best course of action.
C) incorporate every relevant feature into the formulas.
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 5

Michael McFarland argues that a team of engineers should be held to a higher level of moral responsibility than .

Question 6

What is the stance of the ACM regarding the licensing of software engineers?

Question 7

A mature profession insists that its members complete an initial professional education. The process by which the profession assures that this formal course work meets its standards is called .

Question 8

Unlike most professionals, the typical software engineer

A) does not have a college education.
B) does not have expert knowledge.
C) does not make more than minimum wage.
D) does not work directly with individual clients.
E) All of the above

Question 9

Whistle-blowers

A) make an unauthorized discloser about a harmful situation or fraud.
B) usually gain the respect and admiration of their colleagues.
C) are usually financially rewarded by their organizations for their integrity.
D) typically get promoted to management.
E) All of the above

Question 10

Responsibility assigned because of a person's assigned duties is called .

Question 11

The process giving someone the legal right to practice a profession is called

A) certification.
B) licensing.
C) matriculation.
D) professional ethics.
E) professional development.

Question 12

The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice was developed by

A) Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.
B) the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
C) a consortium of computer science departments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
D) Immanuel Kant.
E) John Rawls.

Question 13

According to Michael McFarland, a team of engineers

A) has more moral accountability than any of its members.
B) has less moral accountability than any of its members.
C) has the same amount of moral accountability as its members.
D) should always designate a single person to be the ethical "watchdog."
E) should always defer to management when ethical evaluations are being made.

Question 14

The process by which candidates are evaluated to determine their readiness to enter the profession is called .

Question 15

The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice was developed by the two largest organizations supporting the computing field: .

Question 16

Roger Boisjoly provided a Presidential commission with documents supporting his hypothesis about how the cold temperature had causes the failure of an O-ring on the Space Shuttle Challenger. For this action, Boisjoly was labeled a .

Question 17

Licensing gives the members of a profession the to practice the profession.