Deck 12: Sexual Morality

Question 1

The notion that as long as basic moral standards are respected,any sexual activity engaged in by informed,consenting adults is permissible is known as the:

A)moderate view.
B)liberal view.
C)unconventional view.
D)adaptive view.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Biologists report that homosexual behavior among nonhuman animals is:

A)nonexistent.
B)extremely rare.
C)widespread.
D)found only in primates.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Alan Goldman says that the conventional view of sexuality is that sexual behavior must have a morally significant goal,such as procreation.But he argues that:

A)sex is directed toward goals but not toward conventional goals.
B)sex is not a means to some other goal.
C)sex should be directed toward communicating ideas or expressing love.
D)sex is a spiritual journey.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Consider this argument: Sexual experiences express and affirm moral values,and the right kind of sex expresses and affirms the right kind of values.This view is advocated by:

A)traditionalists.
B)moderates.
C)liberals.
D)conventionalists.

Question 5

One conventionalist argument asserts that homosexuality's misuse of bodily parts leads to:

A)unhappiness.
B)sin.
C)dishonesty.
D)disillusionment.

Question 6

The central question in the morality of sex is:

A)What arguments can be marshaled against the conventional view of sex?
B)Is sexual behavior detrimental to human evolution?
C)What kind of sexual behavior is morally permissible and under what circumstances?
D)Is society as a whole becoming more liberal or more conservative in views about sexual behavior?

Question 7

Alan Goldman alleges that the goal-directed view of sexuality inevitably falls into inconsistency.He says that the sex-as-procreation theory,for example,condemns oral-genital sex (because it is not a reproductive function)yet fails to denounce ______,which can also be sexual but not reproductive.

A)premarital sex
B)kissing or hand-holding
C)sexual intercourse
D)kissing or sexual intercourse

Question 8

A philosopher has had this to say about sex: "No act is either morally good or bad,right or wrong,merely in virtue of being a sexual act." This philosopher has a ______ view of sexuality.

A)conventional
B)liberal
C)moderate
D)Roman Catholic

Question 9

Alan Goldman and Igor Primoratz affirm that sexual behavior:

A)cannot be immoral merely because it is sexual.
B)can never be immoral.
C)is always moral.
D)cannot be labeled.

Question 10

Suppose an unmarried couple,a man and a women,often have sex but they neither deceive nor coerce each other,and they engage in a broad range of sexual practices.According to Thomas Mappes's Kantian view of sexuality,the sexual behavior of this couple would be:

A)permissible overall except for oral sex.
B)impermissible.
C)permissible.
D)permissible overall except for the use of contraception.

Question 11

The conventionalist and the liberal take opposing views on the moral permissibility of:

A)marriage.
B)love.
C)homosexuality.
D)domestic life.

Question 12

According to the Roman Catholic version of natural law theory,sexual activity inconsistent with procreation is prohibited.The proscribed behavior includes:

A)premarital sex, oral sex, and masturbation only.
B)premarital sex, use of contraception, and masturbation only.
C)frequent sex involving a man and a woman married to each other.
D)premarital sex, use of contraception, oral sex, masturbation, and homosexuality.

Question 13

Many human activities are statistically out of the norm (such as skydiving and coin collecting),and for that reason they are sometimes deemed unnatural.From this fact it follows that:

A)unnatural activities are necessarily immoral.
B)unnatural activities are departures from evolutionary change.
C)unnatural activities are morally suspect.
D)unnatural activities are not necessarily immoral.

Question 14

In a recent public opinion poll,______ percent of respondents said they did NOT believe it wrong for a man and woman to have sex before marriage.

A)90
B)60
C)25
D)40

Question 15

According to Alan Goldman,sexual desire is desire for:

A)procreation.
B)a spiritual union with God.
C)contact with another person's body and for the pleasure that such contact produces.
D)communication between sexual partners.

Question 16

The idea that sex has no special moral significance,that it is morally neutral,is reflected in the ______ view of sexuality.

A)conventional
B)Roman Catholic
C)liberal
D)goal-oriented

Question 17

Many who argue against homosexuality appeal to an idea that is central to natural law theory-mainly that:

A)human beings are at liberty to dispose of their anatomy and physiology as they see fit.
B)people are not obligated to stay as nature made them.
C)knowing how nature is tells us nothing about how we ought to be.
D)the way nature is tells us what humans ought to do.

Question 18

An unmarried man and woman have frequent sex and engage in activities that most of society would label unconventional,unnatural,and deviant.In a utilitarian view,their sexual behavior results in the greatest net good for all concerned.A utilitarian would therefore say that their sexual activities are:

A)permissible except for deviant sex.
B)permissible except for activities labeled unnatural.
C)impermissible.
D)permissible.

Question 19

A utilitarian is likely to sanction many kinds of sexual activity on the grounds that:

A)they are goal directed.
B)they do use people as a means to an end.
C)they produce the greatest overall happiness or good for all concerned.
D)they are natural.

Question 20

Research shows that sex before marriage is:

A)common in about 50 percent of Americans.
B)almost universal among Americans.
C)common in about one-third of Americans.
D)rare but much discussed in the media.

Question 21

Iran believes in the death penalty for homosexuality.The justification for this view is likely to be:

A)medical.
B)evolutionary.
C)psychological.
D)religious.

Question 22

Michael Levin insists that society has an interest in promoting happiness,and that homosexuality makes for unhappiness.He concludes that society ought to discourage homosexuality by:

A)legalizing it.
B)not legalizing it.
C)deportation.
D)chemical castration.

Question 23

Michael Levin contends that homosexuality is abnormal and hence undesirable because it:

A)is immoral or sinful.
B)hampers evolutionary development.
C)is a misuse of bodily parts.
D)weakens society.

Question 24

In school sex education,should discussions of ethics be forbidden? Is ethics irrelevant to contemporary sexual behavior? To this latter question,liberals would answer ______; conventionalists would say ______; and moderates would say ______.

A)no; yes; yes
B)yes; yes; yes
C)no; yes; no
D)no; yes; no

Question 25

Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are:

A)less likely to have premarital sex than those who do not promise abstinence.
B)just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence.
C)more likely to have premarital sex than those who do not promise abstinence.
D)more likely to discuss premarital sex than those who do not promise abstinence.