Chapter 20 Self Quiz

. Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of people in the “original position”?

They do not know their social status.

They do not know what “justice” means.

They do not know what their conception of the good is.

They do not know how talented they are.

. The principles chosen by those in Rawls’s original position would require which of the following?

social ownership of the means of production

equality of authority

equality of basic rights

all of the above

. The usefulness of the original position is that

it corresponds to the most natural state of human relations.

all of us have at least a dim memory of what it was like to be in it.

it ensures that social benefits will be allocated strictly on the basis of merit.

it makes it impossible to tailor principles to one’s own advantage.

. Which of the following is NOT one of the basic liberties identified by Rawls?

freedom of assembly

the right to hold personal property

freedom from arbitrary arrest

the right to bear arms

. According to Rawls, we can enter the original position

only by leaving society and remaking social institutions from scratch.

at any time, by simply following a certain procedure.

only if we somehow forget who we are, which is very rare.

none of the above

. Rawls’s “original position of equality” corresponds to the state of nature in traditional political theory.

True

False

. The principles chosen by people in Rawls’s original position would eliminate all inequality.

True

False

. Rawls uses the term “veil of ignorance” to refer to everything that prevents us in ordinary life from seeing what justice requires of us.

True

False

. Rawls’s theory is a form of utilitarianism.

True

False

. Rawls argues that fairness requires that no people receive different treatment.

True

False

Quiz Content