Famine, Affluence, and Morality Multiple-Choice Quiz

. What does Singer believe those who live in relatively affluent countries have a duty to sacrifice to protect people in poor countries from preventable evils?

one-tenth of their incomes

as much as they can afford without radically altering their lifestyles

as much as they can afford without sacrificing something of comparable moral worth to what the poor are lacking

as much as it would take to eradicate the evils if everyone else in that economic situation gave an equal amount

. What does Singer think about relief agencies' practice of thanking donors for their generosity?

It undermines the moral value of the donors actions.

It mistakes an act of duty for an act of charity.

It increases the likelihood that others will give.

It should not be followed up by requests for more contributions.

. What does Singer say in response to the objection that his position requires too drastic a revision of our current moral values?

The implications of the view are not as radical as they initially seem.

However radical, the conclusion should stand until its premises are rejected or the argument is shown to be unsound.

Moral values must change with the times, and a time of such extreme global inequality as ours requires a dramatic response.

Our current moral values are rooted in indefensible religious doctrines and therefore ought to be drastically altered.

. Some writers cited by Singer have feared that promoting radically demanding moral standards will

lead to a general breakdown in morality.

lead people to sacrifice more than is good for them.

lead to widespread, paralyzing guilt.

undermine our tolerance of cultures with moral standards different from our own.

. What does Singer think about the view that overpopulation will lead to mass starvation in the future?

There is no good evidence to support it.

It mitigates our obligation to do what we can to prevent famine now.

If we accept it, then our duty to prevent famine should lead us to support organizations working for population control.

Because it is too difficult to predict, the future is not relevant to our moral considerations in the present.

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