Exam Practice
There are various types of questions you may get asked:
- You may get asked to explain an absolutist or relativist theory
- You may be required to evaluate either the absolutist or the relativist perspective
- You may be asked to apply an absolutist or relativist theory to the issues studied
The following are AS exam questions written by OCR:
(a) Explain what is meant by a relativist morality. [33]
(b) ‘Relativist systems give no convincing reasons why people should bother to be good.’ Discuss. [17]
I would advise students to see this as a question about Situation Ethics and answer accordingly.
(a) Explain why some people believe that there are no moral absolutes. [33]
(b) ‘Issues of genetic engineering need absolute rules; there can be no individual circumstances which allow exceptions to be made.’ Discuss. [17]
This question is from January 2005:
(a) Explain what is meant by moral absolutism. [33]
(b) 'Moral absolutism cannot be justified.' Discuss. [17]
This AS question is from June 2005:
(a) Explain the argument that all women have the right to a child. [33]
(b) 'The right to a child should not be an absolute right.' Discuss. [17]
This question is from January 2006:
(a) E xplain the differences between absolute and relative morality. [33]
(b) ‘Relativist theories give no convincing reason why people should bother to be good.’ Discuss. [17]
This AS question came up in June 2006:
(a) Explain how moral absolutism might be applied to issues surrounding the right to a child. [33]
(b) ‘Absolute morality is an unfair approach to apply to issues surrounding the right to a child.’ Discuss. [17]
This AS question came up in January 2007:
(a) Explain the main features of one absolutist theory of ethics. [33]
(b) ‘Moral absolutism is too rigid.’ Discuss. [17]
This is an AS question from June 2007:
(a) Explain, with examples, the main differences between absolute and relative morality. [33]
(b) ‘Absolute morality is the best approach to medical ethics.’ Discuss. [17]
The following is an A2 question from June 2007:
'Absolutist ethics prevent progress in genetic engineering.' Discuss. [45]
(taken from the OCR website - mark schemes for some questions included there)
The first time you answer an exam question, have your notes in front of you and take your time. Later, do it without notes there. Finally, try writing timed essays - each one (a and b) should take half an hour.
We now have an interactive diagram showing how to answer an ethics exam question, The 'structure' of the paragraph will be different for 'ethical theory' questions, but the basic principles are the same. Try filling it in yourself and print out the completed diagram.
