___________________________ ________________________
Name Date
In
ethics class, during a conversation about speeding tickets, a man
(hereafter
known as "the student") stated that he tried to "get out of a ticket" a
few
days before Christmas that year. He was in a hurry to see his
girlfriend and
thought he could arrive at her apartment sooner by going five miles
over the
speed limit. Here’s what he reportedly told the peace officer
(hereafter known
as "the officer") who stopped him: "I had presents in the back seat,
and I saw
a guy steal them. I was chasing his truck when you flagged me down."
The
officer noted the student's address, along with a description of the
alleged
suspect and suspect's vehicle, and let him go. Several hours later,
close to 3
a.m. the next day, the officer showed up at the student's door with a real suspect and asked the student if
this was the person who stole his Christmas presents. What
important ethics-related
lessons, as covered in lecture and text, does this anecdote contain?
Put a
check mark to the left
of correct answers only (one check
per statement with a total 14
check marks per entire quiz) from the list below:
1.
__The student got out of the ticket because he used his imagination.
2.
__Once he told the lie, he no longer owned or could control it.
3.
__He was only going five miles over the speed limit; the officer must
have had
a quota or stopped him because he was young and male.
4.
__It was Christmas; the officer should have let him go out of kindness,
in the
spirit of the season.
5.
In the anecdote, the student reportedly tells the officer _1. _2. _3.
_4. _5. _6. _7.
lies.
6.
__The real suspect is a criminal; hence, he deserves what's coming to
him, even
if it is based on a lie.
7. __The
student knew the rules of the game--when you speed, you can get
caught--and so
should have simply accepted the ticket.
8.
__The officer was justifying his quota by bringing a suspect to the
student's
door.
9.
__The student was justifying his actions because the officer had a
quota.
10.
__The suspect was suffering consequences of his actions because he was
arrested
in the early morning hours with a Christmas present.
11.
__The student was suffering consequences of his actions because he lied
to get
out of a ticket.
12.
The student not only made the conscious decision to lie, but also to __give a fake address __speed __leave
unattended presents.
13.
When confronted by the officer presenting a suspect at his door, the
student
should have __confessed that he lied to the officer and apologized to
the
suspect __made a positive I.D. to cover his story __made a negative
I.D. so the
innocent suspect could be freed __made a negative I.D. so the
consequences of
the lie would come to an end.
14.
__The officer was taken in wholly by the student's lie(s).
Note: Quiz
continues on other side.
15.
__If the student was white and the suspect, African-American, the story
becomes
more ominous because it involves racial stereotyping.
16.
__If the student made a positive I.D. to cover his story, the student
would be
telling at least two lies but
breaking
no more laws.
17.
__If the student made a positive I.D. to cover his story, the student
would be
telling only one lie but breaking no more laws.
18.
__If the student made a positive I.D. to cover his story, the student
would be
telling at least two lies and breaking one more law.
19.
__When you lie once, you're apt to lie again to shore up the original
half-truth or falsehood.
20.
__If the student made a negative I.D., so the consequences for both
himself and
the suspect would come to an end, he would be acting ethically by
controlling
the outcome to cause the least harm to others.
21.
__Liars usually underestimate the odds of their own undoing or
incrimination.
Thus, if the student made a positive I.D. to cover his story, he could
not have
known whether the suspect was really an innocent bystander ... or a
police
undercover agent.
The
anecdote shows:
22.
__Lying is simpler than telling the truth.
23.
__Lying is an efficient, effective way to get out of a ticket.
24.
__Telling the truth from the start is simpler than telling a lie.
25.
__Telling the truth usually becomes more difficult after you have told
the
first lie.
26.
__Officers cannot be trusted under any circumstance at 3 a.m.
27.
__Officers can be trusted under any circumstance.
28.
__The officer might have had a motive, returning at 3 a.m. with a
suspect but
with no presents.
29. Any student who would be bold enough to
share
this story in an ethics course should arouse the suspicion of the
teacher
because __the story seems too good to be true; __if true, the story was
told by
a liar; __the story was an example of
inappropriate disclosure __all of the above.
30.
Identify your weakest answer above by
circling the entire statement. Then
write a short essay (no more than 100 words) in the space below defending
and supporting that answer: