SparkNotes: On Liberty: Quiz

John Stuart Mill lived in the following country:

(A) France

(B) Germany

(C) England

(D) Russia

John Stuart Mill wrote during the following century

(A) 19th century

(B) 17th century

(C) 14th century

(D) 20th century

Mill writes that society can punish people's behavior when:

(A) it contradicts the will of the majority

(B) it undermines social cohesion

(C) it harms other people

(D) all of the above

Mill beliefs that education should be:

(A) mandated by the state

(B) determined by the wishes of the parent

(C) determined by the wishes of the child

(D) determined by majority opinion

If James disagrees with Jessica's private spending habits, Mill would say he should:

(A) try to pass a law banning that behavior

(B) ostracize Jessica from all social functions

(C) try to prevent her from continuing those habits

(D) none of the above

Mill tries to justify individual liberty through:

(A) showing that it is socially beneficial

(B) showing that it is required by the social contract

(C) showing that it is commanded by God

(D) none of the above

A utilitarian is someone who:

(A) believes that rights are derived from natural law

(B) ignores the consequences of actions in determining their morality

(C) judges goodness based on whether something promotes social good

(D) says that reason compels people to accept certain universal maxims

Liberty is defined by Mill in the first chapter as:

(A) freedom from captivity

(B) the power to do whatever one wants

(C) a question of whether free will really exists

(D) the nature and limits of the authority society can have over the individual

Mill defends freedom of opinion for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

(A) the popular opinion could be wrong

(B) both opinions might be partly true

(C) debating one's opinions is the only way to really understand them

(D) natural law requires that opinions be seen as sacred

Mill's requirements for the protection of liberty apply to

(A) Children

(B) Barbarians

(C) Women

(D) none of the above

Mill argues that bigamy

(A) should be outlawed because it is a peculiar social evil

(B) should be outlawed because it will serve as a bad example for others

(C) should be permitted because it is virtuous

(D) should be permitted because it is a private relationship

Mill thinks that actions can be restricted

(A) more often than opinions

(B) less often than opinions

(C) under no circumstance

(D) under any circumstance

Mill thinks that the fact that Christians were persecuted when they were in the minority implies that

(A) they should persecute others whenever they are in power

(B) they should be opposed to persecution in general

(C) they should be opposed to persecution only when they are in the minority

(D) none of the above

Mill thinks that behavior "harms" others whenever it

(A) sets a bad example

(B) makes other people upset

(C) violates accepted codes of ethics

(D) betrays an obligation a person had

Mill believes that owning a gambling establishment

(A) is no different than choosing to gamble, and should therefore be allowed

(B) is no different than choosing to gamble, and should therefore not be allowed

(C) is a different moral question from choosing to gamble

(D) none of the above

Mill says people owe society

(A) not to violate other people's basic claims on society

(B) not to hurt people

(C) to work in defense of society and its members

(D) all of the above

Mill believes that Christian morality

(A) is the complete truth on how to behave

(B) is correct, but not the complete truth

(C) is completely untrue

(D) is partly untrue

Mill rejects the argument that truth may be justly persecuted because

(A) it is unfair to the martyrs

(B) it shows a lack of respect for the truth the martyrs bring

(C) the truth might be lost for centuries

(D) all of the above

Mill believes that people learn best

(A) by debating with people with different opinions

(B) by accepting the beliefs of an authority figure

(C) by being taught the reasons why a belief is true

(D) by memorizing facts

Mill is writing to an audience that is mainly

(A) Muslim

(B) Jewish

(C) Christian

(D) Hindu

Mill believes that individuality

(A) is impeded by democratization

(B) undermines social stability

(C) is a threat to social progress

(D) is encouraged by public opinion

Mill presents China as

(A) a model for England to follow

(B) a nation that is stagnating

(C) a nation that promotes individuality

(D) a nation that respects nonconformity

Mill believes that individuality

(A) undermines the good of society

(B) promotes the good of society at the expense of the good of the individual

(C) is good for the individual and for society

(D) is bad for the individual and for society

Mill believes that alcohol

(A) should be banned because it is bad for the individual

(B) should be banned because it sets a bad example for children

(C) should be taxed heavily to discourage its use

(D) none of the above

Mill believes that British society

(A) respects individuality as a good in itself

(B) is in danger of stagnating

(C) generally protects individual liberty

(D) all of the above