Activities that pose risks

Answer choices

1. A

   Not Life-Threatening10% picked this

   A door-to-door salesperson declines to replace his older car with a new model with more safety features; this is acceptable because the decision not

   Although this establishes that the risk is being taken voluntarily, it's not clear that keeping his older car is a "life-threatening activity", so the principle doesn't seem to apply.

   10%
2. B

   Doesn't Establish Either Criteria1% picked this

   A smoker subjects people to secondhand smoke at an outdoor public meeting; the resulting risks are acceptable because the danger from secondhand smoke is

   To say that the risks to the bystanders are acceptable, we need to know that they're getting a special benefit they can only get by inhaling secondhand smoke, or that they've freely chosen to breathe secondhand smoke. Neither of those is established. Not to mention, breathing secondhand smoke outside doesn't seem like it even qualifies as "life-threatening risk", so what are we doing here?

   1%
3. C

   Correct78% picked this

   A motorcyclist rides without a helmet; the risk of fatal injury to the motorcyclist thus incurred is acceptable because the

   Why this is right

   "The risk of fatal injury thus incurred" establishes that this is a life-threatening risk. And it is established that this risk is freely taken by the motorcyclist. Hence, we're allowed by this principle to call this risk acceptable.

   Skill tested: Principle-Conform · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   78%
4. D

   Not Life-Threatening Doesn't Meet Either Criteria10% picked this

   Motor vehicles are allowed to emit certain low levels of pollution; the resulting health risks are acceptable because all users of motor vehicles share

   The resulting health risks of breathing in car pollution are not established as life-threatening risks. Also, we don't establish that these risks are taken in order to obtain a special benefit or that they're freely accepted. It just says the risk is acceptable because we all share the benefit.

   10%
5. E

   Trap0% picked this

   A nation requires all citizens to spend two years in national service; since such service involves no risk to

   This establishes that spending two years in national service is not a life-threatening risk, so it's immediately irrelevant to the principle we're being tested on. It also doesn't meet either of the criteria: done to obtain a special benefit or freely taken risk.

   0%