WC PPOS, Emma Hamm 2078889
WC Political Philosophy and Organ.
Studies
WG 1. Multiple Choice Exercises 1
WG 2. How to Adjudicate in Cultural Disputes? 7
WG 3. Multiple Choice Exercises 10
WG 4. Neoliberal Corporations 13
0
, WC PPOS, Emma Hamm 2078889
WG 1. Multiple Choice Exercises
1. Who claimed to be the wisest person in the country because “he knew that he knew
nothing”?
A) Benedictus Spinoza
B) John Rawls
C) Isaac Newton
D) Socrates
2. Which of the following traditions regards the political philosopher as a cartographer of
social relations and conflicts?
A) Hobbesian social contract theory
B) All of political philosophy
C) Normative theory
D) Critical theory
3. In 2025, the war between Russia and Ukraine reaches an unfortunate climax with Russia
launching a nuclear missile on The Hague. The Netherlands are turned into a
post-apocalyptic wasteland in a matter of seconds. The entire Dutch government is killed
in the attack and the State breaks down completely. The last survivors are left without
police or government authorities to enforce criminal law, leading to widespread violence.
Which of the following theories BEST describes this story?
A) Benedictus Spinoza’s theory of the state of nature.
B) John Rawls’ theory of the original position.
C) Thomas Hobbes’ theory of the state of nature.
D) John Rawls’ theory of the philosopher as legislator and judge.
4. What is social intuitionism?
A) A psychological theory formulated by John Rawls which states that people must argue
about politics from the standpoint of the original position to arrive at impartial and fair
judgments.
B) A psychological theory formulated by Jonathan Haidt which states that people
tend to invent rational arguments for the moral beliefs they already have rather
than derive their moral beliefs from rational arguments.
C) A psychological theory formulated by Jonathan Haidt which states that people first
reason impartially and rationally about political matters before they come to a conclusion.
D) A psychological theory formulated by John Rawls which states that, in everyday politics,
people let their political reasoning be clouded by conflicts of interest.
5. Imagine the Dutch government would decide that, from now on, all Dutch citizens
must go to Church every Sunday morning. If they fail to comply, the police can give them
a fine of up to 150 euros. Would a Rawlsian believe this to be a just law?
1
, WC PPOS, Emma Hamm 2078889
A) The law would be just because, if everyone attends Church, the State can promote the
cultivation of communal solidarity and a shared sense of the good life.
B) The law would be just because the fine is relatively low, which grants people to opt for
the fine if they do not want to go to Church.
C) The law would be unjust because the government should only determine the
distribution of primary goods and leave the determination of the good life to
private individuals.
D) The law would be unjust because the State cannot possibly guarantee equal access to
the services of the Church for all Dutch citizens.
6. Which of the following lists represent ALL criticisms of the libertarian way of distributing social
primary goods?
A) Libertarianism ignores inequality of opportunities and risks deepening social
inequalities.
B) Libertarianism risks sacrificing the happiness of a minority to the happiness of the
majority and ignores inequality of opportunities.
C) Libertarianism risks sacrificing the happiness of a minority to the happiness of the
majority.
D) Libertarianism ignores inequality of opportunities and is perceived as unfair to people
who merit more than an equal share of social primary goods.
7. Evaluate the following two statements about Susan Moller Okin’s feminist liberalism.
1. Okin’s feminist liberalism is immune to the charge of ignoring intersectionality.
2. Okin argues that the family must abide by liberal principles of justice because it is the
first school of social justice.
A) Both statements are correct.
B) Both statements are false.
C) Statement 1 is correct, statement 2 is false.
D) Statement 1 is false, statement 2 is correct.
8. Which of the following principles from Rawls’ theory of justice does the breadwinner-model of
the family offend?
A) The distribution of natural primary goods should be equal among men and women.
B) Men and women should have equal opportunity to acquire privileged social positions.
C) The historical shift from families where both spouses worked in factories to the
breadwinner-model offends the maximin principle.
D) The breadwinner-model of the family ignores human beings’ embeddedness in social
relations of care.
Since the 1980s, more women have entered the workforce. The idea of the housewife who
takes care of her husband and children is largely considered outdated. Women’s emancipation
on the labour market is a major achievement of feminist liberalism. Nonetheless, care work in
the family still needs to be done. This situation has resulted in an increase in poor migrant
2
WC Political Philosophy and Organ.
Studies
WG 1. Multiple Choice Exercises 1
WG 2. How to Adjudicate in Cultural Disputes? 7
WG 3. Multiple Choice Exercises 10
WG 4. Neoliberal Corporations 13
0
, WC PPOS, Emma Hamm 2078889
WG 1. Multiple Choice Exercises
1. Who claimed to be the wisest person in the country because “he knew that he knew
nothing”?
A) Benedictus Spinoza
B) John Rawls
C) Isaac Newton
D) Socrates
2. Which of the following traditions regards the political philosopher as a cartographer of
social relations and conflicts?
A) Hobbesian social contract theory
B) All of political philosophy
C) Normative theory
D) Critical theory
3. In 2025, the war between Russia and Ukraine reaches an unfortunate climax with Russia
launching a nuclear missile on The Hague. The Netherlands are turned into a
post-apocalyptic wasteland in a matter of seconds. The entire Dutch government is killed
in the attack and the State breaks down completely. The last survivors are left without
police or government authorities to enforce criminal law, leading to widespread violence.
Which of the following theories BEST describes this story?
A) Benedictus Spinoza’s theory of the state of nature.
B) John Rawls’ theory of the original position.
C) Thomas Hobbes’ theory of the state of nature.
D) John Rawls’ theory of the philosopher as legislator and judge.
4. What is social intuitionism?
A) A psychological theory formulated by John Rawls which states that people must argue
about politics from the standpoint of the original position to arrive at impartial and fair
judgments.
B) A psychological theory formulated by Jonathan Haidt which states that people
tend to invent rational arguments for the moral beliefs they already have rather
than derive their moral beliefs from rational arguments.
C) A psychological theory formulated by Jonathan Haidt which states that people first
reason impartially and rationally about political matters before they come to a conclusion.
D) A psychological theory formulated by John Rawls which states that, in everyday politics,
people let their political reasoning be clouded by conflicts of interest.
5. Imagine the Dutch government would decide that, from now on, all Dutch citizens
must go to Church every Sunday morning. If they fail to comply, the police can give them
a fine of up to 150 euros. Would a Rawlsian believe this to be a just law?
1
, WC PPOS, Emma Hamm 2078889
A) The law would be just because, if everyone attends Church, the State can promote the
cultivation of communal solidarity and a shared sense of the good life.
B) The law would be just because the fine is relatively low, which grants people to opt for
the fine if they do not want to go to Church.
C) The law would be unjust because the government should only determine the
distribution of primary goods and leave the determination of the good life to
private individuals.
D) The law would be unjust because the State cannot possibly guarantee equal access to
the services of the Church for all Dutch citizens.
6. Which of the following lists represent ALL criticisms of the libertarian way of distributing social
primary goods?
A) Libertarianism ignores inequality of opportunities and risks deepening social
inequalities.
B) Libertarianism risks sacrificing the happiness of a minority to the happiness of the
majority and ignores inequality of opportunities.
C) Libertarianism risks sacrificing the happiness of a minority to the happiness of the
majority.
D) Libertarianism ignores inequality of opportunities and is perceived as unfair to people
who merit more than an equal share of social primary goods.
7. Evaluate the following two statements about Susan Moller Okin’s feminist liberalism.
1. Okin’s feminist liberalism is immune to the charge of ignoring intersectionality.
2. Okin argues that the family must abide by liberal principles of justice because it is the
first school of social justice.
A) Both statements are correct.
B) Both statements are false.
C) Statement 1 is correct, statement 2 is false.
D) Statement 1 is false, statement 2 is correct.
8. Which of the following principles from Rawls’ theory of justice does the breadwinner-model of
the family offend?
A) The distribution of natural primary goods should be equal among men and women.
B) Men and women should have equal opportunity to acquire privileged social positions.
C) The historical shift from families where both spouses worked in factories to the
breadwinner-model offends the maximin principle.
D) The breadwinner-model of the family ignores human beings’ embeddedness in social
relations of care.
Since the 1980s, more women have entered the workforce. The idea of the housewife who
takes care of her husband and children is largely considered outdated. Women’s emancipation
on the labour market is a major achievement of feminist liberalism. Nonetheless, care work in
the family still needs to be done. This situation has resulted in an increase in poor migrant
2
