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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is not included in the events of an emergency according to Rand's essay on "The Ethics of Emergencies"?
(a) Shipwreck.
(b) Earthquake.
(c) Flood.
(d) Car accident.

2. Finish this argument as Rand presents it: X is ___________; therefore, his argument is false.
(a) Immoral.
(b) Too religious.
(c) Irrational.
(d) Rational.

3. According to Rand, what people define the standards for "good" in a society?
(a) Powerful.
(b) Strong.
(c) Religious.
(d) Wise.

4. In what year did Branden write his essay, "Mental Health versus Mysticism and Self-Sacrifice?"
(a) 1963.
(b) 1961.
(c) 1972.
(d) 1964.

5. No one ever really sacrifices oneself because every direct action is motivated by a person's desire. What does Branden say about this statement?
(a) That it is absolutely incorrect.
(b) That is needs to be proven.
(c) That it is faulty.
(d) That it is absolutely correct.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Branden, what must human beings have in order to have pleasure?

2. Which instinct does self-sacrifice directly contradict?

3. In Rand's essay on "The 'Conflicts' of Men's Interests," what are the two ways she claims that goals can be met?

4. What does Rand claim is not a valid standard of value in her essay on "The 'Conflicts' of Men's Interests?"

5. What basis are you acting on If you audition for a Broadway show, you are a poor singer, but you have always have wanted to sing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Ayn Rand's overall attempt in the writing of her essay, "The Cult of Moral Grayness?"

2. How must one first begin to identify what is gray, according to Ayn Rand?

3. What is context-dropping, and who uses it?

4. How does altruism fit into Branden's essay, "Isn't Everyone Selfish?"

5. Describe what Rand states in "The Objectivist Ethics" that philosophers and scientists have never been able to do?

6. Why does Rand reject the widely accepted views of morals and values in regard to human existence?

7. What does Rand say about the definition of society in her essay "The Objectivist Ethics?"

8. What does Ayn Rand believe happens in the process of a compromise?

9. According to Branden's essay, "The Psychology of Pleasure," how are a person's individual pleasures determined?

10. What commonly upheld principle does Rand deem evil in Western Society as stated in her essay on living a rational life?

(see the answer keys)

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