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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. From the altruist perspective, saving the life of a stranger is equivalent to saving the life of _________.
(a) All humans.
(b) God.
(c) A loved one.
(d) Yourself.

2. Which of the following words is not included in those Rand uses to describe desire?
(a) Feelings.
(b) Emotions.
(c) Wishes.
(d) Urges.

3. Which instinct does self-sacrifice directly contradict?
(a) Protection.
(b) Fear.
(c) Neurological.
(d) Survival.

4. What is a person considered to be who attempts to find the morally good in a given situation but acts incorrectly by honest mistake?
(a) Black.
(b) Gray.
(c) White.
(d) Pink.

5. Which of the following is not included in Branden's list of avenues where people find pleasure?
(a) Balance.
(b) Sex.
(c) Art.
(d) Recreation.

6. According to Branden, what determines a person's individual pleasures?
(a) Mysticism.
(b) Desires.
(c) Whim.
(d) Values.

7. Which of the following is not included in the hierarchy Rand gives in the objectivist evaluation of committing an act of good will?
(a) Time.
(b) Plausibility.
(c) Money.
(d) Effort.

8. What word does Rand state that philosophers substitute for God?
(a) The Church.
(b) Society.
(c) People.
(d) Satan.

9. Which fictional character from "Atlas Shrugged" does Ayn Rand constantly refer to in order to explain her Objectivist theory?
(a) Peter Keating.
(b) John Galt.
(c) Nathanial Branden.
(d) Howard Roark.

10. At the conclusion of Rand's essay on the Objectivist ethics, what does she state is the standard value for the Objectivist?
(a) Man's life.
(b) The development of the world.
(c) The society.
(d) The creation of offspring.

11. According to Rand, what does an act of good will require in the eyes of an altruist?
(a) Self-manipulation.
(b) Self-mutilation.
(c) Self-interest.
(d) Self-sacrifice.

12. According to Branden, which word is intellectually confused with "selfishness?"
(a) Self amorous.
(b) Egoism.
(c) Conceit.
(d) Confidence.

13. Rand defends her points by stating her belief that the mainstream practice of ethics goes against the reality of _________.
(a) Human peace and experience.
(b) Ecosystems.
(c) Objectivism.
(d) Human existence.

14. Branden states in his essay, "The Psychology of Pleasure" that pleasure is not a _________, but a psychological need.
(a) Luxury.
(b) Right.
(c) Whim.
(d) Necessity.

15. If a person saves a stranger from a burning building at the risk of their own life, then that person is acting upon which principles?
(a) Objectivist.
(b) Altruistic.
(c) Self interest.
(d) Compromise.

Short Answer Questions

1. Complete the quote: "_____ is a desire experienced by a person who does not know and does not care to discover its cause."

2. Which German philosopher does Rand oppose within her own philosophical theory?

3. In which year was the "Psychology of Pleasure" written?

4. What type of scheme does Branden's essay on Mental Health versus Mysticism attempt to illustrate?

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

(see the answer keys)

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