Exam practice
There are various types of questions you may get asked:
- You may get asked to explain virtue theory, or an aspect of it.
- You may be required to evaluate the theory or compare it to another theory.
- You may be asked to apply the theory to one of the issues studied.
Have a look at 'Evaluating the Theories' and TICKETs (pdfs), as well as each of the ethical theories on War (AS) and the Environment (A2).
June 2015
‘The problem with Virtue Ethics is that it never gives answers to moral problems.’ Discuss.
June 2013
‘Businesses are completely incompatible with Virtue Ethics.’ Discuss.
January 2013
‘Following the example of virtuous people is the most useful aspect of Virtue Ethics.’ Discuss. [35]
January 2012
To what extent do modern versions of Virtue Ethics address the weaknesses of Aristotle’s teaching on virtue? [35]
June 2011
To what extent is Virtue Ethics helpful when making decisions about extramarital sex? [35]
This question came up in June 2010:
'The weaknesses of Virtue Ethics outweigh its strengths.' Discuss. [35]
The following is an actual exam question written by OCR:
(a) Explain how the idea of the ‘Golden Mean’ is used in Virtue Ethics. [33]
(b) ‘Virtue ethics is an easy system to put into practice.’ Discuss. [17]
In 2008, this question came up in the A2 paper:
‘Virtue ethics is a good approach to the issues surrounding sex and relationships.’ Discuss. [45]
(taken from the OCR website)
We now have an interactive diagram showing how to answer an ethics exam question, The 'structure' of the paragraph will be different for 'ethical theory' questions, but the basic principles are the same. Try filling it in yourself and print out the completed diagram.
