Chapter 10 Self Quiz

. If the probability is 1 in 10 million that an airliner with 450 passengers will crash in any given year, then the annual risk of a crash is

450 deaths.

1 in 10 million (0.0000001).

0.0000001 × 450 = 0.000045.

1 - (0.0000001 × 450) = 1 - 0.000045.

None of the above

. The engineering definition of risk is risk neutral. This means that

very large risks can always be balanced against other equally large and probable benefits.

small risks can always be balanced against other equally small and probable benefits.

very large risks can always be balanced against sufficiently many small but improbable benefits.

All of the above

. According to the engineering definition of risk, the risk of some unwanted event e is the product of the probability that e will occur and the value of the harm caused by e measured

in dollars.

by the number or lives lost.

utility units.

None of the above

. Trichloroethylene is a clear, nonflammable liquid commonly used as a solvent for a variety of organic materials. It was first introduced in the 1920s and widely used for industrial purposes until the 1970s. At that point, suspicions arose that trichloroethylene could be toxic. After many years of scientific debate, the EPA concluded in 2011 that trichloroethylene is a carcinogen. This shows that, between the 1920s and 2011,

the perceived risk of trichloroethylene was higher than the subjective risk.

the perceived risk of trichloroethylene was lower than the subjective risk.

the objective risk of trichloroethylene was higher than the subjective risk.

the objective risk of trichloroethylene remained the same.

. Which of the following is a benefit of the precautionary principle over cost-benefit and risk-benefit?

One does not need to know the probability of the bad outcome to take action.

Precautionary measures fit deontology better.

Cost-benefit requires measurement in money.

All of the above

. Which of the following expresses the precautionary principle?

Rio Declaration

Wingspread Statement

There is no unique formulation of the precautionary principle.

All of the above

. Which of the following was put forth as an explanation for the accelerator-related deaths in Camrys by Toyota?

Unusual floormat

Sticky gas pedal

Driver error

All of the above

. Which of the following best fits an application of the Wingspread criteria to the Camry case?

Until the engineers could prove the software was responsible, no precautionary measures were necessary.

Precautionary measures become necessary once it is known that risk is possible from software malfunction.

Once it is reasonable to believe the software caused acceleration, precautionary measures were reasonable.

None of the above

. The decision to shut down nuclear reactors in Germany because of the Fukushima disaster is an example of

how objective risk and subjective risk may diverge.

the difficulty of informing the public of risk.

precautionary action that did not satisfy the criteria of the precautionary principle.

All of the above

. The risk-benefit principle and the precautionary principle draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable risks by considering the risk's potential consequences. Kantian duty ethicists would argue thatwhat matters is whether those exposed to the risk

have been properly informed about the risk, or could rationally wish that no information is required.

have given their informed consent to being exposed to the risk, or could reasonably be expected to do so if properly compensated.

have consented to being exposed to the risk, no matter how much or little information was presented to them.

will raise valid complaints about the risk.

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