Ethics in Engineering MCQs December 4, 2025August 26, 2024 by u930973931_answers 50 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. What is the primary focus of engineering ethics? (A) Ensuring engineers follow laws and regulations (B) Managing engineering project budgets (C) Guiding engineers to make moral and responsible decisions (D) Improving engineering design techniques 2. Which organization provides a code of ethics for engineers in the United States? (A) ASME (B) IEEE (C) NSPE (D) ASCE 3. What does “confidentiality” mean in engineering ethics? (A) Sharing project details with colleagues (B) Publicizing engineering innovations (C) Keeping client information private (D) Reporting unethical behavior 4. A common ethical issue in engineering design is: (A) Ensuring designs are cost-effective (B) Balancing safety, sustainability, and performance (C) Prioritizing aesthetics over function (D) Securing intellectual property rights 5. What should an engineer do when they identify a safety concern? (A) Ignore it (B) Only document it (C) Discuss casually with colleagues (D) Report it to the appropriate authority 6. What is a “conflict of interest” in engineering? (A) Having multiple responsibilities (B) Having a financial interest affecting judgment (C) Working in different industries (D) Collaborating with peers 7. Which principle is emphasized in the ASCE Code of Ethics? (A) Work only on familiar projects (B) Act with honesty, integrity, and fairness (C) Maximize personal gain (D) Avoid multidisciplinary teams 8. The role of professional licensure is to: (A) Increase salary (B) Ensure ethical and professional standards (C) Verify technical skills (D) Provide legal protection 9. “Whistleblowing” refers to: (A) Reporting unethical or unsafe practices (B) Publicizing achievements (C) Working with competitors (D) Keeping secrets 10. “Professional integrity” requires: (A) Following industry trends (B) Honesty and transparency (C) Promoting personal interests (D) Maximizing profits 11. Ethical dilemmas involving conflicting interests should be handled by: (A) Choosing personal benefit (B) Ignoring the dilemma (C) Seeking advice and following ethics (D) Consulting competitors 12. Informed consent ensures: (A) Approval for budgets (B) Exclusive design rights (C) Clients understand risks and benefits (D) Limited project scope 13. If engineers discover misuse of their work, they should: (A) Continue as planned (B) Report the misuse (C) Ignore it (D) Cover it up 14. “Sustainability” in engineering means: (A) Designing for short-term results (B) Reducing immediate costs (C) Maximizing profits (D) Creating environmentally responsible solutions 15. Which is a breach of ethical conduct? (A) Accurate estimates (B) Giving expert advice (C) Accepting bribes (D) Maintaining confidentiality 16. How should proprietary information be handled? (A) Keep it confidential (B) Use it for personal gain (C) Share it (D) Publicize it 17. A Code of Conduct exists to: (A) Outline ethical standards (B) Specify technical skills (C) Manage finances (D) Guide marketing 18. If a project fails unexpectedly, engineers should: (A) Blame others (B) Publicize the failure (C) Ignore the failure (D) Take responsibility and analyze the cause 19. Ethics ensure public safety by: (A) Ensuring safe and reliable solutions (B) Following only legal standards (C) Focusing on career advancement (D) Cutting costs 20. “Due diligence” refers to: (A) Thorough review to meet professional standards (B) Fast-tracking the project (C) Reducing costs (D) Promoting achievements 21. The main objective of ethics training is: (A) Enhance technical skills (B) Develop marketing (C) Increase profits (D) Help engineers apply ethical principles 22. An “ethical lapse” is: (A) A deliberate dishonest act (B) An unintentional failure to meet ethical standards (C) A management oversight (D) A technical failure 23. Engineers facing conflicts between personal values and duty should: (A) Prioritize personal values (B) Seek guidance from mentors or committees (C) Ignore the conflict (D) Compromise standards 24. “Transparency” requires: (A) Keeping details confidential (B) Focusing only on outcomes (C) Withholding information (D) Clear and honest communication 25. If engineers observe illegal activities, they must: (A) Report to authorities (B) Participate (C) Ignore them (D) Discuss informally 26. “Accountability” means: (A) Delegating responsibility (B) Focusing on individual success (C) Taking responsibility for actions (D) Avoiding blame 27. Engineers should handle sensitive data by: (A) Sharing it freely (B) Using it personally (C) Publicizing it (D) Protecting confidentiality 28. Ethical handling of errors involves: (A) Hiding them (B) Acknowledging and correcting them (C) Blaming others (D) Ignoring them 29. Ethics help ensure quality control by: (A) Having no role (B) Reducing costs (C) Ensuring practices meet standards (D) Promoting personal interests 30. “Professional responsibility” emphasizes: (A) Acting in public and professional interest (B) Personal gain (C) Limiting practice scope (D) Prioritizing clients over safety 31. When unsure how to resolve an ethical issue, engineers should: (A) Decide personally (B) Avoid the issue (C) Seek expert guidance (D) Follow peers 32. Ethical audits exist to: (A) Evaluate finances (B) Review adherence to ethics (C) Assess outcomes (D) Manage timelines 33. Engineers can foster an ethical culture by: (A) Blindly following rules (B) Leading by example (C) Focusing on deadlines (D) Avoiding ethical discussions 34. Unethical conduct results in: (A) Loss of public trust (B) Improved reputation (C) Higher success rates (D) Easier management 35. “Social responsibility” means: (A) Low-cost solutions (B) Considering social impacts (C) Career advancement (D) Working only for profit 36. If asked to work on an unethical project, engineers should: (A) Proceed anyway (B) Refuse and explain concerns (C) Ignore concerns (D) Delegate the work 37. “Fairness” means: (A) Treating all stakeholders justly (B) Prioritizing personal interest (C) Maximizing profit (D) Seeking recognition 38. “Due process” in ethics involves: (A) Following fair procedures (B) Meeting deadlines (C) Promoting personal achievements (D) Obtaining financial gains 39. Engineers should approach safety by: (A) Minimizing its importance (B) Focusing on deadlines (C) Prioritizing public well-being (D) Passing it to others 40. Ethical leadership means: (A) Enforcing technical rules (B) Guiding others to uphold ethics (C) Increasing profits (D) Managing resources 41. “Integrity” means: (A) Achieving goals (B) Gaining financially (C) Consistently following moral principles (D) Seeking recognition 42. If a colleague behaves unethically, the engineer must: (A) Report and document it (B) Ignore it (C) Join in (D) Discuss informally 43. Ethics committees exist to: (A) Manage finances (B) Resolve ethical issues (C) Oversee technical standards (D) Run marketing 44. Engineers ensure ethical compliance by: (A) Focusing on technical skills (B) Prioritizing deadlines (C) Avoiding collaboration (D) Reviewing and following ethics codes 45. Professionalism entails: (A) Ethical conduct, respect, competence (B) Seeking personal gain (C) Avoiding difficult projects (D) Ignoring concerns 46. Unethical behavior may lead to: (A) Enhanced credibility (B) Legal consequences and reputational harm (C) Efficient projects (D) Simplified compliance 47. Ethical decision-making involves: (A) Personal preferences (B) Avoiding decisions (C) Focusing only on outcomes (D) Considering ethical consequences 48. Honesty in engineering ensures: (A) Reputation gain (B) Accurate and truthful communication (C) Larger budgets (D) Personal recognition 49. When guidelines are unclear, engineers should: (A) Seek clarification from experts (B) Proceed anyway (C) Decide personally (D) Ignore ambiguity 50. Engineers contribute to ethical culture by: (A) Prioritizing individual success (B) Focusing on deadlines (C) Avoiding ethical discussions (D) Advocating ethical principles and leading by example