CSS Philosophy chapter 4: Logic, ethics and special topics MCQs with answers

By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026

103 exam-style questions on Logic, ethics and special topics, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.

103 questions · 6 topics · 10 per test

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What chapter 4 covers

Ten Logic, ethics and special topics questions with answers

Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.

1. Which proposition distributes both its subject and its predicate?

  1. A
    All S are P
  2. B
    Some S are P
  3. C
    No S is P
  4. D
    Some S are not P
Show answer

Answer: C. The E proposition excludes the whole of S from the whole of P, so both terms are distributed. A distributes only S, I neither, and O only P.

2. In an experiment, two identical plots are treated in the same way, except that one receives fertiliser. The fertilised plot gives a larger crop. The reasoning is that of

  1. A
    the method of difference
  2. B
    the method of agreement
  3. C
    the method of residues
  4. D
    the method of concomitant variations
Show answer

Answer: A. When two cases are alike in every respect except one factor, and the effect appears only with that factor, the factor is the cause. This is the method of difference.

3. Which proposition is the contradictory of 'All the candidates passed'?

  1. A
    Some candidates did not pass
  2. B
    No candidate passed
  3. C
    Some candidates passed
  4. D
    All the candidates failed
Show answer

Answer: A. Contradictories (A and O) always have opposite truth values. 'No candidate passed' is the contrary, and it can be false along with the original.

4. In a proposition of the A form ('All S are P'), the distributed term is

  1. A
    the predicate only
  2. B
    both terms
  3. C
    the subject only
  4. D
    neither term
Show answer

Answer: C. An A proposition says something about every S but not about all of P, so the subject alone is distributed.

5. Utilitarianism, as taught by Bentham and Mill, holds that an action is right if it

  1. A
    produces the greatest happiness of the greatest number
  2. B
    agrees with the commands of a universal moral law
  3. C
    expresses the good character and settled habits of the agent
  4. D
    serves the agent's own interest better than any alternative
Show answer

Answer: A. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory in which the principle of utility is the measure of right and wrong.

6. Popper held that a theory which can explain every possible observation, whatever happens, is

  1. A
    the best theory that science could ever hope to reach
  2. B
    unscientific, since it excludes nothing
  3. C
    certainly true, since nothing can be found against it
  4. D
    a law of nature that has been fully proved
Show answer

Answer: B. A scientific theory takes a risk, forbidding certain outcomes. One that is compatible with every outcome cannot be tested.

7. Which pair of premises allows NO valid conclusion in a syllogism whose middle term is M?

  1. A
    All M are P; all S are M
  2. B
    No M is P; no S is M
  3. C
    No M is P; all S are M
  4. D
    All M are P; some S are M
Show answer

Answer: B. Two negative premises yield no conclusion. Each of the other pairs gives a valid conclusion: all S are P, no S is P and some S are P respectively.

8. A positivist says that a theory is confirmed by each favourable observation. Popper replies that, logically,

  1. A
    no number of favourable cases proves a theory, but one contrary case can refute it
  2. B
    one favourable observation is enough to prove a general theory once and for all
  3. C
    no observation can ever count against a scientific theory, however many conflict with it
  4. D
    contrary observations never matter in science, because theories are chosen by convention alone
Show answer

Answer: A. There is a logical asymmetry between verification and falsification of a universal statement.

9. 'No one has ever proved that spirits do not exist; therefore spirits exist.' This is the fallacy of

  1. A
    begging the question in a circular way
  2. B
    argument from ignorance (ad ignorantiam)
  3. C
    ad hominem attack on those who disbelieve in spirits
  4. D
    equivocation on the word 'exist' within the argument
Show answer

Answer: B. Failure to disprove a claim does not prove that it is true.

10. The categorical imperative differs from a hypothetical imperative in that it

  1. A
    commands only if one wants a certain end, such as health
  2. B
    commands without condition, whatever one desires
  3. C
    depends on the consequences of the acts it commands
  4. D
    applies only to the wicked
Show answer

Answer: B. 'If you want good health, exercise' is hypothetical. 'Do not lie' as a moral law holds for every rational being, whatever his wishes.

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Logic, ethics and special topics: questions students ask

How many Logic, ethics and special topics MCQs are there?

103, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 6 topics: Logic: terms, propositions and syllogism, Fallacies and scientific method, Ethics, Epistemology and metaphysics, Philosophy of religion and Iqbal, Philosophy of science. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.

Is the CSS Philosophy chapter 4 test free?

Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.

How is the chapter test marked?

The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.

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