Unit 5: Ethical issues in Biotechnology - Practice Quiz

1 What does the term bioethics primarily deal with?

2 Which of the following is a core principle of bioethics?

3 The bioethical principle of non-maleficence means:

4 Which principle refers to acting in the best interest of the patient?

5 Which of the following is a common socioeconomic concern related to genetically modified (GM) crops?

6 A patent in biotechnology mainly provides:

7 Which term describes the unfair use of biological resources of developing countries without proper benefit sharing?

8 Ethical concerns about biotechnology often focus on ensuring benefits reach:

9 Informed consent in research means that participants:

10 Why is public education important in biotechnology?

11 Which document lays down internationally recognized ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects?

12 An ethics committee that reviews research proposals involving humans is called an:

13 Which of the following is considered scientific misconduct?

14 Keeping a patient's medical information private is known as:

15 Which reproductive technology raises ethical concerns about creating "designer babies"?

16 Which type of cloning produces a whole organism genetically identical to another?

17 The use of embryonic stem cells in research is ethically debated mainly because:

18 Which international agreement addresses the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity?

19 The fair sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources is known as:

20 Conserving species in their natural habitats is called:

21 A researcher argues that just because a genetic modification can be performed does not mean it ought to be performed. This reasoning best illustrates which ethical principle?

22 Which of the following pairs correctly links a core bioethical principle with its practical requirement?

23 Bioethics is best described as an interdisciplinary field because it draws primarily from which combination?

24 A committee evaluates a new therapy by weighing expected benefits against potential harms to maximize overall well-being. This decision framework is most aligned with:

25 Small farmers in a developing region become dependent on purchasing patented seeds each season instead of saving seed. Which socioeconomic concern of biotechnology does this best represent?

26 The term "biopiracy" is most accurately applied to which situation?

27 A new gene therapy costs million per patient and is available only in wealthy nations. Which bioethical concern is most directly raised?

28 Which international agreement primarily addresses access to genetic resources and fair benefit-sharing?

29 A biotech firm launches a GM food product without clear labeling or public communication, leading to consumer distrust. Which ethical value was most neglected?

30 Why is public engagement considered essential in the governance of emerging biotechnologies?

31 A scientist exaggerates the near-term benefits of a gene-editing tool in press releases to attract funding. This practice is best described as:

32 The concept of "Responsible Research and Innovation" (RRI) primarily encourages researchers to:

33 A comatose patient with no advance directive requires a treatment decision. A close family member is asked what the patient would have wanted. This decision approach is called:

34 For informed consent to be ethically valid, which set of conditions must be met?

35 A clinical trial gives the control group a proven standard treatment rather than a placebo when an effective therapy already exists. Which principle most justifies this choice?

36 Genetic testing reveals a patient carries a mutation with serious implications for their siblings, but the patient refuses to inform relatives. This creates a conflict between:

37 Which application of human genetic technology is most widely regarded as ethically unacceptable under current international consensus?

38 Releasing a genetically engineered organism that could outcompete native species raises which primary bioethical concern in resource management?

39 The precautionary principle, as applied to introducing a novel GMO into the environment, recommends that:

40 An ethical view that assigns value to nature independent of its usefulness to humans is best termed:

41 A research team defends a controversial gene-drive release solely on the grounds that it will eliminate a malaria-transmitting mosquito species, maximizing net human welfare. A critic argues that even if the outcome is beneficial, the deliberate extinction of a species violates a duty to preserve biological lineages. This disagreement most fundamentally reflects a clash between which two ethical frameworks?

42 The concept of 'playing God' is frequently raised against synthetic biology. From a rigorous bioethics standpoint, why is this objection considered analytically weak as a stand-alone argument?

43 In distinguishing bioethics from biosafety, which statement most accurately captures their relationship in a biotechnology project?

44 A multinational patents a drought-resistant crop trait derived from a landrace long cultivated by a farming community, then sells seeds back to that region. This scenario is most precisely characterized as which combination of ethical problems?

45 Terminator (genetic use restriction) technology renders harvested seeds sterile. Beyond the agronomic effect, the most significant socioeconomic-ethical criticism is that it:

46 When a new biotechnology promises large aggregate economic gains but concentrates those gains among a few firms while dispersing risks across vulnerable populations, the primary ethical principle challenged is:

47 A government must decide whether to approve a GM crop offering a 15% yield increase but with uncertain long-term ecological effects. Applying the precautionary principle in its stronger formulation would justify which action?

48 Studies of public attitudes to biotechnology show that simply increasing factual scientific knowledge often fails to increase acceptance. This finding most directly refutes which model of science communication?

49 A gain-of-function influenza study could inform pandemic preparedness but also provides a blueprint that could be misused to engineer a dangerous pathogen. Publishing the full methods raises which specific category of ethical concern?

50 Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) frameworks emphasize 'upstream engagement.' What is the defining feature that distinguishes upstream engagement from conventional public consultation?

51 A researcher holds equity in the company funding her clinical trial of a biotech product and also recruits and consents the participants. The most serious ethical hazard here is that the conflict of interest may:

52 A competent adult refuses a life-saving blood transfusion on religious grounds. The clinician believes the transfusion is clearly in the patient's medical interest. Correct ethical practice prioritizes which principle, and why?

53 Somatic gene therapy and germline gene editing differ in a way that carries distinct ethical weight. Which statement correctly identifies the crux of that difference?

54 A predictive genetic test reveals a patient carries a mutation that also implies high risk for the patient's siblings, who are not the clinician's patients. This creates a tension between confidentiality and the duty to warn. The most defensible resolution is to:

55 In allocating a scarce number of ICU ventilators during a pandemic, a triage protocol prioritizes patients by short-term survival probability. A critic argues this systematically disadvantages people with disabilities. This objection frames the protocol as violating which principle even while pursuing another?

56 The 'therapeutic misconception' in early-phase clinical trials refers specifically to:

57 Under the Nagoya Protocol, a foreign company wishing to commercialize a compound from a plant used by an indigenous community must satisfy two core requirements. These are best described as:

58 Debates about assigning value to biodiversity distinguish 'intrinsic value' from 'instrumental value.' A policy that protects a species only because it might yield future pharmaceuticals reflects which stance, and what is its main ethical limitation?

59 A conservation program proposes releasing a genetically engineered organism to control an invasive pest. Which feature of gene-drive systems makes their ethical evaluation categorically harder than that of conventional GMOs?

60 The principle of intergenerational equity in resource management most directly requires that: