# PTE Reading MCS #12: Philosophical Inquiry into...

Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer #12 - Level 2 - Feeds Reading

> Read the text and answer the question by choosing one option. Only one answer is correct.

Suppose that we are puzzled about whether we ought to lend our support to a war that our government has initiated. We mull things over, we talk to our friends, we listen to what politicians and opinion writers have to say about the matter, and then, finally, we do manage to make up our mind. Can our moral view of the matter be true? If so, what could make it true? Suppose that we have thought things out quite a bit, and have arrived, not at a particular assessment of this war or that war, but of all wars - we have developed a theory of just war. This theory tells us the conditions under which the activities of war are just and right. Can this theory be true? If so, what makes it true? Suppose, finally, that our thinking has become so sophisticated that we are able, after a great deal of effort, to develop an entire ethic. We have, to our satisfaction, identified the conditions that determine whether actions are moral or immoral. Can this sort of theory be true? If so, what makes it true?

What is the author's main purpose in this passage?

- The author wishes to make a point about morals and ethnicity.
- The author remains sceptical, seeking answers toward moral discipline.
- The author wishes to use a dialectical approach to explore the concept of morality.
- The author wishes to express the objection towards the wars.

## Answer

The author wishes to use a dialectical approach to explore the concept of morality.

## Explanation

The author uses a structured, step-by-step questioning process to investigate how we arrive at moral truths, which characterizes a dialectical approach.

What to watch: The author moves step by step from one war, to "a theory of just war," to "an entire ethic" in turn. Each time the author asks whether the theory can be true. This questioning method fits a "dialectical approach" well. The author never objects to wars or states doubt, so the "sceptical" and "objection" options go beyond the text.

## Hints

- Look at how the author builds the argument from a single decision to a complex theory.
- Notice that the author does not take a side on the war, but rather questions the foundation of moral judgment.

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