"Three Cheers for the Nanny State"

According to “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,” what item did

New York City attempt to ban?

• large sodas

• unsafe cars

• sugary snacks

• imported clothing

As explained in “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,” why were

some people resistant to the ban discussed?

• They found the ban’s language hard to understand.

• They feared punishment for disobeying the ban.

• They did not like being told what to do.

• They wanted a ban that was stricter.

According to “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,” what do

opponents of the ban discussed in the essay fear?

• increased poverty

• more regulations

• higher prices

• busier stores

Which of the following situations could best be used to illustrate the

meaning of rational?

• wearing sunglasses at night

• laughing during a sad movie

• staying inside during a storm

• walking barefoot in the snow

What is the most likely meaning of principle in the following

sentence?

Doctors follow the principle of “do no harm” when treating their

patients.

• guiding belief

• legal requirement

• medical diagnosis

• questionable practice

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A Based on “Three Cheers for the Nanny State,” choose the

phrase that best describes the main way the author views human

decision-making.

• controlled by rational calculations

• controlled by a person's moral nature

• influenced by Mill's “harm principle”

• influenced by “predictable miscalculations”

Part B Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to

Part A?

• John Stuart Mill wrote in 1859 that the only justifiable reason for

  interfering in someone’s freedom of action was to prevent harm to

  others.

• You can stop someone from crossing a bridge that is broken, he said,

  because you can be sure no one wants to plummet into the river.

• Now we see that these errors aren’t a function of bad character, but of

  our shared cognitive inheritance.

• It’s not always worth it to intervene, but sometimes, where the costs are

  small and the benefit is large, it is.

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then B.

      Part A Which of the following states a main purpose of “Three

Cheers for the Nanny State”?

• to explain the necessity of the ban

• to describe the law-making process

• to suggest an alternative to the ban

• to persuade people to reject the ban

Part B Which sentence from “Three Cheers for the Nanny State”

best supports the answer to Part A?

• After all, people can still get as much soda as they want.

• Like the guy about to step through the hole in the bridge, we need help.

• For some people, yes, it’s an absolute loss.

• It’s hard to give up the idea of ourselves as completely rational.