CEng / IEng / EngTech via IAgrE Professional Practice, Ethics & Laws: practice questions

Question 1 · hard

In the Challenger shuttle disaster of 1986, what is the central lesson about engineering judgement that ethics courses draw from the launch decision?

1. The engineers had failed to identify the O-ring problem before the night of the launch
2. The burden of proof was reversed: engineers were asked to prove the launch was unsafe
3. The managers lacked any technical training and could not understand the data presented
4. The disaster was caused by a calculation error in the design of the external fuel tank

Question 2 · medium

The Citicorp Center case of 1978 is usually taught as an example of which kind of professional conduct?

1. An engineer hiding a design weakness to protect his reputation until it was too late
2. A contractor substituting cheaper materials without the engineer's knowledge
3. An engineer reporting his own design weakness and having it fixed before any failure
4. A licensing board revoking a licence for sealing drawings not prepared by the engineer

Question 3 · easy

When an engineer's safety concern is ignored inside the organisation and a serious danger to the public remains, the codes of ethics require the engineer to:

1. Accept the decision, since the employer carries legal responsibility
2. Seek a transfer to another project and say no more about the issue
3. Notify the appropriate external authority as a last resort
4. Inform the media first, since the public has a right to know

Question 4 · hard

Using line-drawing to judge a gift, where would an all-expenses-paid trip from a bidder whose tender the engineer is evaluating fall, compared with a desk calendar from a regular supplier?

1. Near the positive paradigm, since such trips build useful long-term business relationships
2. At the same point as the calendar, since both are gifts from suppliers
3. Outside the method, which applies only to safety and not to gifts
4. Near the negative paradigm, while the calendar falls near the positive paradigm

Question 5 · medium

Which value is named explicitly in Engineers Australia's code of ethics and in many recent engineering codes, alongside integrity and competence?

1. Maximising shareholder returns
2. Political neutrality in all matters
3. Promoting sustainability
4. Loyalty to the national government

Question 6 · easy

What does the Washington Accord provide?

1. A single international engineering licence valid in every signatory country
2. A common code of ethics that replaces the national codes of the signatories
3. Mutual recognition of accredited professional engineering degree programmes
4. Recognition of engineering technician diplomas awarded in signatory countries

Question 7 · medium

In Canada, who regulates the practice of engineering and grants the P.Eng. designation?

1. A single federal engineering council in Ottawa
2. Engineers Canada, which issues national licences
3. The universities that award accredited degrees
4. The engineering regulator of each province or territory

Question 8 · medium

Which Australian state has required registration of professional engineers by statute since 1929?

1. Tasmania
2. Western Australia
3. Queensland
4. South Australia

Question 9 · hard

Which statement best describes the regulation of engineers in India?

1. All engineers must pass a national licensing exam set by the Bureau of Indian Standards
2. Engineers are licensed by each state's public works department after a written test
3. The Institution of Engineers (India) issues licences required for all design work
4. No general national licensing law exists; NBA accredits degrees and IEI awards CEng

Question 10 · easy

Which three elements underlie engineering registration in nearly every country?

1. Citizenship, membership of a trade union and a fixed number of years of age
2. Accredited education, supervised experience and an assessment of competence
3. A doctoral degree, published research and a recommendation from a minister
4. An apprenticeship, a written trade test and payment of an annual levy only