Day+161+Moral+Reasoning


 * BEN’S PROBLEM SITUATION**

Ben receives a BB gun from his father for his fourteenth birthday. Ben’s mother is not happy about it, but allows him to keep it as long as he follows specific rules regarding its care and use. Ben is so excited to have the gun that he agrees.

Later that day, Ben’s mother goes to the store to do some grocery shopping. She tells Ben that she’ll be back in a couple hours and asks him to watch his younger brother. Ben’s eight-year-old brother, Tony, is in his bedroom playing with Legos®. Ben looks in on Tony and then goes to go to his own bedroom across the hall. Ben decides to check out his new BB gun. He knows that he isn’t allowed to play with the gun in the house, but he also knows that he can’t go outside either because he has to watch Tony. He thinks that no harm would come if he just holds the gun. After all, he is not going to shoot it in the house. As he is aiming it at various places in his room and pretending to shoot things, it accidentally goes off and puts a hole in window and shatters the glass. What should Ben do now?

1. Should Ben cover up the window and not say anything to his mother?

___Yes__ _ No ___ Can’t decide__

__2. What if Ben thinks his mother will take the BB gun away permanently if he tells her what happened? Then should Ben tell his mother?__

Cover up the hole __Tell his mother what happened__

Can’t decide

3. Let’s change the situation a bit. While Ben is handling the BB gun, his brother Tony enters the room and says to Ben that he’s going to tell their mother. Ben tells Tony he can look at the BB gun if he agrees not to tell on Ben. Tony takes the gun and accidentally puts a hole in the window. Then should Ben tell his mother that Tony was to blame?

___Yes__ _ No ___ Can’t decide__

__4. What if while Tony is checking out the gun, he accidentally shoots Ben in the leg?__ __Ben has a wound that could get infected if not treated properly. Then should Ben__ __tell his mother what happened?__

_Yes ___ No__ _ Can’t decide

5. Let’s change the situation. Ben decides to shoot his gun in the house anyway. He doesn’t damage anything and goes around the house to pick up all the BBs so his mother won’t know he used it. The next morning, Ben’s mother turns on the garbage disposal and a BB shoots out and hits her in the face. Then should Ben tell his mother that he was using the BB gun in the house?

___Yes__ _ No ___ Can’t decide__

__6. How important is it to be truthful?__

Very important __Important__ Not important