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Ethical question about take-home test?
I'm taking a mathematics course, and one of the questions on the last exam was a "take-home" question, for which we're given almost a week to compose an answer. But the question is also an odd-numbered exercise in the textbook, so there's a solution in the back of the book. My wife tells me it's unethical to use this answer. I say it's not.
My wife's argument is that the professor gave us a week, so he clearly wants us to find an independent solution, and using someone else's answer -- even the textbook's -- is unethical. My counterargument is that take-home questions are understood to be "open book" unless otherwise stated, so anything in the textbook is fair game.
What do you say?
Some answers seem to depend on the idea that the text's answer is the result of some calculation and it would remain for me to derive it.
This is not the case: the problem is not a computation but a proof. The book's solution sketches the entire proof. It lacks a few fussy details, but is basically complete.
Does this make a difference?
Since I've pretty much made up my mind already, in the interest of fairness I'm turning this question this over to a vote. Thanks for all the answers!
6 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
I say it's OK to have the answer in the back of the book. The solution is there, but you still would have to find the way the came up with the solution.So there is still work to be done.You have to realize that, this is just part of a test and you should still consider that there will be a final exam, so sometimes the answer being there could just be a motivation on solving the problem.
- SophistLv 71 decade ago
Only the answer is in the book. The teacher will want to see how it was achieved. (Show your work). So, it OK to use the answer to check that you have legitimately arrived at the correct answer. Since it was a take home quiz, it is not going to be easy or obvious. The problem is not the answer but how you derived it.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Your wife is right. C'mon do you even need to ask this question? Figure out the solution for yourself or you've learned nothing.
- ?Lv 71 decade ago
I feel you have to find an independent solution of your own. Your wife's argument seems to be correct. You have to think and write with your own imaginations.
Source(s): 0wn - How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
- funkadeliciaLv 51 decade ago
if this a math test, you will have to show your work and how you reached the correct answer shown in book. this shows you understand concepts and material. not cheating. if you just copy the answer in book, you did not complete problem properly and cheated yourself.
