TASC Philosophy Level 3 case studies
TASC Philosophy Level 3 · Put your knowledge to work in context.
TASC Philosophy Level 3 is a multiple-choice credential for candidates who already command the basics of philosophy and want evidence of broader, more integrated command of the discipline. It suits undergraduates building a portfolio beyond coursework, teachers and tutors who want an external benchmark, and independent learners preparing for graduate study or for work that rewards careful argument. The exam samples eight domains, weighted toward the history of philosophy, with substantial shares for metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and logic, and smaller sections on political philosophy, aesthetics, and philosophy of religion. Questions test recognition and discrimination rather than essay writing: identifying positions, attributing ideas to their usual historical context, spotting informal fallacies, and choosing the best reconstruction of an argument. The TASC Philosophy Level 3 case studies are 5 cases and about 2,260 words.
1The Museum's Contested Attribution
A small municipal museum owns a painting catalogued for forty years as "Workshop of Rembrandt." A visiting scholar argues it should be reattributed to Rembrandt himself, which would multiply its insurance value roughly tenfold. The museum's board must decide what label to display.
483 words, about 2 min2The Lifeboat With a Counting Problem
A ferry strikes a reef at night with 40 passengers aboard. One lifeboat holds 30.
481 words, about 2 min3The Clinic's Conflicting Testimony
A walk-in clinic has three staff members who each report a different account of a single event. A patient arrived at 9:40 and left before being seen.
457 words, about 2 min4The Council and the Unread Rulebook
A neighborhood council of 300 households must decide whether to ban short-term rentals. The bylaws say a ban requires a two-thirds majority of votes cast at a meeting with quorum of 100 households.
444 words, about 2 min5The Theodicy Seminar
A seminar is debating whether the existence of suffering counts against the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good being. Student 1 argues: suffering exists; an all-good being would prevent it if able; an all-powerful being is able; therefore no such being exists.
395 words, about 2 min