1.  You should respect your elders.

Answer: Normative

Explanation: this should be apparent.  It is a  straightforward normative claim, prescribing a certain kind of behavior.
 
 
 

2.  When in the Homerpaloozic culture, you should not pick your nose in public’

Answer:  Normative.

Explanation: Just because the claim makes a specific reference to some culture, it does not follow that the claim is itself a merely descriptive claim.  It is making a claim about how you should act, no matter what culture you are from (whether you are from Homerpalooza or not).  It is true that the claim limits (we might even say “relativizes”) the normative demand to a specific situation, it is still a normative claim.  Compare: “When in a boxing match, it is permissible to punch the other guy in the face.”
 
 
 

3.  Most people in British Columbia, Canada believe that it is morally permissible to beat people over the head with frozen salmon.

Answer:  Descriptive

Explanation: This is simply a claim about what people believe.  It is not taking a stance on whether or not it is in fact morally permissible to beat people over the head with frozen salmon.  The fact that it is false does not prevent it from being a descriptive claim – there are plenty of false descriptive claims out there (in which case, we would say that they fail to accurately describe the world).  What makes a claim descriptive is that it purports to describe empirical facts about the world.
 
 
 

4.  The death penalty is justified retribution in many cases.

Answer: Normative

Explanation:  this is making a moral claim about the justifiability of the death penalty.  It is not saying that people believe it to be justified.  It is saying that capital punishment is morally justified.
 
 
 

5.  I think people should drive more slowly.

Answer: Descriptive

Explanation:  This is simply describing my own state of mind.  It is basically saying the same thing as: “I believe that people ought to drive more slowly,” which is just like (3), except that we’ve replaced “most people in British Columbia” with “I.”  This is different than saying “People ought to drive more slowly” which would be normative.
 
 

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