APSC Mains 2020 General Studies (GS-4) Paper-IV
General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
Full Marks: 250 Time: 3 hours
Section-A
1. Law and Ethics are two tools for controlling human conduct. Explain with examples how the two differ in their approaches. (Answer in 150 words) 10
2. “Family as an institution in inculcating values seems to set deteriorated in the recent past. Do you agree? Justify your stand. (Answer in 150 words) 10
3. Discuss the importance of the values of empathy, tolerance and compassion for a bureaucrat in his/her attitude towards weaker sections of society. Do such values contradict the attitude of impartiality and non-partisanship expected from a civil servant? (Answer in 150 words) 10
4. Civil services today work in an environment beset with numerous problems and challenges. What is the role of emotional intelligence in guiding administrators to handle these situations? (Answer in 150 words) 10
5. “You must be the change you want to see in the world”, Mahatma Gandhi once said. Discuss the role of administrators as initiators of positive change in society within the regulatory framework of administration, with one’s conscience as a source of ethical guidance. (Answer in 150 words) 10
6. What do you understand by ‘probity’ in governance? Examine the ways in which probity and integrity in governance can check misuse of power and enhance legitimacy of authority. (Answer in 150 words) 10
7. Examine the extent to which corruption possesses a challenge to the development of a proper work culture and acts as a hindrance to delivery of public services. (Answer in 150 words) 10
8. Is ‘ethics’ and ‘effective leadership” cause and effect relationship? Enlist some requirements of leaders which will help them to capitalize on their ability to influence ethical conduct. (Answer in 150 words) 10
9. How are self-accountability and external accountability related to achievement of ethical standards in public administration? (Answer in 150 words) 10
10. What do you understand by the term voice of conscience? How is it different from ‘crisis of conscience? Narrate one incidence to show ‘crisis of conscience’. (Answer in 150 words) 10
11. Differentiate between personal ethics and professional ethics. Is there a scope for conflict between them in the conduct of professional duties? (Answer in 150 words) 10
12. How can an impartial and non-partisan public service help in proper administration of a democratic government? Give your own reasons to substantiate your answer. (Answer in 150 words) 10
13. Distinguish between code of ethics’ and ‘code of conduct’ with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words) (Answer in 150 words) 10
Section-B
14. Suppose there is a flute and three children are claiming it: (Answer in 250 words) 20
Child 1: 1 have worked hard to make the flute, so I should get it.
Child 2: I can play flute very well, so I should get it. Only I can make a complete use of it.
Child 3: Both the children are rich and I am poor, so I should get the flute. Other two have other means of enjoying life.
(a) Who according to you should get the flute?
(b) What are the ethical issues in this matter?
(c) What role does justice play in this situation?
15. You are head of irrigation department in a district and entrusted with the responsibilities to construct and maintain canals in the district. District is drought prone and irrigation activities are very scanty. The reputation of the department is also dented by a scam. Few employees were caught red-handed while taking bribe. (Answer in 250 words) 20
(a) What steps would you take for the welfare of the district?
(b) Give some suggestions by which reputation and prestige of the department can be restored.
16. A young dalit man has recently migrated to a city from his village in search of better employment opportunities. The man is very poor and he does not have any identity proof because of which he is not getting any place on rent and employers are also not giving him any job. He went to a nearby municipal committee office and shared his problem. Out of four officials whom he met, the first official was apathetic, the second official was sympathetic, the third official was empathetic and the fourth official was compassionate. (Answer in 250 words) 20
(a) How will you judge the attitude of these four officials?
(b) Why are empathy and compassion important aptitudes for civil servants in India?
17. Increased national wealth need not mean increase in the per capita income of all the citizens. Equitable distribution of wealth is still a distant dream in India. There are pockets of minority wealthy families to whom concentration of wealth occur. Majority of people are still without basic necessities of life.
Critically analyse the above statement in the context of contemporary Indian economy and society. (Answer in 250 words) 20
18. As a civil servant, you are incharge of a government housing construction project which aims at providing houses to weaker sections of the society. However, such construction will result in clearing forest area which is domicile of endangered species. There is no alternate space nearby. How do you respond to such a situation in the context of global warming and sustainable development? (Answer in 250 words) 20
19. “If people are good only because they fear punishment and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” (Albert Einstein)
Examine the essence, determinants and consequences of ethics in human actions in the light of the above statement. (Answer in 250 words) 20
