UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM 2017: General Studies Ethics Paper 4
Q1. Conflict
of interest arises in the public sector arises when (150 Words)
a)
Official duties,
\ b)
Public interest, and
c)
Personal interest
d)
are taking priority one above the other.
How can this conflict in administration be resolved?
Describe with an example.
Q2.
Examine the relevance of the following in the context of civil services (150
Words)
a) Transparency
b) Accountability
c) Fairness and justice
d) Courage of conviction
e) Spirit of Service
Q3. Young
people with ethical conduct are not willing to come forward to join active
politics. Suggest steps to motivate them to come forward. (150 Words)
Q4. a. One of
the tests of integrity is complete refusal to be compromised. Explain with reference
to a real life example (150 Words)
b. Corporate social
responsibility makes companies more profitable and sustainable. Analyse. (150
Words)
Q5. a. “Great
Ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform
very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principle which direct them” –
Napolean Bonaparte.
Stating examples mention the rulers (i) who have harmed
society and country, (ii) who worked for the development of society and country
(150 Words)
b. “If a country is to be
corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there
are three key members who can make a difference. They are the father, mother,
and the teacher.” – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Analyse (150 Words)
Q6. a. How
will you apply emotional intelligence in administrative practices?
b. Strength, peace,
security are considered to be the pillars of international relations.
Elucidate.
Q7. a. The
crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrow perception of
the good life. Discuss. (150 Words)
b.
Increased
national wealth did not result in equitable distribution of its benefits. It
has created only some “enclaves of modernity and prosperity for a small minority
at the cost of the majority.” Justify. (150 Words)
Q8. a. Discipline
generally implies following the order and subordination. However, it may be
counter-productive for the organisation. Discuss. (150 Words)
b. Without commonly shared and
widely entrenched moral values and obligations, neither the law, nor democratic
government, nor even the market economy will function properly.
What do you understand by this statement? Explain with
illustration in the contemporary times.
(150 Words)
Q9. You are
an honest and responsible civil servant. You often observe the following:
a) There is a general perception adhering to ethical
conduct one may face difficulties to oneself and cause problems for the family,
whereas unfair practices may help to reach the career goals.
b)
When the number of people adopting unfair means
is large, a small minority having a penchant towards ethical means makes no
difference.
c)
Sticking to ethical means is detrimental to the
larger developmental goals.
d)
While one may not involve oneself in large unethical
practices, but giving and accepting small gifts makes the system more
efficient.
Examine the above statements with their merits and demerits.
(250 Words)
Q10. You are
aspiring to become an IAS Officer and you have cleared various stages and now
you have been selected for the personal interview. On the day of the interview,
on the way to the venue you saw an accident where a mother and child who happen
to be your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediate help.
What would you have done in such a situation? Justify your
action. (250 Words)
Q11. You are
the head of the Human Resources Development of an organisation. One day one of
the workers died on duty. His family was demanding compensation. However, the
company denied compensation because it was revealed in investigation that he
was drunk at the time of the accident. The workers of the company went on to
strike demanding compensation for the family of the deceased. The Chairman of
the management board has asked for your recommendation.
What recommendation would you provide to the management?
Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the
recommendation. (250 Words)
Q12. You are
the manager of a spare parts company A and you have to negotiate a deal with
the manager of a large manufacturing company B. The deal is highly competitive
and sealing the deal is critical for your company. The deal is being worked out
over a dinner. After dinner the manager of manufacturing company B offered to
drop you to the hotel in his car. On the way to the hotel he happens to hit a
motorcycle injuring the morocyclist badly. You know the manager was driving
fast and thus lost control. The law enforcement officer comes to investigate
the issue and you are the sole eyewitness to it. Knowing the strict laws
pertaining to road accidents you are aware that your honest account of the
incident would lead to the prosecution of the manager and as a consequence the
deal is likely to be jeopardized, which is of immense importance to your company.
What are the dilemmas you fact? What will be your response
to the situation? (250 Words)
Q13. A
building permitted for three floors, while being extended illegally to 6 floors
by a builder, collapses. As a consequence, a number of innocent labourers
including women and children died. These labourers are migrants of different
places. The government immediately announced cash relief to the aggrieved
families and arrested the builder.
Give reasons for such incidents taking place across the
country. Suggest measures to prevent their occurrence. (250 Words)
Q14. You are
a Public Information Officer (PIO) in a government department. You are aware
that the RTI Act, 2005 envisages transparency and accountability in administration.
The act has functioned as a check on the supposedly arbitrarily administrative
behaviour and actions. However, as a PIO you have observed that there are
citizens who filed RTI applications not for themselves but on behalf of such
stakeholders who purportedly want to have access to information to further their
own interests. At the same time there are those RTI activists who routinely file
RTI Applications and attempt to extort money from the decision makers. This
type of RTI activism has affected the functioning of the administration
adversely and also possibly jeopardizes the genuineness of the application
which are essentially aimed at getting justice.
What measures would you suggest to separate genuine and non-genuine
applications? Give merits and demerits of your suggestions. (250 Words)
