Comparison
Table
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Trademark IAS 2018 Qs
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UPSC Mains 2018 Qs
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“The
public servants can never work in the same manner and efficiency as the
private sector. However, if ethical behavour is not the requirement any
further, then parity would be achieved”. Opine.
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1a. State the three basic values, universal
in nature, in the context of civil services and bring out their importance
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Is sense
of discipline the very essence of government service? Discuss, in the light
of conduct rules. |
1b. Distinguish between “Code of ethics” and “Code of
conduct” with suitable examples.
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Do
you think RTI Act and Vigilance Commission have curbed corruption in India?
Which is better – rules/laws or ethical education, so as to combat the evil
of corruption? |
2b. “The Right to Information Act is not all about citizens’
empowerment alone, it essentially redefines the concept of accountability.
Discuss.
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Discuss
the challenges faced by an ethical civil servant in his/her field of work
w.r.t following issues: confidentiality, conflict of interest, lack of
training, lack of resources. |
3a. What is mean by conflict of interest? Illustrate with
examples, the difference between the actual and potential conflicts of
interest.
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Aristotle
believed that ideal behaviors were practices that lead to the end goal of
eudaimonia , which is synonymous with a high level of happiness or
well-being; on the other hand, Immanuel Kant, an 18th-century philosopher and
ethicist, believed that ideal behavior was acting in accordance with one’s
duty. Bring out the difference in the two approaches. How would you relate these two approaches with present-day situations? |
4b. With regard to the morality of actions, one view is that
means is of paramount importance and the other view is that the ends justify
the means. Which view do you think is more appropriate? Justify your answer.
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Avdoot Sharma
joined the Indian Revenue Service after qualifying the Civil Services
Examination in his first attempt. He is enthusiastic and upright. However,
when he joins his post of work, he finds that there are many businessmen who
had defaulted in filing Income tax returns. He summons some of them in his
office to know the reasons. The businessmen are all small-merchants and plead
the followng:
a. They are not aware of
the processes of filing IT return
b. They are not very
comfortable with computers and online filing
c. Some have been duped by
agents who promised to file the returns, took money from them but actually
didn’t file.
On the other
hand, Mr Sharma’s superior officer is pressing hard for collecting the tax
and take action against the defaulters as per law.
i.
Should Mr
Sharma be guided by pragmatism or morality in his actions? Why?
ii.
What are
the possible options available to him?
|
Dr X is a leading medical practitioner in a
city. He has set up a charitable trust through which he plans to establish a
super-speciality hospital in the city to cater to the medical needs of all
sections of the society. Incidentally, that part of the State had been
neglected over the years. The proposed hospital would be a boon for the
region.
You are heading the tax investigation agency of
that region. During an inspection of the doctor’s clinic, your officers have
found out some major irregularities. A few of them are substantial which had
resulted in considerable withholding of tax that should be paid by him now.
The doctor is cooperative. He undertakes to pay the tax immediately.
However, there are certain other deficiencies in
his tax compliance which are purely technical in nature. If these technical
defaults are pursued by the agency, considerable time and energy of the
doctor will be diverted to issues which are not so serious, urgent or even
helpful to the tax collection process. Further, in all probability, it will
hamper the prospects of the hospital coming up. There are two options before you: 1) Taking a broader view, ensure substantial tax compliance and ignore defaults that are merely technical in nature. 2) Pursue the matter strictly and proceed on all fronts, whether substantial or merely technical. As the head of the tax agency, which course of action will you opt and why? |
This is the 5th module in the series.
These 38 questions of our Advance Test Series [ATS] 2018
pertain to GS IV
ETHICS, VALUES and Aptitude
Time Allowed: 180
mins Max Marks: 250
Instructions
1.
There are 19 questions divided in two
Sections and printed in ENGLISH.
2.
All questions are compulsory.
3.
The number of marks carried by a
question/part are indicated against it.
4.
Any page or portion of the page left
blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.
SECTION—A 130 marks: Answer Qs A to M in about 150 words each. The
questions carry equal marks
Q1 Aristotle
believed that ideal behaviors were practices that lead to the end goal of
eudaimonia , which is synonymous with a high level of happiness or well-being;
on the other hand, Immanuel Kant, an 18th-century philosopher and ethicist,
believed that ideal behavior was acting in accordance with one’s duty.
Bring out
the difference in the two approaches. How would you relate these two approaches
with present-day situations?
Q2 “Probably
the most important feature about ethics and morals is that no one can avoid
making moral or ethical decisions because the social connection with others
necessitates that people must consider moral and ethical actions.”
Do you
agree with this statement? What is moral science? Can science have morals?
Q3 Can you
distinguish among normative ethics, meta-ethics, and descriptive ethics? What
is ethical relativism?
Q4 When
Subhash Chandra Bose gave a clarion call: “You give me blood, I shall give you
freedom”, was he ethical? In this context, can we term Tagore and Gandhi to be
ethical vis-à-vis Bose? Explain.
Q5 To a
greater or lesser degree, all feminist approaches to ethics are filtered
through the lens of gender. Critically discuss with illustrations.
Q6 Do you
believe that ethics in Asian societies has similarities to and differences from
western ethics? Provide instances.
Q7 What
are the contributions of Hinduism and Buddhism to ethical values? Can ethics
influence religion or vice-versa?
Q8 There
is disagreement to the definition of Emotional Intelligence [EI]. In this
light, discuss the concept of EI and various models to understand EI.
Q9 What
are the factors which impact the formation of attitude? To what extent attitude
is important to be a successful civil servant. Illustrate.
Q10 Socrates
advocated self-understanding and to discover the world through critical
thinking. Was he ahead of his times? He further opined that: “If your soul is good, then outside forces cannot harm
you”. Don’t you think these were self-contradictory approaches?
Q11 Is there any requirement for being selfless in the private service?
Posit a short case study to prove your point.
Q12 “The public servants can never work in the same manner and efficiency as
the private sector. However, if ethical behavour is not the requirement any
further, then parity would be achieved”. Opine.
Q13 In what way do you think that India’s foreign policy is as per ethical
standards? Don’t you think it is unwise to have an ethical foreign policy when
your neighbours do not follow that path?
Section B:Case
Studies
Q14 Avdoot Sharma joined the Indian Revenue Service after qualifying the
Civil Services Examination in his first attempt. He is enthusiastic and
upright. However, when he joins his post of work, he finds that there are many businessmen
who had defaulted in filing Income tax returns. He summons some of them in his
office to know the reasons. The businessmen are all small-merchants and plead
the followng:
a.
They
are not aware of the processes of filing IT return
b.
They
are not very comfortable with computers and online filing
c.
Some
have been duped by agents who promised to file the returns, took money from
them but actually didn’t file.
On the
other hand, Mr Sharma’s superior officer is pressing hard for collecting the
tax and take action against the defaulters as per law.
i.
Should
Mr Sharma be guided by pragmatism or morality in his actions? Why?
ii.
What
are the possible options available to him? [ 5+10=15]
Frenchistan consists of majority Christians and minority Muslims and is a secular country.
Lawmakers in Frenchistan argued that the law was important for the separation of religion from political and social life and for the emancipation of women. Some legislators argued that the burka was a harmful symbol of gender inequality that forced women to assume a subservient status to men in public. According to them, the law freed women from a discriminatory, patriarchal subculture.
However, some in the French Muslim community saw the bill as an infringement of religious freedom and an act of cultural imperialism. They argued that French legislators were imposing their idea of gender equality onto their culture. Many of them, including some women, argued that wearing burkas actually emancipated women from the physical objectification so common in Western culture. A number of women protested the bill by dressing in burkas and going to the offices of lawmakers who supported the legislation.
The law was challenged and taken to the International Court of Human Rights. The court however upheld the legality of the law.
Now, Indostan is a secular country with Muslims being around 14 per cent of the total population. Wearing burkas is also common among Muslim women in Indostan.
The Prime Minsiter of Indostan is contemplating to bring about a similar law in India. Should you suggest the Prime Minister to consider a decision in line with Frenchistan? Posit arguments to support your position. What is the ethical dimension in your decision-making as a Cabinet Secretary in this context? [10+10=20]
Q16 As a young manager posted in a defence
production factory under the GoI, Aman knew he had to abide by the statutory
provisions as well as obey the orders of his top seniors. And sometimes, this
could turn out to be a bizarre dilemma. It so happened that Aman’s top boss,
the General Manager [GM] – who was highly egotistic – asked him to do something
he never wished to. The dominant Trade Union in the installation was not
militant, yet very close to the General Manager, or may be the GM never desired
to antagonize it. And the major Trade Union of the factory wanted to allow
overtime for the workers for more than 7 days at a stretch – which was against
statutory provisions. Furthermore, of late the factory inspector, which was an
arm of the state government, had been highly critical of the factory management
for systematically flouting norms and rules with regard to allowing overtime. A
harshly worded letter from the inspectorate was with Aman.
Aman was fresh, enthusiastic and hard working. He knew the possible consequence of outrightly defying the dictates of the GM – transfer to a remote location. The Union was unrelenting in its demands, citing historical precedence of allowing overtime for 10 days at a stretch.
Aman was fresh, enthusiastic and hard working. He knew the possible consequence of outrightly defying the dictates of the GM – transfer to a remote location. The Union was unrelenting in its demands, citing historical precedence of allowing overtime for 10 days at a stretch.
Aman had to ask his subordinates to initiate the
file for implementing the overtime and he would be the first executive to put
his endorsement on it. Thereafter, the file would move to the GM for
authorization. However, the final order would bear Aman’s signature. His
immediate senior Mr Ram cautioned him of the consequences – “If the inspector
catches hold of the GM for disobeying rules, he will simply pass the buck on
you, saying he had no time to read every file noting and just signed trusting
his subordinates. I will also say that I am a non-Administrative officer and
signed on faith. Then the whole responsibility will be on you.”
Aman really did not know what to do.
QA. Suggest solutions for Aman. 10
QB. What do you think was the GM upto? 5
QC. Why was implementing overtime so important for the Union? 5
QB. What do you think was the GM upto? 5
QC. Why was implementing overtime so important for the Union? 5
Q17 Ms. Z was a young IAS officer posted in a State
Government. She was only six years in her service when she was posted as the
Managing Director of the State Tourism Corporation.
The STC was not new to her. Less than five years
ago, she had studied the corporation very thoroughly for an assignment as part
of IAS induction training. She kept herself abreast of the corporation because
of her academic interest in tourism.
There were five General Managers in the corporation
who reported directly to the Managing Director. She already knew about all the
five of them. They were Mr. A, B, C, Ms. D & Mr. E.
Like most young IAS officer, Ms. Z was very
energetic and upright. She was all for promoting probity in public life, and
acting against corrupt officers. Ms. Z had prior knowledge that Mr. A and Mr.
B, even though very bright officers, were not very upright and simple. It was
an open secret that both maintained very cozy and symbiotic relationship with
the major private tourist operators, and had good rapport with ruling political
party. In order to promote honesty, she always thought that the honest officers
like Mr. C, Ms. D and Mr. E should be given important and sensitive assignments.
Immediately after joining as the Managing Director
of the STC, the first thing in the mind of Ms. Z was to re-allocate works among
the General Managers so that Mr. A and Mr. B were given only less lucrative
assignments. Ms. Z verbally sounded to Mr. C. Ms. D and Mr. E about the
important assignments that were in the offing for them. While Mr. C and Mr. E
gleefully agreed to take on the sensitive assignments, Ms. D raised the point
that she had some domestic compulsions as she had to take care of her young sons
and old parents-in-law because her husband was posted in a faraway district in
the state. Ms. Z had know that Ms. D was a very capable and smart officer.
During the IAS training assignment, Ms. D was very helpful to Ms. Z. Mr. Z
started wondering if Ms. D was now refusing the sensitive assignments just
because Ms. D viewed Mr. Z as “another woman” like her (Ms. D).
Anyway, Ms. Z issued an order allocating sensitive
and important works to Mr. C, Ms. D and Mr. E, and less important works to Mr.
A and Mr. B. Within a week of the
re-allocation of work, Ms. D went on a prolonged childcare leave. Ms. Z
distributed the work of Ms. D between Mr. C and Mr. E.
However, Mr. C and Mr. E proved unequal to their
assignments. There were undue delays in preparation of project reports, and
monitoring of important infrastructure developments. Also, reports prepared by
them contained many inaccuracies and mistakes. Ms. Z received strictures from
her boss for a mistake in the proposal sent to the Government for approval.
Ms. Z coached Mr. C and Mr. E. However, she did not
find them any enthusiastic. Consequently, Ms. Z had to work till late hours and
harder, and perform and supervise many works that should have been done by the
General Managers (Mr. C and Mr. E). Despite her best efforts and coaching, the
performance of Mr. C and Mr. did not improve.
Moreover, unlike Mr. A and Mr. B, Mr. C and Mr. E
did not have good contacts in the state and central bureaucracies.
Consequently, getting even routine approvals from state and central
bureaucracies appeared daunting task.
Hard work started taking its toll on the health of
Ms. Z. She started wondering if she was right in sidelining Mr. A and Mr. B.
QA. Do you think the young IAS officer was correct
in her approach? 10
QB. What should she do now? 10
QC. An honest staff proves unequal to the job, or is it vice-versa? 5
QB. What should she do now? 10
QC. An honest staff proves unequal to the job, or is it vice-versa? 5
Q18 Fire Brigade is a department under the state
government, and fire-fighters are government officials. Director, Fire Services
is the head of the department.
Once, a dreadful fire broke out in a busy and
important market-place. Fire brigade officials rushed to the site. They moved
heaven and earth to douse the conflagration. One fireman, Mr. F, was severely
burnt in his efforts, and was hospitalized in a critical condition.
In accordance with the rules, Mr. F, a government
official was to be treated only in a government hospital. There were severe
restrictions on treatment of government servants in private hospitals (even
private hospitals in which government was a shareholder) at government cost.
Therefore, the grateful shop-owners pooled in some money for timely and better
treatment of Mr. F in a renowned private hospital. The best and the most
expensive health treatment were extended to him.
Some jealous colleagues of Mr. F made a written
complaint to the authorities and Mr. F had received undue gratification from
the shop owners under the pretext of medical treatment for injuries sustained
in the discharge of official duty. The authorities instituted a preliminary
investigation to ascertain the truth.
When questioned by the investigators, the shop
owners frankly and gleefully admitted to having extended generous help to the
brave fireman for the medical treatment, which ran into a few lakh rupees. All
the payments were made by account payee cheques. Based on the admission of the
shop owners, the investigators concluded that Mr. F had indeed received undue
gratification from the shop owners, and had violated the conduct rules.
Director Fire Services sought the advice of the
State Vigilance Commission. It was pointed out that under the Central Civil
Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules [(CCS (CCA)] adopted by the
state government for its employees, Proviso to Rule 11 envisages only major
penalty for accepting gratification, and if the charges are proved, then the
only punishment that can be imposed are removal or dismissal of services. The
commission was in no mood of recommending penal proceeding against Mr. F.
However, they realized that when the department itself had sent the case, it
might send a wrong signal if the commission recommended exoneration. So, the
commission agreed to the view of Director Fire Services, and recommended major
penalty proceeding against Mr. F.
After the charges of memorandum was issued under CCS
(CCA), Mar. F formally denied the charges. A formal inquiry was instituted, Mr.
Q was appointed as the Inquiry Officer.
Mr. Q was a very kind hearted and religious person. He realized that Mr.
F did not indulge in anything immoral. So, he took personal and informal
initiative to advise the shop-owners to deny that they had made any payment to
the medical bills. Accordingly, the shop-owners denied during the course of
inquiry that they had paid for the medical bills for Mr. F’s treatment.
However, while writing the inquiry report, Mr. Q
realized that the medical bills were paid by the shop-owners by cheques, and
that he could not refute this claim. So, in his finding, Mr. Q concluded that
the charges were “fully proved”. However, Mr. Q recommended that no penalty may
be imposed on Mr. F, and that Mr. F may be given suitable award for his
devotion to duty and exemplary performance of duty. Ultimately, the case was closed by
awarding Censure to Mr. F, without any “Reward.”
Q A. Was the state vigilance commission right in
recommending major penalty proceeding against Mr. F? 5
Q B. Was the right punishment given to Mr. F? 5
Q C. What should Mr. F have done on medical treatment? 5
QD Bring out the ethical dimension in this case. 5
Q B. Was the right punishment given to Mr. F? 5
Q C. What should Mr. F have done on medical treatment? 5
QD Bring out the ethical dimension in this case. 5
Q19 Your close friend Shivani is feminist in
approach and an outspoken lady. Few days back, she had a quarrel with her
husband in front of you on a family matter. Later, she told you that she is
planning to put her husband behind the bar by filing cases against him. She is
rather adamant. She is otherwise an honest lady and had helped file harassment
cases against your boss when your boss had troubled you in the workplace. Now,
she asks you to be a witness in her case. Her husband Meghraj also shares a
decent relationship with you as a friend. In these circumstances, what you wish
to do? What should be your ethical path of resolution? Do you think being a
feminist or for that matter adhering strictly to any ideology is ethical? [10+10=20]
ETHICS, VALUES and Aptitude Time Allowed: 180
mins Max Marks: 250
Instructions
1.
There are 19 questions divided in two
Sections and printed in ENGLISH.
2.
All questions are compulsory.
3.
The number of marks carried by a
question/part are indicated against it.
4.
Any page or portion of the page left
blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.
SECTION—A 130 marks: Answer Qs 1 to 13 in about 150 words each. The
questions carry equal marks
Q1 Attitude is the readiness of the psyche to act or
react in a certain way.
Explain.
Q2 “And certainly we should take care not to make
the intellect our God: it has, of course, powerful muscles but no personality.
It cannot lead” Do you agree with this statement? Post a contrast
between IQ and EQ.
Q3 Is sense of
discipline the very essence of government service? Discuss, in the light of conduct rules.
Q4 Take
out a few pages of your own life where you think you acted immorally and yet
followed norms and rules and/or societal obligations. If you have no such
experience, then critically examine why you lack it.
Q5 Application
of the 5Cs (capital, capability, connections, communication and commitment) can
provide holistic view to management. How?
Q6 What is
the concept of Nishkam Karma according to the Gita? Has it any relevance
in today’s materialistic society?
Q7 Do you
think RTI Act and Vigilance Commission have curbed corruption in India? Which
is better – rules/laws or ethical education, so as to combat the evil of
corruption?
Q8 “Legitimacy what is viewed and accepted as being
right is a source of power. If other states believe that what you are doing is
right, then the likelihood of achieving your goals is increased. Acting against
international law carries burdens, both at home and abroad”. Critically examine.
Q9 Discuss
the challenges faced by an ethical civil servant in his/her field of work w.r.t
following issues: confidentiality, conflict of interest, lack of training, lack
of resources.
Q10 Was it
ethical/moral on the part of our freedom fighters to go to the gallows without
asking for clemency? Similarly, how would you describe Gandhi’s stand of not
supporting the freedom fighters who were hanged by the British on charges of
sedition and/or violence?
Q11 Should you
allow a robot to make a moral decision for you, that is, decide on your behalf?
Should a public official solicit charitable contributions from businesses under
his/her supervision?
Q12 Aren’t zoos unethical? What are your solutions to this effect? In an organization, is there good reason
to think that diversity of gender and race will result in tolerance and fairness
for diversity of thought?
Q13 Green consumer products, such as organic food, fair
trade coffee, or electric cars, represent a fast growing segment of the
consumer market. Consumers of these products tend to be seen in a more positive
light—they are deemed more ethical. Post your opinion in this regard.
Section B: Case
Studies
Q14 Mr Pawan is a bright young IFS officer. His first posting is in the
country of South Kudan. There he finds a village close to the Indian embassy
which faces raids by a certain militia on frequent occasions. Women are
violated, children are kidnapped and resources looted. The village is running
the risk of epidemic and food crisis. The government forces are somehow unable
to bring the culprits to book. Indian peace-keeoing forces are present in South
Kudan – but deep inside the territory under the banner of United Nations. Mr
Pawan wants to seek help of the Indian peacekeeping forces to bring order in
this nearby village. The Indian ambassador is of the contrary viewpoint – he
rather snubs Pawan for his emotional perspective.
What are the options available to Mr Pawan? Is Pawan emotional? Is
invoking Indian Forces ethical in this case? What should Pawan do? [20]
Mr Rajesh, a Joint Secretary. You had heard that his behavior towards female colleagues in his previous offices was not normal. You find him an otherwise okay individual apart from the thing that he somehow prefers more female colleagues around him in the office. Ms Nivedita is a fresh entrant in the post of section officer and is directly reporting to you. However, you find that Mr Rajesh tries to reprimand Ms Nivedita almost everyday based on some issue or the other. Mr Rajesh jumps the channel of reporting and directly calls Ms Nivedita in his office and asks her to work on his computer, giving her petty jobs not related to her work allocation as charted by you. One day, he even remarked that Ms Nivedita was looking pretty in a certain saree. This matter was reported to you by Ms Nivedita and she requested you if she could be aided by you in not being called by Mr Rajesh in his office.
Do you find yourself in a dilemma? What should you do to resolve the situation?
Mr Rajesh is generally fine to his juniors but a very egotistical person. Your friend told you that if you come across in his path/intention, he may even post you out to a remote place and/or inconsequential post. You have an ailing mother to look after and there is nobody else at your residence.
Should you be moral/value-laden or pragmatic? Is there any middle-path? [20]
Q16. In a meeting last month with the Director General of the Police [DGP], Superintendent of Police [SP] of Nantewada district Mr Wajid took credit for an idea of his Additional SP in tackling the crime rate in the district. This has happened to Ms Rajni, the Addl SP once before too. The SP is targeting the coveted President’s medal in the coming year. He had even told Rajni that if he gets her support then he would help her later get a posting in the headquarters.
How should she handle the issue? Are there any ethical issues posed here? Discuss.
Q17. Anindita
was an ambitious computer engineer from a reputed college, and worked in a
renowned MNC in India. She recently married Abhijit, who also worked in an
equally renowned MNC. Like many computer engineers, Anindita wanted to become
rich and wealthy in no time. She took more and more assignments, and even
worked at odd hours. In her dream to succeed, she did not even go on honeymoon.
After marriage, she unwittingly treated her husband as her competitor, and
worked even more to prove that she was more successful than him.
Anindita was ruthless in workplace. She did not
think twice before using her sex appeal for career progression. She was not
averse to fuzzing figures and data to show progress. She only looked ahead, and
never back. She did not bother to waste her time in befriending her erstwhile
colleagues who had fallen behind.
Within a year she accumulated enough savings to buy
a one-room flat on the outskirts of the city. But, her dream was to buy a
bungalow in the downtown.
However, the tedious works soon started taking its
effect. Her indifferent husband and household chores also affected her. Once,
while climbing the stairs in the office, she fell down. She went into coma. She
remained admitted in the hospital for over two months. All her savings got
wasted in the form of hospital bills. Her body became paralyzed.
Was Abhijit in any way responsible for Anindita’s
fate? Is being ambitious unethical? Did Anindita disregard ethics and values? Is
Indian society becoming westernized? [20]
Arohita ultimately dropped the charges against the lady SI citing lack of proper evidences and placing on record that there could be an issue of sexual harassment at workplace related to the matter.
Was Arohita correct in her approach? What are your suggestions? Didn’t she place morality over administration? She could have based her report only on facts and not bring in an issue which had no direct bearing on the case. [20]
Q19. As a Sub-Divisional Officer, Raman faces a dilemma. At
the market place within his jurisdiction, there is a mosque – a rather
dilapidated one. Hardly, prayers are offered there. Nevertheless, there is a substantial
Muslim population in the area – close to 20 %.
The mosque is located in the middle of the road and in order to tackle
the traffic congestion, it seems imperative to Raman to demolish the mosque.
Moreover, investigation reveals that the mosque was constructed illegally.
In this situation, what should Raman do?
Examine the different options available to him. [20] 
