Be Mains Ready

Full Length Test GS4

SECTION - A

1. (a) What are the different types of integrity? Highlight its utility in governance. (150 Words)

(b) What is ethical dilemma? Mention the different types of ethical dilemmas faced in government institutions and also suggest ways to resolve them. (150 Words)

2. (a) In the context of ethical conduct in life, which eminent personality has influenced you the most, and why? Giving specific examples, explain how his/her teachings have helped you in your own ethical development? (150 Words)

(b) Family is not just a social institution for serving our daily wants but it is also the first school of citizenship. Explain. (150 Words)

3. (a) How is the capability approach different from utilitarianism? Discuss. (150 Words)

(b) Explain the term moral intuition and differentiate between intuition and reasoning with suitable examples. (150 Words)

4. (a) Emotions give meaning to situations. Without emotions, one would react spontaneously and robotically to events, with no control over the response. In light of this statement, discuss the various aspects of Emotional Intelligence and highlight its importance for civil servants. (150 Words)

(b) What is the key difference between sympathy, empathy and compassion? Highlight the role of empathy in shaping leadership. (150 Words)

5. Critically examine Immanuel Kant’s principle of the categorical imperative. (150 Words)

6. How impartiality and non-partisanship play a vital role in ensuring a neutral approach in public service? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples. (150 Words)

7. What does each of the following quotations mean to you?
(a) “Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.” –Isaac Asimov (150 Words)
(b) “Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.” – Benjamin Franklin. (150 Words)
(c) “Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – Abraham Lincoln (150 Words)

SECTION – B

8. A woman was in a live-in relationship with her male partner. She complained to the police of sexual harassment and rape continously for the last five years on the pretext of marriage by her partner. The police on prima facie investigation found out that the allegation is false and the couple was living happily until some internal feud developed that led to these baseless allegations. The woman complained to the State Commission for Women and alleged that she did not get justice from the police and they were biased against her due to a patriarchal mindset. She demands justice from the Women Commission. You are the chairperson of the State Commission for Women.
(a) What steps will you take in such a situation?
(b) Do you think that live-in relationships are against Indian culture and traditional values? (250 Words)

9. In a village of Kanpur district, upper caste people do not allow lower caste bridegrooms to take their marriage procession through the village seated on a horse. In response to this one bridegroom approached the Supreme Court for violation of his fundamental rights. The Supreme Court (SC) directed that district administration should ensure the security of the bridegroom and take needful action against those who try to obstruct the procession. Garima is posted as the District Magistrate of Kanpur and she personally harbours strong views against the caste system. In order to fully implement the SC’s order, she arrives at the village with the police force on the day of the marriage. Upper caste people in the village have also mobilized themselves and are adamant about disrupting the marriage procession. In such a tense situation, Sarpanch of the village, who belongs to the upper caste, has suggested rerouting of the procession. He assures that doing this will avoid unnecessary violence and would lead to a peaceful marriage ceremony.

What are the possible consequences in the scenarios as given below?
(a) If she agrees to the Sarpanch’s proposal.
(b) If she conscientiously implements the Supreme Court’s order. (250 Words)

10. Rajesh is posted as a District Nodal Officer for a leading oil marketing company in a certain district. He has been authorized to make the Ujjawala scheme a success in the district. However, he finds that behavioral issues on the part of residents is a big hurdle. Most of the residents have the apprehension that food cooked on LPG is not healthy and is tasteless. They are also apprehensive about the safety of LPG. These challenges persist even after the conduct of LPG Panchayat and safety awareness camps, and residents dismiss these as misleading. Apart from this, other factors that are checking the success of the scheme include cheap availability of biomass and unaffordability to refill LPG cylinders.
In view of the above situation, identify and evaluate the options before Rajesh so that he can make Ujjawala scheme successful in the district. (250 Words)

11. A group of students visit a village, situated on the bank of a river, which is in very poor condition. People are residing in shanties without basic infrastructure, like electricity, sanitation and water supply. Further, other villages in the close vicinity have boycotted this place, due to the above limitations, so much so that it is known as bachelor village as nobody marries their daughter in this village. After watching their condition, this group of students decided to approach the district administration. Questioned about the abysmal state of affairs, authorities pointed out that the village lies in the protected area especially earmarked by the government for protection of critically endangered species. According to the rules there can be no construction activity within 500 metre of the river bank because any kind of construction activity would adversely affect the conservation zone. As a District Collector, discuss some possible strategies which could be adopted to bring development to this area. (250 Words)

12. You are the head of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that offers palliative care to cancer patients from the poor sections of the society. Since the last few months funding for your noble cause is dwindling due to which you are not able to fulfil the needs of the dependent people. One day, you are contacted by the owner of a big tobacco company who is willing to fund your NGO because he has to meet Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) targets. However, over the years working with cancer patients you have developed a deep hatred for tobacco companies. Now, the owner’s offer has put you in a moral dilemma. On the one side, you detest the thought of accepting support from a company that is doling out cancer through its products, and on the other hand, you feel that the company's aid is a godsend opportunity for your NGO to provide better care to patients.

(a) What are the various ethical issues involved here?
(b) Will it be morally right for you to accept money from the tobacco company? (250 Words)

13. Culture is the environment that surrounds us all the time. Workplace culture is the shared values, belief systems, attitudes and the set of assumptions that people in a workplace share. This is shaped by individual upbringing, social and cultural context. In a workplace, however, the leadership and the strategic organizational directions and management influence the workplace culture to a large extent. A positive workplace culture improves teamwork, raises morale, increases productivity and efficiency, and enhances retention of the workforce. Job satisfaction, collaboration, and work performance are all enhanced. And, most importantly, a positive work environment reduces stress in employees.

Suppose you are a manager in a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), how will you ensure that workers in your workplace are happy?