Mains Practice Questions

The Government has planned the strategic disinvestment of State Road Transportation Corporation in a phased manner by allowing some private companies to ferry buses on marked routes. The outraged workers have called for a strike against the move. You are the head of the workers union of the transport corporation. In a meeting with State officials, they have informed you about the circumstances of inefficiency, corruption and deteriorating quality of service to commuters. You have also presented the worker’s viewpoint and their complaints of low payscale and non-payment of salaries from the past few months. A deadlock has occurred between the two parties where no-side is willing to lose. To break the deadlock, the officials offer you a bribe and other perks to comply with the decision of privatisation in a phased manner. State transport services are in a state of peril and there is a huge outcry among the common masses.

1. Identify the moral dilemma faced by you.
2. Analyse your role and duties, also suggest your course of action.

Q. Gandhiji's vision and philosophy encompasses human rights and sustainable development. Discuss. (150 words)

Q.What do you understand by man animal conflict? Examine the conflict in light of environmental ethics and sustainability. (150 words)

Q. You are a senior officer at an intelligence agency working for the internal security of the nation. You find out that a junior officer has been a victim of honey trapping through social media. In all of this, his phone was hacked and confidential files were leaked. 

The entire department has come together and wants you to take strict action against that officer for his behavior. That junior officer is highly skilled and a valuable asset for the organisation. He is also very close to you as you have mentored him throughout and he also respects you a lot. Moreover, any action against him might attract media attention and bring a bad repute to the organisation at large.

(A) What are the ethical issues involved and the options available to you in such a situation? 

(B) Also, suggest a course of action you would like to follow.

Q. “Not only must Justice be done; it must also be seen to be done.” Examine. (150 words)

Q. Explain Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative and compare it with the Utilitarian principle of ethics given by Jeremy Bentham? (150 words)

Q. Pawan is pursuing MBA and shares a room with you in the private hostel. He desperately needs a job after completing his course because of educational loan and weak economic background. In his last two semesters, he couldn’t secure good grades due to serious illness. In current semester he has to secure good marks at any cost to satisfy minimum criteria for placements.

Few days before the final semester exam, he comes to you and asks for money. He is stressed and nervous. He tells you about his plan to purchase semester papers to clear the exam and convinces you for the same by giving reference to his bad health, family status and his education loan.

In such circumstances, would it be right to lend money to him?

(a) Identify the moral dilemma faced by you.

(b) Analyse your role and duties as a friend, also suggest your course of action.

Q. What do you understand by Moral Emotions and what is their role? How are they different from basic emotions? (250 words)

Q. “I do not want my house to be walled in all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any. I refuse to live in other people’s houses as an interloper, a beggar or a slave.” Examine. (150 words)

Q. You are the Managing Director of Metro Rail Corporation (MRC) of a metropolitan city and you have received orders and funding for construction of the metro track and a parking space in a densely forested area of the city with houses of few underprivileged families as well in it.
For the construction, the forest has to be cleared and the families have to be moved to some other place. The locals have started a protest after knowing about the order. They are highly raged about cutting down thousands of trees and the affected families have also joined them because the forest holds emotional value for them.
On the other hand, the minister who directly controls the MRC is pressuring you to start the felling process as soon as possible. You know that going against his orders will have serious repercussions.

(a) What are the ethical issues involved and the options available to you in such a situation?

(b) Also, suggest a course of action you would like to follow. (250 words)

Q. “The individual is the one supreme consideration, but also, the good of the individual is contained in the good of all.” Comment. (150 words)

Q. What are Mahatma Gandhi’s Eleven Vows and what is their significance in today’s society? (150 words)

You are posted as an additional superintendent of police in the District. The incidents of lynching over the rumours of child lifting have increased in the state in past few months. 

Recently, one such incident took place at the Government hospital, where two brothers who had taken their nephew to a doctor for treatment were misjudged and attacked by the mob over suspicion of child lifting.

The police rushed to the spot after receiving the information and rescued the brothers. However, one of them was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The deceased person was as a young leader and potential candidate for the upcoming Panchayat elections.

The locals from the nearby village along with the relatives of the deceased person are protesting and accusing police of negligence. They are claiming the incident as a planned political murder and demanding for arrest of the rival candidate who has strong political backing.

(a) Identify the stakeholders and various dimensions of the crisis involved in the issue. 

(b) What would be the course of action taken by you to manage the situation as an additional superintendent of police? Suggest the measures to deal with the incident lynching. (200 words)

Q. There is a need for global standards of ethics, but their application will have to be adapted to local conditions. Comment. (150 words)

Q. Briefly explain the following terms with the help of an example:

(a) Ethical Fading

(b) Fiduciary Duty

(c) Bounded Ethicality

Q. You are the director of a department that has recently been engulfed in the #MeToo campaign when two of the deputy directors working under you have been publicly named as sexual predators by two women in the department. As directed by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, you are to initiate a committee of inquiry and submit the report within 90 days.
Before initiating the committee you are faced with two narratives, first, that this is not the first time both women have come forward with similar accusations; second, that you have known both the deputy directors and their families for quite some time now, and you have noticed nothing in their behaviour that says they could have been the sexual predators as alleged.
Now, while the women want you to begin the inquiry process at the earliest, the deputy directors deny all charges and say that they want to pursue defamation cases against their main accusers. In all this, public pressure is against you, with the media discussing the case on a regular basis.

(a) As a director of a department what will be your course of action for starting an official investigation? State the merits and demerits of whatever course of action you decide to follow.

(b) Do you also agree that the sexual nature of a crime makes the crime ethically different and difficult (to handle) from other crimes? Give valid reasons to support your views. (250 words)

Q. Do you see a shift in India’s international ethics in light of its non-alignment policy? Give reasons in support of your answer. (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by medical ethics? Examine its relevance in the context of deteriorating patient-physician relationship in India. (150 words)

You are the Superintendent of Police (SP) in the district where instances of honour killing are rampant. One day you receive a phone call from a girl informing you of the potential threat to her and her partners’ life from her family as she has decided to marry a boy belonging to a lower caste. Moreover, the local police station is not filing the FIR or granting them protection. You ask her to visit your office but she demands police protection to come out from the hideout as her father’s goons are chasing her.

On further inquiry, you come to know that the girl is the daughter of one of the most powerful Minister of the State and both girl and boy are legally eligible to get married. The family is concerned about the family prestige due to the lower caste of the boy and also of the financial stability of marriage as they both are unemployed. You are under extreme political pressure to charge the boy of kidnapping the girl or else face the consequences.

In such circumstances, point out the ethical dilemma faced by you and options available to you. Also, chalk out the course of action you would prefer to follow. (250 words)

Q. Examine the reasons and situations that lead to a conflict of interest for a public servant and ways to resolve them. (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by ethical governance and examine how is it different from good governance? (150 words)

Q. You are District Magistrate of a flood-prone district. The flood control department has allocated forty crore rupees for building embankments in the low lying area of the river bed. There have been various complaints from locals over the delay in project completion, violations of rules and misuse of funds by the nexus of politicians and contractors.

During monsoon, the embankment construction couldn’t withstand a single season of flooding. This has led to the submergence of many villages in floodwater and thousands of people are trapped in the villages. The villages are completely cut off and there is a scarcity of food and drinking water. Due to water stagnation, there is also a risk of epidemic spread in the region.

There is huge discontent and protest over the allegation of corruption against the local politician. As he is a popular face of ruling political party in the state, there is severe pressure from political heads to cover the corruption issue. Defying the orders of political bosses will bring wrath towards you and may also lead to transfer.

1. As a District Magistrate what will be your course of action to manage the situation in the district. (200 words)
2. Identify the various dimensions of the crisis involved in the issue. Based on your understanding, suggest measures to deal with the crisis. (200 Words)

Q. The needs of development must be balanced with that of climate justice. In this context, explain the relevance of climate justice in the present times. (250 words)

Q. Discuss the similarities and differences between the code of ethics and code of conduct. (250 words)

Q. You are a Municipal Corporation Commissioner of your city which is under heavy rainfall over the last few days. The boundary wall of one of the housing society collapses. The incident took place at midnight, leading to the death of 12 workers, including two children, sleeping in the shade beside the wall. 

On the preliminary inquiry, it has been found that inspite of inappropriate soil conditions, the permission to construct wall was given by previous Municipal Commissioner, who happens to be your close friend. Also, irregularities in construction material have been found and the other officials in the department are trying to influence or manipulate you. The whole scenario seems like a nexus between the officials of the municipal department and builder. However, the builder is a close relative of one of the most powerful leaders of the party in power and is trying to threaten you. 

(A) What are the ethical issues involved and the options available to you in such a situation? 

(B) Also, suggest a course of action you would like to follow.

Q. Explain with examples, how emotional intelligence can be used by the civil servants for better governance. (250 words)

Q. Some people feel that values keep changing with time and situation, while others strongly believe that there are certain universal and eternal human values. Discuss with examples. (250 words)

Q. You are a traffic constable and while on duty you see 3 people riding a motorcycle without a helmet and jumping the red signal. On stopping them, you came to know that one of them met with an accident due to potholes and is severely bleeding and due to non-arrival of ambulance they are taking him to the hospital. On further enquiry, you came to know that the driver does not have a driving license and works as day wager. While on his way to work, he found the man lying injured on the road and in a rush to take him to hospital, he left his helmet on the site of an accident. The driver expresses his financial inability to pay increased fines. Recently, due to the enforcement of new Motor Vehicles Act, you are under severe pressure from your seniors for strict enforcement.    

1. What are the ethical issues involved and the options available to you in such a situation. 

2. Also suggest a course of action you would like to follow. (250 words)

Q. “Businesses cannot be successful when the society around them fails.” Analyse the need for Corporate Social Responsibility in light of the above statement. (250 words)

Q. Examine the following quote:

“ I'd rather have a free press without a government than a government without a free press.” (250 words)