Mains Practice Questions

Q. Discuss the role of social influence in shaping the behavior of a person. 

Q. Explain the term conscience with a special reference to various explanations given by various moral thinkers on it.

Q. Discuss the role of emotional intelligence in handling mob protests and violence. 

Q. Discuss the role of the family in the development of the value system in an individual.

Q. Sense of unity, pride in the past and sense of mission – which Vivekananda proclaimed greatly strengthened India’s nationalist movement. Discuss. 

Q. Maruti is working as deputy secretary in Uttar Pradesh’s revenue department, dealing with grants of government land for various purposes. As land has become very scarce and very expensive, such grants have to be carefully made. The government has formulated a policy for the grant of its land for public purposes. 

The Government’s policy has been that government lands can be granted for purposes such as public educational institutions, hostels, hospitals, charitable institutions, government offices and rural infrastructure. 

Further, land could be given to private parties in a few cases for institutions that undertake programmes of education, health and skill up-gradation for weaker sections of society. 

One day a proposal for granting land to a cultural centre proposed in a prime urban location reached Maruti’s desk. The centre was not proposed by the state culture department, but by a private group. 

As Maruti was reading the file, he received a phone call from the Revenue minister’s private secretary that the person who wants to set up the centre is closely related to a prominent central leader of the ruling political establishment. 

The private secretary added that the proposal was cleared by the lower levels in the department and that Maruti should also endorse it positively. Maruti saw that the proposal could not be cleared under the government’s policy. 

The lower level staff justified the proposal since the official policy resolution contained a residual phrase that grants can be made for “other public purposes as may be decided by the government”. Maruti feared that the grant of valuable land to a private person with political connections could lead to controversy.

In this situation, what should be the correct course of action and why?

Q. "Public service is a public trust."  In light of the statement highlight some of the major principles of the Public Service.

Q. Analyse John Rawls’s concept of justice as fairness.

Q. Corporate social responsibility envisages ethical corporate governance. Discuss.

Q. Citizen initiatives to fight corruption come from an active social consciousness. Discuss.

Q. Explain with examples what do you mean by the term empathy. Also, discuss how it is an important trait for the present-day civil servants?

Q. Sandeep Patel an IAS officer, was posted as Transport Commissioner. While performing chi’s duties he found that the whole of the Transport department including its Minister are steeped in corruption.

It is widely believed that the Minister of the Department has arranged posting of ‘bad elements’ to sensitive jobs with the sole objective of facilitating rent seeking. Due to this, corrupt practices took place mainly in check-posts.

There is heavy vehicle traffic to the neighbouring state which has many ports. There is a parking area where the drivers of the trucks first park the vehicle. They then collect ‘challans’ (demand note) after standing in a long queue before the window of the challan issuing officers.

The driver may have to wait in the queue anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour to collect the challan from the clerk. Along with the challan amount, the truck drivers also paid an ‘extra’ amount as indicated in a coded sign language by the challan issuing staff.

Further, due to the manual system, vehicles are held up for considerable time at the check-posts.

In Sandeep’s place how would you try to improve the system?

Q. Discuss Kautilya’s philosophy of “Yatha Raja Tatha Praja” (As the king is, so will be the people) in the context of today’s political leadership in India. 

Q. Explain the term probity and its relevance to civil services in India.

Q. Elections have been declared in the state. According to the election code of conduct, all major decisions have been put on hold. In this situation, chief secretary, Deepankar Prakash faced a delicate problem that arose from the failure of rains in some parts of the state.

In this case, extra power has to be supplied to farmers to enable them to run irrigation pump sets. Power was also needed to tackle drinking water supply problems. The situation led to public dissatisfaction and the Chief Minister knew that it would affect the party’s election prospects.

However, the state had no generation capacity, power has to be purchased at a high cost. Further, the state electricity board had no money. Funds can be given to the board only by withdrawing a large sum from the contingency fund.

In this situation, the chief minister has asked Deepankar Prakash to do something about the matter. Imagine yourself as the chief secretary and discuss the different options available and how will you respond in this case?

Q. Citizen’s Charter seeks to continuously improve the quality of public services for the people so as to respond to their needs and wishes. In the light of the statement discuss the foundational features of a citizen’s charter and what do citizens expect out of it.

Q. Highlight the differences between codes of ethics and codes of conduct.

Q. Discuss the term Constitutional Morality and its significance?

Q. Discuss the basic principles of the communitarianism school of thought.

Q. Chulbul was a close aide of a minister in his constituency. He is known for his hooliganism. Once he got into a fracas in a mall and badly beat up a shop owner’s son. Normally, Chulbul had his way in such matters. However, the shop owner took a firm stand and registered a case against Chulbul. The police officer in charge was new and was proceeding according to law. He refused to dilute the case against him. He makes appeals to the minister for not interfering in the matter. However, the minister tells him that he will transfer the police officer. Further, it is rumored, that a close relative of the minister will be joining as his replacement.

Imagine yourself as the police officer who is to be transferred. Discuss the different options available and how will you respond in this case? 

Q. Illustrate the contribution of Plato in the evolution of the theory of virtue.

Q. Explain the term cultural relativism and associated problems with it.

Q. The government under PM Awas yojana has promised to provide affordable housing to the urban poor. However, after the inspection, it was found that there is a shortage of residential plots in the city. 

You as the District Magistrate have requested the government to release some vacant public land for the construction of houses under this scheme.  While accepting the proposal, the concerned minister suggests that 20% of houses should be allotted from his discretionary quota. In this situation, you have the following options:

1. Simply follow the orders of the minister. 

2. Tell the minister that the proposed discretionary allotments will lead to serious controversy. 

3. Delay the matter.

4. Oppose the decision tooth and nail.

Analyze these options and what advice you would have given to the minister?

Q. Globalisation has been widely debated as a matter of boon or bane for the world. In this context, discuss the ethical challenges posed by the process of globalization. 

Q. What are the main factors responsible for gender inequality in India? Discuss the contribution of Savitribai Phule in this regard. (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Migrant workers have always remained at the socio-economic margins of our society, silently serving as the instrumental labour force of urban economics. The pandemic has brought them into national focus.

On announcement of a countrywide lockdown, a very large number of migrant workers decided to move back from their places of employment to their native villages. The non-availability of transport created its own problems. Added to this was the fear of starvation and inconvenience to their families. This caused, the migrant workers to demand wages and transport facilities for returning to their villages. Their mental agony was accentuated by multiple factors such as a sudden loss of livelihood, possibility of lack of food and inability to assist in harvesting their rabi crop due to not being able to reach home in time. Reports of inadequate response of some districts in providing the essential boarding and lodging arrangements along the way multiplied their fears.

You have leant many lessons from this situation when you were tasked to oversee the functioning of the District Disaster Relief Force in your district. In your opinion what ethical issues arose in the current migrant crisis? What do you understand by an ethical care giving state? What assistance can the civil society render to mitigate 2 the sufferings of migrants in similar situations? (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Distinguish between laws and rules. Discuss the role of ethics in formulating them. (UPSC Mains GS-4 2020)

Q. What teachings of Buddha are most relevant today and why? Discuss. (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Rampura, a remote district inhabited by a tribal population, is marked by extreme backwardness and abject poverty. Agriculture is the mainstay of the local population, though it is primarily subsistence due to the very small land holdings. There is insignificant industrial or mining activity. Even the targeted welfare programs have inadequately benefited the tribal population. In this restrictive scenario, the youth has begun to migrate to other states to supplement the family income. Plight of minor girls is that their parents are persuaded by labour contractors to send them to work in the Bt Cotton farms of a nearby state. The soft fingers of the minor girls are well suited for plucking the cotton. The inadequate living and working conditions in these farms have caused serious health issues for the minor girls. NGOS in the districts of domicile and the cotton farms appear to be compromised and have not effectively espoused the twin issues of child labour and development of the area.

You are appointed as the District Collector of Rampura. Identify the ethical issues involved. Which specific steps will you initiate to ameliorate the conditions of minor girls of your district and to improve the over-all economic scenario in the district?  (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. What are the main components of emotional intelligence (EI)? Can they be learned? Discuss. (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)