UPSC Mains 2015 GS-4 Question Paper

All 18 questions from this paper, with real topper answers where available.

• Q1. At the international level, the bilateral relations between most nations are governed on the policy of promoting one’s own national interest without any regard for the interest of other nations. This leads to conflicts and tensions between the nations. How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions?10 marks · Global Good
• Q2. What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics.10 marks · Environmental Ethics
• Q2. Today we find that in spite of various measures like prescribing codes of conduct, setting up vigilance cells/commissions, RTI, active media and strengthening of legal mechanisms, corrupt practices are not coming under control. (a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures with justifications. (b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace.10 marks · Efficacy of Anti-Corruption Mechanism
• Q2. You are recently posted as district development officer of a district. Shortly thereafter you found that there is considerable tension in the rural areas of your district on the issue of sending girls to schools. The elders of the village feel that many problems have come up because girls are being educated and they are stepping out of the safe environment of the household. They are of the view that the girls should be quickly married off with minimum education. The girls are also competing for jobs after education, which have traditionally remained in boys’ exclusive domain, adding to unemployment amongst the male population. The younger generation feels that in the present era, girls should have equal opportunities for education and employment, and other means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided between the elders and the younger lot and further sub-divided between sexes in both generations. You come to know that in Panchayat or in other local bodies or even in busy crossroads, the issue is being acrimoniously debated. One day you are informed that an unpleasant incident has taken place. Some girls were molested, when they were en route to schools. The incident led to clashes between several groups and a law and order problem has arisen. The elders after heated discussion have taken a joint decision not to allow girls to go to school and to socially boycott all such families, which do not follow their dictate. 1) What steps would you take to ensure girls’ safety without disrupting their education? 2) How would you manage and mould patriarchic attitude of the village elders to ensure harmony in the inter-generational relations?25 marks
• Q3. How do the virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude get manifested in public service? Explain with examples. Public servants are likely to confront with the issues of ‘Conflict of Interest’. What do you understand by the term ‘Conflict of Interest’ and how does it manifest in the decision making by public servants? If faced with the conflict of interest situation, how would you resolve it? Explain with the help of examples.10 marks · Fortitude & Trustworthiness
• Q3. Some recent developments such as introduction of RTI Act, media and judicial activism, etc., are proving helpful in bringing about greater transparency and accountability in the functioning of the government. However, it is also being observed that at times the mechanisms are misused. Another negative effect is that the officers are now afraid to take prompt decisions. Analyze this situation in detail and suggest how this dichotomy can be resolved. Suggest how these negative impacts can be minimized.10 marks · RTI Misuse & Administrative Inertia
• Q3. You are the Sarpanch of a Panchayat. There is a primary school run by the government in your area. Midday meals are provided to the children attending the school. The Headmaster has now appointed a new cook in the school to prepare the meals. However, when it is found that the cook is from the Dalit community, almost half of the children belonging to higher castes are not allowed to take meals by their parents. Consequently, the attendance in the school falls sharply. This could result in the possibility of discontinuation of the midday meal scheme, thereafter of the teaching staff and subsequent closing down of the school. 1) Discuss some feasible strategies to overcome the conflict and to create right ambience. 2) What should be the responsibilities of different social segments and agencies to create positive social ambience for accepting such changes?20 marks · Midday Meal Boycott
• Q4. What do you understand by the term ‘Conflict of Interest’ and how does it manifest in the decision making by public servants? If faced with the conflict of interest situation, how would you resolve it? Explain with the help of examples.10 marks
• Q4. A private company is known for its efficiency, transparency and employee welfare. The company, though owned by a private individual, has a cooperative character where employees feel a sense of ownership. The company employs nearly 700 personnel and they have voluntarily decided not to form a union. One day, suddenly in the morning, about 40 men belonging to a political party gatecrashed into the factory demanding jobs in the factory. They threatened the management and employees, and also used foul language. The employees feel demoralized. It was clear that those people who gate-crashed wanted to be on the payroll of the company as well as continue as the volunteers/members of the party. The company maintains high standards of integrity and does not extend favours to the civil administration, which also includes the law enforcement agency. Such incidents occur in the public sector also. Assume you are the CEO of the company. What would you do to diffuse the volatile situation on the date of gate-crashing with the violent mob sitting inside the company premises? What could be the long-term solution to the issue discussed in the case? Every solution/action that you suggest will have a positive and a negative impact on you (as CEO), the employees and the performance of the employees. Analyze the consequences of each of your suggested actions.20 marks · Political Mob Encroachment
• Q5. Explain the following terms in the context of ethics: a) Law and Ethics b) Ethical management and Management of ethics; c) Discrimination and Preferential treatment; d) Personal ethics and Professional ethics.10 marks · Administrative Keyterms Delineation
• Q5. One of the scientists working in the R&D laboratory of a major pharmaceutical company discovers that one of the company’s best-selling veterinary drugs, B, has the potential to cure a currently incurable liver disease that is prevalent in tribal areas. However, developing a variant of the drug suitable for human beings entailed a lot of research and development having a huge expenditure to the extent of 50 crore rupees. It was unlikely that the company would recover the costs as the disease was rampant only in a poverty-stricken area having very little market otherwise. If you were the CEO, then— (a) Identify the various actions that you could take; (b) Evaluate the pros and cons of each of your actions.20 marks · Pharma R&D Welfare
• Q6. Social values are more important than economic values. Discuss the above statement with examples in the context of inclusive growth of a nation.10 marks · Social vs Economic Values
• Q6. “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”10 marks · Forgiveness
• Q6. Two different kinds of attitudes exhibited by public servants towards their work have been identified as the bureaucratic attitude and the democratic attitude. (a) Distinguish between these two terms and write their merits and demerits. (b) Is it possible to balance the two to create a better administration for the faster development of our country?10 marks · Bureaucratic vs
• Q6. 2) Some of the options for action available to you are listed below. Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the options: 1) You can await the visit of the superior officer and let him take a decision. 2) You can seek his advice in writing or on phone. 3) You can consult your predecessor/colleagues, etc., and then decide what to do. 4) You can find out if any alternate plot can be got in exchange and then send a comprehensive written report. Can you suggest any other option with proper justification?25 marks · School Site Interest
• Q7. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.10 marks · Western Philosophers(Plato)
• Q7. “A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also has to have a well-developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties.” Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples, where (i) an act is ethically right, but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically.10 marks · Law vs Ethics
• Q7. There is a disaster-prone State having frequent landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts, flash floods and earthquakes, etc. Some of these are seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude of the disaster is always unanticipated. During one of the seasons, a cloudburst caused devastating floods and landslides leading to high casualties. There was major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and power generating units. This led to more than 100000 pilgrims, tourists and other locals trapped across different routes and locations. The people trapped in your area of responsibility included senior citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children, hikers, tourists, ruling party, regional president along with his family, additional chief secretary of the neighboring state and prisoners in jail. As a civil services officer of the State, what would be the order in which you would rescue these people and why? Give justifications.20 marks · Calamity Rescue Prioritisation Matrix