UPSC Mains 2017 GS-4 Question Paper

All 19 questions from this paper, with real topper answers where available.

• Q2. Strength, peace and security are considered to be the pillars of international relations. Elucidate.10 marks · Pillars of IR
• Q2. Indicate various options that you think are available in this situation. How would you help him to evaluate these options and choose the most appropriate path to be adopted? You are aspiring to become an IAS officer and you have cleared various stages and now you have been selected for the personal interview. On the day of the interview, on the way to the venue you saw an accident where a mother and child who happen to be your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediate help. What would you have done in such a situation? Justify your action.20 marks · Civic Emergency vs Career Milestone
• Q3. Corporate social responsibility makes companies more profitable and sustainable. Analyse.10 marks · responsibility
• Q3. A building permitted for three floors, while being extended illegally to 6 floors by a builder, collapses. As a consequence, a number of innocent labourers including women and children died. These labourers were migrants from different places. The government immediately announced cash relief to the aggrieved families and arrested the builder. Give reasons for such incidents taking place across the country. Suggest measures to prevent their occurrence.20 marks · Illegal Real-Estate Construction Collapse
• Q4. The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrow perception of the good life. Discuss.10 marks · Values
• Q4. Young people with ethical conduct are not willing to come forward to join active politics. Suggest steps to motivate them to come forward.10 marks
• Q4. How will you apply emotional intelligence in administrative practices?10 marks · EI in Administration
• Q4. Increased national wealth did not result in equitable distribution of its benefits. It has created only some “enclaves of modernity and prosperity for a small minority at the cost of the majority.” Justify.10 marks · Justice
• Q4. “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are father, the mother and the teacher.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Analyse.10 marks · Corruption
• Q5. The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrow perception of the good life. Discuss.10 marks · crisis of ethical Values
• Q5. Discipline generally implies following the order and subordination. However, it may be counter-productive for the organisation. Discuss.10 marks · Discipline vs Organizational Efficiency
• Q6. One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to be compromised. Explain with reference to a real life example. “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”10 marks · Integrity
• Q8. You are the head of the Human Resources department of an organisation. One day, one of the workers died on duty. His family was demanding compensation. However, the company denied compensation because it was revealed in an investigation that he was drunk at the time of the accident. The workers of the company went on strike demanding compensation for the family of the deceased. The Chairman of the management board has asked for your recommendation. What recommendation would you provide to the management? Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the recommendations.20 marks · Ex-Gratia Relief
• Q9. Conflict of interest in the public sector arises when (a) official duties, (b) public interest, and (c) personal interest are taking priority one above the other. How can this conflict in administration be resolved? Describe with an example.10 marks · Conflict of Interest
• Q9. You are the manager of a spare parts company A and you have to negotiate a deal with the manager of a large manufacturing company B. The deal is highly competitive and sealing the deal is critical for your company. The deal is being worked out over dinner. After dinner, the manager of manufacturing company B offered to drop you at your hotel in his car. On the way to the hotel, he happens to hit a motorcycle, injuring the motorcyclist badly. You know the manager was driving fast and thus lost control. The law enforcement officer comes to investigate the issue and you are the sole eyewitness to it. Knowing the strict laws pertaining to road accidents, you are aware that your honest account of the incident would lead to the prosecution of the manager and as a consequence, the deal is likely to be jeopardised, which is of immense importance to your company. What are the dilemmas you face? What will be your response to the situation?20 marks · Civic Duty vs Security
• Q10. Examine the relevance of the following in the context of civil service: (a) Transparency (b) Accountability (c) Fairness and justice (d) Courage of conviction (e) Spirit of service.10 marks · Foundational Values in civil service
• Q10. You are an honest and responsible civil servant. You often observe the following: 1) There is a general perception that adhering to ethical conduct one may face difficulties to oneself and cause problems for the family, whereas unfair practices may help to reach the career goals. 2) When the number of people adopting unfair means is large, a small minority having a penchant towards ethical means makes no difference. 3) Sticking to ethical means is detrimental to the larger developmental goals. 4) While one may not involve oneself in large unethical practices, but giving and accepting small gifts makes the system more efficient. Examine the above statements with their merits and demerits.20 marks · vs Ethical Sticking
• Q11. You are a Public Information Officer (PIO) in a government department. You are aware that the RTI Act 2005 envisages transparency and accountability in administration. The act has functioned as a check on the supposedly arbitrary administrative behaviour and actions. However, as a PIO you have observed that there are citizens who filed RTI applications not for themselves but on behalf of such stakeholders who purportedly want to have access to information to further their own interests. At the same time there are these RTI activists who routinely file RTI applications and attempt to extort money from the decision makers. This type of RTI activism has affected the functioning of the administration adversely and also possibly jeopardises the genuineness of the applications which are essentially aimed at getting justice. What measures would you suggest to separate genuine and non-genuine applications? Give merits and demerits of your suggestions.20 marks · Misuse of RTI
• Q12. “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte. Stating examples, mention the rulers (i) who have harmed society and country, (ii) who worked for the development of society and country.10 marks · Ethics of Leadership