GS4 · Practice questions
Civil Service Values
96 questions match. Years are the CSE year of the toppers who answered.
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B. The domain of governance is ridden with uncertainties, ambiguities and paradoxes and this can at times lead to timidity and withdrawal among public administrators. Discuss the relevance of inner courage for overcoming and coping with ambiguities.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 6 toppers · CSE 2022–2025
Civil Service ValuesEthical Dilemmas in Government
A. “There is only one responsibility of business, namely to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase profits.” Do you think corporations, by indulging in social responsibilities, are compromising their core resource utilisation and production responsibility by diverting resources into unproductive social endeavours?
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 5 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Corporate GovernanceCivil Service Values
"To tolerate is purely an act of the mind. That is the essence of virtue. To tolerate is a strength."
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 5 toppers · CSE 2021–2024
Human ValuesDimensions of Ethics
Effective public service delivery demands a people-centric approach, which is built upon coordination and leverages technology. Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Quality of Service DeliveryTechnology and Ethics
What are the important learnings from the life and teachings of Sri Adi Shankaracharya that can help public servants in their personal and professional lives.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021–2022
Indian ThinkersHuman Values
Public administration in India suffers from the 'working-in-silos' culture. In this context, discuss the importance of cooperation, coordination and collaboration for efficient governance.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Civil Service ValuesWork Culture
With the help of appropriate examples, discuss the ethical challenges involved in policing in India. Also, highlight the reasons behind corruption in the police force.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Civil Service ValuesEthical Dilemmas in Government
An ethical work culture is a prerequisite for sustainable growth of an organization. Discuss and suggest some measures to build an ethical work culture in an organization.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021–2022
Work CultureCorporate Governance
Citizen's Charters are tools that help conventional organizations develop socially sensitive and ethically oriented professional conduct. Elaborate.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021–2022
Citizens ChartersAccountability and Ethical Governance
Though laws and rules can be considered as the principal guide on morality for public administrators, they are not sufficient in themselves. Substantiate with examples.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Sources of Ethical GuidanceCivil Service Values
Social interactions where a person is addressed by their correct name and pronouns, consistent with their gender identity, are widely recognized as a basic and yet critical aspect of gender affirmation. A national university invited speakers for a discussion on rights of sexual minorities in India. The panel included speakers representing a wide variety of opinions and perspectives on the issue. The debates, though largely peaceful, witnessed a controversy. A college association representing sexual minorities took offence against a panellist who cautioned against self-identification by sexual minorities and the liberal use of pronouns. The association reached out to the media and the localised controversy soon turned into a national issue across news networks and social media. The association demanded that the panellist apologise for his views and issue a public statement in this context. The panellist, on the other hand, seemed unmoved by the issue. In the meantime, the University has come under huge pressure to resolve the issue. The Vice Chancellor set up a Committee to look into the matter and its peaceful resolution. You have been appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee. In this regard, answer the following questions: (a) Discuss the various moral issues involved in the case. (b) Keeping the right to freedom of speech and expression in mind, highlight the steps you would take to resolve the issue and list arguments in support.
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentLaw and Morality
Records show that there have been numerous cases of custodial deaths in the last 20 years in India. Very few policeman have been convicted so far in such cases. Recently, you come across the case of custodial death of a youth in one of the backward districts of the country. It has been reported that the youth was detained on frivolous grounds of kidnapping a girl from another community. As a young graduate student, preparing for the civil services examination conducted by the UPSC, answer the following: (a) Why is there a frequent violation of the code of conduct and abuse of authority by law enforcement officers at various levels in India? (b) Is the use of violence and show of 'quick justice' by the policemen increasingly becoming acceptable by the society? Justify your stand with relevant arguments. (c) What can be done to comprehensively deal with the issue of torture and custodial deaths in India?
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021–2022
Civil Service ValuesProbity in Governance
A prominent stand-up comedian from your country has recently delivered a performance at an event in another country. Owing to the fame and hype associated with this event, the performance has been broadcast across the globe to millions of viewers. In the performance, the comedian brings up the dichotomy and paradoxes associated with the society and culture of your country. He brings up issues like status of women, violence against women, caste, politics etc. in his monologue. The performance touches upon such sensitive issues that it has polarised the audience. A vast section of people are affected by this and have organized huge demonstrations and have appealed the government to direct the broadcasting platform to remove this content from their platform. They are also pushing the government to take action against the comedian. An FIR too has been filed against him. On the other hand, there is also a significant outpour of support for the comedian. (a) What are the core ethical issues arising from this case? (b) The recent spate of FIRs against show creators, artists etc. highlight the need of regulation of content that is circulated online. Should such a step be taken by the government? Substantiate with reasons.
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021–2022
Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentLaw and Morality
While emotional intelligence is an essential tool for a public servant, it can also be misused to manipulate people to act against their own interests. Discuss with examples.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Emotional IntelligenceSocial Influence and Persuasion
Explain why altruism constitutes one of the core values in public life. In this regard, suggest some measures to foster altruistic behaviour in public services.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Human ValuesDedication to Public Service
You are the Dean of Academics of a University. It has been brought to your notice that some students have raised a complaint against Mr X, a specially-abled Professor at the University, for not performing his academic duties diligently. The Head of the Department (HoD) tried to have a conversation with him regarding these complaints; however, Mr X feels that he is a victim of internal politics and is being discriminated against on account of him being specially-abled. He also conveyed to the HoD that he will file a complaint of discrimination against the University under The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. As the Dean of Academics, it is your responsibility to uphold the academic standards of the University and take any administrative decision in this regard. In this case, answer the following questions: (a) State the stakeholders and the ethical issues in the given case. (b) What are the options available to you? (c) Evaluate each of these options and state the option which you would choose, citing reasons.
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentCivil Service Values
Explain the meaning of self-efficacy, along with its key determinants. Also, discuss the significance of high self-efficacy for a civil servant.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Aptitude for Civil ServiceEmotional Intelligence
The role of emotional intelligence is crucial for public servants in overcoming adversity. Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021–2022
Emotional IntelligenceCivil Service Values
Digital ethics principles are necessary to prevent erosion of public values and deal with the ethical implications of digitizing governance systems. Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Technology and EthicsAccountability and Ethical Governance
Bring out the difference between accountability and responsibility. Also, discuss the significance of accountability in ensuring ethical governance in the context of India.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Accountability and Ethical GovernanceCivil Service Values
You are posted as a Superintendent of Police (SP) in a district where people of different religious communities are living together peacefully. The district is also famous for its architectural heritage and is regularly visited by tourists from all around the world. However, there has been an incident in the nearby state where people of two different communities have started fighting over religious issues. This incident has a spillover effect over the whole country. In your own area of jurisdiction, you have come to know from various sources about circulation of some hate speech videos, which have the potential to destabilise the law and order situation. You are also aware that some outsiders with dubious intentions have started pouring in your district. In one locality, a shopkeeper who had earlier filed a complaint regarding threats he received for posting something on the internet, is found murdered in cold blood. This incident has stunned the nation. You are being informed that hundreds of people of the community to which the shopkeeper belonged are planning to stage a massive protest in your district. (a) In the given situation, what are the options available to you to ensure that the law and order situation in the district remains stable. Provide a detailed account of your course of action. (b) Do you think the present legal and institutional mechanisms are sufficient to tackle the menace of hate speech in the society?
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Crisis Decision MakingEthical Dilemmas in Government
It was Assembly election times, and you were deputed to a constituency on election duty where one of your responsibilities was to monitor candidates' campaign expenses and supervise the campaigns' videography. As you take charge and start working, you realise the challenge you have got into. Two of the candidates had a criminal background, and the whole contest was more or less between these two only. As the campaigns picked pace, you noticed that both the candidates indulged in inciting the voters on caste and religious grounds. Further, they were doling out monetary inducements in blatant violation of the election code of conduct. You had all of it on record, thanks to your videographer. You decided to warn them before taking any strict action, so you called them and confronted them with the evidence. Much to your relief, they quietly accepted the mistake and promised to comply with the codes. Two days after the meeting, you get the news that one of your videographers was severely beaten by the goons of one of the candidates. And the beating of the videographer was meant as a warning to you. Further, the same evening you get a call threatening you with dire consequences if you interfere with the campaigns. You realise that your decisions are proving to be dangerous for the people working with you. You didn't feel good about endangering the safety of your staff. 1. What are the issues involved in the above case? 2. Is it ethically justified to be devoted to duty at the cost of the personal safety of the staff? Discuss. 3. How will you go about doing your election duties without compromising the safety of your staff? Explain.
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2025
Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentCrisis Decision Making
You are a young athlete representing India at an international-level competition. To your surprise, during the competition, you witness a few senior athletes injecting something using a syringe in private. When you approach them, they explain that it is a performance enhancing drug, which is very common in such competitions and you should take the same as well. You are aware that if these players get caught in a doping test, it may damage India's reputation. You are confused and afraid of the repercussions and decide to approach the coach to discuss the event you witnessed. However, you get to know that the athletes are taking the drug on the advice of the coach himself. (a) What would you do in this scenario? Discuss the options available to you and chart your course of action. (b) What are the reasons behind the use of performance enhancing drugs in competitive sporting events? How can this practice be minimized?
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
IntegrityEthical Dilemmas in Government
Highlight the important teachings of Kautilya that are relevant to public services in 21st century India.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Indian ThinkersCivil Service Values