A topper · GS4 · 60 pages

Shivendra Pandey: GS4 answer copy

22 answers by Shivendra Pandey, as written in the test. Each question opens a page with how other toppers answered it.

The questions

  1. Q1(a)It is often said that politics and ethics belong to different worlds. What is your opinion in this regard? Justify your answer with illustration. Also, highlight the consequences of divergence between politics and ethics.10 marks
  2. Q1(b)"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." In the context of this statement, bring out the ethical issues involved with creating a surveillance state for the sake of national security.10 marks
  3. Q2(a)"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." Discuss the importance of emotional intelligence in self-realisation. Do you think emotional intelligence can be learned?10 marks
  4. Q2(b)“Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.” Do you agree? Illustrate with the help of examples.10 marks
  5. Q3(a)“Two things define you: Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.” What roles do attitude and patience play in the personal and professional lives of civil servants?10 marks
  6. Q3(b)In light of incidents of serving civil servants openly criticising the government and some also resigning in protest, discuss whether civil servants should get entangled in the political discussions/ opinions?10 marks
  7. Q4(a)What do you understand by environmental ethics? Examine the ethical concerns in 'phase-down versus phase out debate' in the use of coal by developing countries.10 marks
  8. Q4(b)Define the term "ethical hacking". What are the principles that separate ethical hacking from malicious hacking?10 marks
  9. Q5(a)"In this hyperconnected and morally interdependent world, the most important thing we can share is trustworthiness." Why is trustworthiness important? In what ways can it be imbibed in an individual?10 marks
  10. Q5(b)Gendered attitudes convert differences in sexes into discriminations. Examine the factors responsible for negative attitudes toward women in the Indian society. How can these attitudes be changed?10 marks
  11. Q6What do the following quotations mean to you: a) "Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others."- John F. Kennedy10 marks
  12. Q6(b)A man can give up a right, but he may not give up a duty without being guilty of a grave dereliction.10 marks
  13. Q6(c)"That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees."- Marcus Aurelius.10 marks
  14. Q7You are working as Director (Human Resource) in a software company. Various factors such as economic slowdown in some of the major trade partners of India and disruptive technological changes like generative Artificial Intelligence require rapid adaptive measures from businesses to survive. The marketing department has reported that there is lack of demand for the services provided by your company in the market and business-as-usual scenario could spell doom for the company. Your company has decided to take a slew of measures to tread through a tough phase of the business which include technological rejuvenation of the company and streamlining the workforce. A significant number of employees in your organization are above fifty years of age and are finding it difficult to adapt to the new working conditions and the rapid upskilling required by the company. After proper training, the employees were subjected to a test, and a list was prepared of those who are above fifty years of age and who did not do well in the test. You have been told by the board of directors that they have plans to lay off approximately 25% of the employees. This is essential for the efficiency and survival of the company. You have been given a list of employees who are to be laid off and you have been told to communicate to them the decision of the company to terminate them. In the above list, there is an employee who has been working in the company for twenty years. He is known for his discipline, integrity, and loyalty to the company. His financial situation is not good at present as he applied for personal loan a few months ago in order to meet the expenses of his ailing father who was hospitalized. He is sole breadwinner of the family and has two dependent daughters. Marriage of one of the daughters is scheduled for next month. a) What are the ethical issues involved in the above case? b) As the head of the HR department, what ethical dilemma do you face? c) Do you think that the company's decision is appropriate? According to you what should have been the ideal course of action in the given scenario?20 marks
  15. Q8Farmer unions have called for mass protest against the private sugar factories for pending arrear that are due for the last two years. On the day of mass protest, large number of farmers turned up at several places and the protests turned violent. There were instances of stone pelting, vehicle burning, and clashes with police, who were not able to control the violent protesters at some places. The resort to lathi charge only aggravated the agitated protesters. At one of the protest sites, police resorted to firing and four farmers were killed. This further fuelled the protests as farmers at other places also resorted to violence to protest against police action. Looking at the intensity of the situation, under opposition pressure, one of the Minister of the state government gave the statement that farmers did not die due to police firing but there were some anti-social elements amongst the protesters who fired in order to create unrest in the state. This statement of the Minister instead of calming the protesters further angered them as some eyewitness testified to news channels about the deaths being the result of police firing. All this further projected government in bad light and the police action has come under severe criticism by various sections of intelligentsia. The public sentiment has started to sway in favour of the protesting farmers. The protesters have started blocking all the major state highways which has crippled the day-to-day routine of the people of the state. Further, there is a danger that the situation might get out of control anytime. There is huge pressure on the state government to diffuse the situation. Suppose you are the district magistrate where the incident has taken place: a) You are to address the press conference. What will be your statement to the media if it seeks clarification on whether people died in the police firing? b) What are the ethical issues involved in the case? c) What steps will you take to tackle the post-firing situation effectively?20 marks
  16. Q9A gaming website dedicated to chess has gained popularity in recent times due to its online lessons and tips for improving skills in the game. You have recently started playing chess at the platform. The platform provides you analysis of your games and suggests areas of improvement. The online lessons have helped you improve your game a lot over a very short time. You are amazed at the ability of competing with players of all levels of skills from across the world. While testing and improving your chess skills on the platform, you have made friendship and acquaintances with many competitive chess players from different parts of the world. Recently, you have been encountering racial, religious and stereotypical remarks during the games from the other players. Initially you ignored such things as childish tactics by an opponent to distract you from your gameplay. Later you would try to engage with such people to dispel stereotypes. But increasingly such experiences are making you sad and bitter. Now you block such people as you encounter them. What started as a fun and stimulating experience for you has become a source of negativity in your life. In your discussions with other people, you come to realize that they have also experienced similar racial and religious slurs, and many people have left the platform to avoid the abusive experience. You also sense that this is not an issue specific to this gaming website but is part of the generally seen behaviour on social media. You used to consider online trolling as harmless puns that could not create actual harm, but after experiencing its dark side as a victim you are realizing its negative impact. Given this information, what are your thoughts on the following : a) How should one deal with the issues of on-line abuse such as in the case above? What options are available to you? b) What values should guide online behaviour? Do these values differ from values governing offline conduct?20 marks
  17. Q9(b)Our behaviour in virtual world are different than in offline environment as both have different characteristics
  18. Q10Jajantara, one of the districts in Eastern India has emerged as a hotspot of voice phishing activity. Voice phishing, also known as 'vishing', is the use of fraudulent phone calls to trick people into giving money or revealing personal information. Vishing fraudsters often use modern VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) features such as caller ID spoofing and automated systems (IVR) to impede detection by law enforcement agencies. Vishing is typically used to steal credit card numbers, banking details or other information for identity theft and related crimes. The promise of earning huge amount of money in shorter span of time is used to lure unemployed and educated youth into this scam. The entire vishing racket is being run like an organised crime. The networks that run these scams have also started feeding other crimes like arms smuggling, money laundering, and gang wars. The system is on the verge of collapse and the common people are losing faith in the capability of administration to improve law and order in the district. The situation has been further worsened by unconfirmed reports that local politicians as well as some senior police officers are providing surreptitious patronage to the phishing mafia. The poor reputation of the district has started to reflect in international headlines. The youth from the area are stigmatised and face hurdles in gaining employment due to the negative perceptions about the district. You are a police officer who is appointed as superintendent of police to bring the situation to normalcy. Identify the various dimensions of the crisis. Based on your understanding, suggest measures to deal with the same.20 marks
  19. Q11Prahlad is a climate conscious and responsible citizen, who left his well-paying job as a senior manager in a multinational company to start a small firm that would manufacture eco-friendly products. The motto of his company is "no waste, all green". His firm makes bio-degradable polymer which can be used as an alternative to plastic bags, bottles, plates etc. Prahlad thinks that this will promote a healthier environment and will have a positive impact on people's health. It will also help address the problem of climate change by reducing one's carbon footprint. For this to be achieved, he believes that not just products, but the process too should be less polluting. This is why, he invested heavily in non-polluting machinery. These machines are certified as "green machines". In fact, some of them were even imported from other countries. All of this has gained him a good reputation in the eyes of critics and environmentalists. But as the technology used in manufacturing these products is new, imported and expensive, the products made by Prahlad's firm is costlier than conventional plastic products. Prahlad has proved that his product is environmentally benign, but he was unable to scale up production because of he ran out of funds. Prahlad knows that if he could start manufacturing at a large scale and leverage economies of scale his product would become more price competitive to conventional plastics. Prahlad used last of his funds to publicize his product. Prahlad thought that with this publicity, raising funds from the market would be easy. Prahlad reached out to many investors, and they showed great interest in Prahlad's product. But none of them were willing to invest money in this product. They feared that this new product, being much expensive, would not be able to compete with the conventional plastic products. Prahlad's firm is also losing its existing customer who complain about very high cost of his products. Both Prahlad's prospective investors and past customers know that this technology is less polluting and environmentally benign and has a positive attitude towards it. But consumer concern and attitude about the environment does not readily translate into the purchase of environmentally friendly products. Academic research has also identified this gap between purchase intentions and behaviors. Prahlad knows that if he changes the production procedure, things can look better for the company on the financial front, but that can take away his reputation and will also be against his own beliefs. The only possible hope is to expand his consumer base, sell his products at full capacity and convince investors to invest in his eco-friendly venture to keep his green industry running. Consider yourself in Prahlad's position and answer the following questions: a) How will you induce behavioral change to nudge people to move towards eco-friendly products? b) What factors will you have to consider while inspiring such a change?20 marks
  20. Q11(a)आप लोगों को पर्यावरण-अनुकूल उत्पादों की ओर प्रेरित करने के लिए व्यवहार परिवर्तन को कैसे प्रेरित करेंगे?
  21. Q11(b)ऐसे परिवर्तन को प्रेरित करते समय आपको किन कारकों पर विचार करना होगा?20 marks
  22. Q12Sundar, a young government servant, joined the office with great enthusiasm and desire to serve the public. Soon after getting a government job, Sundar got married with Sarita who is also a government servant working as a junior engineer in electricity department. But both of them have different postings. They work from two different cities and live separately. Sundar has applied for his transfer many times, but in vain. With his dedication to work, Sundar is making a great image of himself and is getting appreciation from his peers and seniors. Because of his great performance, he got an important task of auditing the performance of "Housing for all" scheme. The scheme aims to provide affordable housing to the urban poor population. However, his study and research led to some shocking results. He found out that most of the houses are being acquired by relatives of local politicians and government servants. The deserving urban poor population is still deprived of shelter and this has been the case from past few years. With further investigation, he realized that there is a massive ongoing scam. While the government is not allotting the completed houses to the beneficiaries, the poor are being looted of their hard-earned money with the promised dream of a house of their own. Sundar prepared a file with all the details and evidence and presented it to the SDM. The SDM, a relative of the central government minister, was fully involved in the corruption. Now, to save himself, SDM offers Sundar a deal that if he does not reveal the details of study, he will get a job at the same location as his wife. He is also offered a house from the scheme itself. On the other hand, he was warned that refusal to accept this proposal may entail retaliatory action by SDM against him. As you are a very good friend of Sundar. He discusses the matter with you. Answer the following questions: a) Why such instance of corruption in government programmes are common across the country? How can they be prevented? b) Enumerate various interests involved in this case from the perspective of different stakeholders. What advice will you give to Sundar?20 marks

The answers

Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 182 words written

It is often said that politics and ethics belong to different worlds. What is your opinion in this regard? Justify your answer with illustration. Also, highlight the consequences of divergence between politics and ethics.

Opening

The role of ethics & ethical principles in politics is highly contested debate. There are 2 view over utility - Greek school - which support ethics & in politics & (Realism) - which wants separation.

Greek School - Politics & ethics are closely associated

Body · points and prose

Diagram
* view supported by * Aristotle, Plato * Gandhi

Reason

i) Politics is not an end in itself, rather it is just a means for achieving public good.

ii) Adhering to ethical standards can help in tackling corruption, malpractice & degradation of public discourse.

iii) Can help in tackling criminalisation

of politics eg - ADR report → 43% MP have criminal cases

Realist school → Separation between ethics & politics → supported by - Machiavelli, Kautilya

Reason

  1. politics is struggle for power → hence no role of religion, ethics ii) Ethical standard hinders leaders to achieve goal iii) It leads to compromise of national interest (in case of International politics)

Consequence of Divergence

  1. Increase in corruption, poor governance ii) poor service delivery, increased role of money & muscle power

Close · a way forward

Hence, there is need to follow Gandhian principle of politics (eg) politics without ethics is disastrous.