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UPSC Mains PYQs

1053 questions

Every General Studies question since 2013, ready to attempt. Model answers arrive week by week.

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2015

  1. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksDifferentiate between the following (i) Law and ethics (ii) Ethical management and management of ethics (iii) Discrimination and preferential treatment (iv) Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics
  2. 2015 · GS4 · 25 marksYou 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 the view that 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 employment, and other means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided between sexes in both generations. You come to know that in Panchayat or in other local bodies or even in busy crosswords, 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 school. The incident led to clashes between several groups and a law and order problem has arisen. The elder after heated discussion has 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. (a) What steps would you take to ensure girls’ safety without disrupting their education? (b) How would you manage and mold the patriarchic attitude of the village elders to ensure harmony in inter-generational relations?
  3. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksAt the international level, bilateral relations between most nations are governed by the policy of promoting one’s own national interest without any regard for the interest of other nations. This lead to conflicts and tension between the nations. How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions? Discuss with specific examples.
  4. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksWhat is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics.
  5. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marks“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.
  6. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksPublic 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
  7. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksWhat does this quotation mean to you in the present context. “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”
  8. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksWhat does this quotation mean to you in the present context. “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of strong.”
  9. 2015 · GS4 · 25 marksYou are heading a district administration in a particular department. Your senior officer calls you from the State Headquarters and tells you that a plot in Rampur village is to have a building constructed on it for a school. A visit is scheduled during which he will visit the site along with the chief engineer and the senior architect. He wants you to check out all the papers relating to it and ensure that the visit is properly arranged. You examine the file which relates to the period before you joined the department. The land was acquired for the local panchayat at a nominal cost and the papers showed that clearance certificates are available for the two of the three authorities who have to certify the site’s suitability. There is no certification by the architect available on file. You decide to visit Rampur to ensure that all is in the order as stated on file. When you visit Rampur, you find that the plot under reference is a part of Thakurgarh fort and that the walls, ramparts, etc., are running across it. The fort is well away from the main village, therefore a school here will be a serious inconvenience for the children. However, the area near the village has potential to expand into a larger residential area. The development charges on the existing plot, at the fort, will be very high and question of heritage site has not been addressed. Moreover, the Sarpanch, at the time of acquisition of the land, was a relative of your predecessor. The whole transaction appears to have been done with some vested interest. (a) List the likely vested interests of the concerned parties. (b) Some of the options for action available to you are listed below. Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the options: (i) You can await the visit of the superior officer and let him make a decision. (ii) You can seek his advice in writing or on the phone. (iii) You can consult your predecessor/ colleagues, etc, and then decide what to do. (iv) 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 justifications?
  10. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksSocial values are more important than economic values. Discuss the above statement with examples in the context of the inclusive growth of a nation.
  11. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksSome recent developments such as the introduction of the 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 the situation in detail and suggest how the dichotomy can be resolved. Suggest how these negative impacts can be minimized.
  12. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksToday we find that in spite of various measures of 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
  13. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksTwo 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?
  14. 2015 · GS4 · 20 marksOne of the scientists working in the R&D laboratory of a major pharmaceutical company discovers that one of the company’s bestselling veterinary drugs has the potential to cure a currently incurable liver disease which 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 Rs. 50 crores. It was unlikely that the company would recover the cost as the disease was rampant only in poverty-stricken areas 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
  15. 2015 · GS4 · 10 marksHow do the virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude get manifested in public service? Explain with examples

2014

  1. 2014 · GS4 · 10 marksWhat does ‘accountability’ mean in the context of public service? What measures can be adopted to ensure individual and collective accountability of public servants?
  2. 2014 · GS4 · 10 marksAll human beings aspire for happiness. Do you agree? What does happiness mean to you? Explain with answers.
  3. 2014 · GS4 · 20 marksSuppose you are the CEO of a company that manufactures specialized electronic equipment used by a government department. You have submitted your bid for the supply of this equipment to the department. Both the quality and cost of your offer are better than those of the competitors. Yet the concerned officer is demanding a hefty bribe for approving the tender Getting the order is important both for you and your company. Not getting the order would mean closing a production line. It may also affect your own career. However, as a value-conscious person, You do not want to give bribe. Valid arguments can be advanced both for giving the bribe and getting the order, and for refusing to pay the bribe and risking the loss of the order. What those arguments could be, Could there be any better way to get out of this dilemma? If so, outline the main elements of this third way, pointing out its merits.
  4. 2014 · GS4 · 10 marksIn the context of defence services, ‘patriotism’ demands readiness to even lay down one’s life in protecting the nation. According to you, what does patriotism imply in everyday civil life? Explain with illustrations and justify your answer.
  5. 2014 · GS4 · 10 marksThe current society is plagued with widespread trust-deficit. What are the consequences of this situation for personal well-being and for societal well-being? What can you do at the personal level to make yourself trustworthy?
  6. 2014 · GS4 · 20 marksNow-a-days, there is an increasing thrust on economic development all around the globe. At the same time, there is also an increasing concern about environmental degradation caused by development. Many a time, we face a direct conflict between development activity and environmental quality. It is neither feasible to stop or curtail the developmental process, nor it is advisable to keep degrading the environment, as it threatens our very survival. Discuss some feasible strategies which could be adopted to eliminate this conflict and which could lead to sustainable development.
  7. 2014 · GS4 · 10 marksWhich eminent personality has inspired you the most in the context of ethical conduct in life? Give the Gist of his/her teachings. Giving specific examples describe how you have been able to apply these teachings for your own ethical development.
  8. 2014 · GS4 · 10 marksWhat does ethics seek to promote in human life? Why is it all the more important in Public Administration?
  9. 2014 · GS4 · 10 marksWhat factors affect the formation of a person’s attitude towards social problems? In our society, contrasting attitudes are prevalent about many social problems. What contrasting attitudes do you notice about the caste system in our society? How do you explain the existence of these contrasting attitudes?
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