1. a) All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you agree? What does happiness mean to you? Explain with examples. (150 words)
b) What does ethics seek to promote in human life? Why is it all the more important in public administration? (150 words)

2. a) In 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. (150 words)
b) What do you understand by ‘probity’ in public life? What are the difficulties in praciticing it in the present times? How can these difficulties be overcome? (150 words)

3. a) Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, but knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” What do you understand by this statement? Explain your stand with illustrations from the modern context. (150 words)
b) “Human beings should always be treated as ‘ends’ in themselves and never as merely ‘means’”. Explain the meaning and significance of this statement, giving its implications in the modern techno-economic society. (150 words)

4. a) Which 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. (150 words)
b) There is a heavy ethical responsibility on the public servants because they occupy positions of power, handle huge amounts of public funds, and their decisions have wide-ranging impact on society and environment. What steps have you taken to improve your ethical competence to handle such responsibility? (150 words)

5. a) The 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? (150 words)
b) It is often said that poverty leads to corruption. However, there is no dearth of instances where affluent and powerful people indulge in corruption in a big way. What are the basic causes of corruption among people? Support your answer with examples. (150 words)

6. What 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? (150 words)

7. What does accountability mean in the context of public service? What measures can be adopted to ensure individual and collective accountability of public servants? (150 words)

8. We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence against women in the country. Despite existing legal provisions against it, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest some innovative measures to tackle this menace. (150 words)

GS IV 2014

Section A

Section B

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