KPR IAS Academy

UPSC CSE Mains 2019 INTENSIVE ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME

GS IV- Ethics

SYLLABUS TOPIC PROBABLE QUESTIONS

Ethics and Human 1. Surrogacy Ethics 1.
Interface: Essence, i) What do you understand by altruism?
determinants and ii) How is compassion related to altruism?
consequences of iii) What is ethical egoism?
Ethics in-human iv) What are ethical and legal issues in surrogacy?
Actions; dimensions v) Altruistic surrogacy and Women agency
of ethics; ethics - in vi) What are medical ethics?
private and public
relationships. 2. Campaign Ethics 2. What are ethical issues involved in political campaigns?
Human Values -
lessons from the 3. Medical ethics 3. What are the ethical issues involved in gene editing?
lives and teachings gene
of great leaders,
reformers and
4. Ethics in voting
administrators; role 4. Explain the below quote and their relevance in present context.
of i) If you don’t vote you lose the right to complain. Somewhere
Government strives inside all of us is the power to change the world.
to have a workforce ii) The ballot is stronger than bullet.
which reflects
gender balance and 5. Abortion 5. Discuss the moral, legal and religious issues regarding abortion.
women candidates
are encouraged to 6. Prejudice and 6.
apply. stereotypes i) What are prejudices? Explain with examples.
Family society and ii) How do we develop prejudices? How it leads to discriminatory
educational behavior? How can we get rid of it?
institutions in
inculcating values. 7. Ethics in disasters- 7.
Aug i) Disasters are not administrative challenge they create moral
problems also. Discuss
ii) What is price gouging? What are the ethical issues involved in
it?
iii) Should businesses lower prices of their services during
disaster?

8. Sports ethics 8.
i) What role ethics plays in sports?
ii) Why ethics is important in sports?
iii) What are the ethical issues involved in allowing use of
performance enhancing drugs in sports?

9. Environmental 9.
ethics i) What is environmental ethics?
ii) What is climate justice?
iii) What are ethical issues in consumerism?

10. Honour Killing 10. There is no honour in killing. Discuss the ethical issues involved in
 KPR IAS Academy
UPSC CSE Mains 2019 INTENSIVE ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME
GS IV- Ethics

honour killing

11. Mob lynching 11. What is mob violence? Discuss the reasons for mob violence?

12. RTI and Social Audit

12. Social
accountability

13. Sensitivity 13. Indian Police have been several times criticized for lack of
sensitivity towards women and other marginalized sections of
society. How can they be made sensitive towards weaker sections
of society?

14. Private and Public 14. Is it sufficient to practice ethics in public life? Can one continue
Ethics doing right in public life by doing wrong in private life?

15. Leadership ethics 15. What do you understand by leadership? What virtues are must for
being a leader?

16. Trusteeship 16. What do you understand by trusteeship? How trusteeship can
guide CSR.

17. Fine for not 17. Difference between law and ethics
following CSR

18. Auditing Ethics 18. What are code of ethics for auditors? Discuss their role in
preventing corporate frauds.

Attitude: content, 1. Attitude : 1. What is an attitude? Discuss various components of attitude

structure, function; Content ,
its influence and structure and
relation with
function
thought and
behaviour; Moral Attitude
Moral and political Political Attitude
attitudes; social
influence and 2. Social influence 2. Discuss the importance of social influence and its relationship with
persuasion. and Persuasion persuasion.

3. Differentiate between ‘Prejudice’ and ‘Stereotype’. Discuss its

3. Prejudice
impact on the society
Stereotype

4. Transphobia 4. Transphobia is a type of prejudice and discrimination similar to

Sexism racism and sexism. Comment

Aptitude and 1. Intellectual 1. What is an intellectual integrity? Why is it a necessary quality for a
foundational values civil servant?
 KPR IAS Academy
UPSC CSE Mains 2019 INTENSIVE ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME
GS IV- Ethics

for Civil Service, integrity

integrity, impartiality
and non- 2. Dedication 2. Only a dedicated civil servant can remain motivated in non-
partisanship, exciting and unwanted situations. What should be done to sustain
objectivity, the motivation in civil servants?
dedication to public
service, empathy, 3. Empathy 3. For a civil servant to discharge his duties effectively, he should
tolerance and Compassion have a proper mix of empathy, sympathy and compassion.
compassion towards Comment. And also write the differences among these qualities.
the
Weaker-sections. 4. Tolerance 4. A civil servant must have tolerance to serve in a multi-religious
society like India. In this context, discuss what is tolerance and its
significance.

Emotional 1. Importance of 1. Why emotional intelligence is important for civil services?

intelligence- emotional
concepts, and their intelligence
utilities and
application in
administration and
Governance.
Contributions of 1. Gandhian Ethics 1. Discuss the relevance of seven social sins in the contemporary
moral thinkers and world.
philosophers from 2. How far the Gandhian ethics are helpful in conflict resolution?
India and world.
Public/Civil service 1. Public service 1. Discuss the reasons why ethics and values play an important role
values and Ethics in Ethics and value in the smooth functioning of public administration system. Also
Public decline discuss the reasons for the decline in values in recent times.
administration:
Status and problems;
ethical 2. Ethical concerns 2. What are the ethical concerns and dilemmas that one has to deal
concerns and and dilemmas in in public and private institutions? And discuss the ways for
dilemmas in government and dealing with such dilemmas.
government and private
private institutions; institutions
laws, rules,
regulations and
3. Corporate
conscience as 3. Discuss what is corporate governance and its importance.
sources of ethical governance
guidance;
accountability and 4. Refugee crisis 4. Discuss the ethical issues involved in Refugee crisis.
ethical governance;
strengthening of 5. Climate change 5. Any action on climate change confronts serious ethical issues of
ethical and moral fairness and responsibility across individuals, nations, generations,
values in and the rest of nature. Comment
governance; ethical
issues in 6. Nuclear crisis 6. Discuss the need for ethics in the debates on the future of nuclear
international energy
Relations and
funding; corporate
 KPR IAS Academy
UPSC CSE Mains 2019 INTENSIVE ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME
GS IV- Ethics

governance.
Probity in 1. Probity 1. What do you understand by probity? Discuss the necessary
Governance: features which ensures probity in governance.
Concept of public
service; 2. Concept of public 2. What do you mean by public service?
Philosophical basis service
of governance and
probity; Information 3. What do you understand by citizen charter? How citizen charter
3. Citizen charter
sharing and would lead to improvement in quality of service?
transparency in
government, Right to 4. Work Culture 4. What do you understand by work culture? Differentiate between
Information, Codes positive and negative work culture.
of
Ethics, Codes of 5. Utilization of fund 5. What are the ethical issues involved in utilization of funds? Discuss
Conduct, Citizen’s the ethical issues involved.
Charters, Work
culture, Quality of 6. Challenges of 6. What are the causes of corruption in Indian administration? How
service delivery, corruption corruption impacts the development of nations?
Utilization of public
funds, challenges of
corruption
Case Studies on
above issues

Examples:

1. Integrity: Most important quality of a leader

Examples of integrity at the top: Abraham Lincoln, Gandhiji, APJ Kalam , JRD Tata
Edward Snowden –Whistleblower

2. Noble corruption: cause is noble, means unethical. Eg: Torture of terrorist

Edwin J.Deltare

3. Compassion: Mother Teresa, kailash styarthy,

4. Ethics in International relations: Refugee crisis, climate change, nuclear weapons,

militarization of space, Israel vs Palestine

5. Courage: K.Vijay kumar IPS Veerappan case. KP S Gill

6. Environmental Ethics: Forest Rights Act, Cauvery Calling by Sadhguru.

7. Patriarchy : Me-too campaign

8. Principle of Justice: False accusation in Me-too campaign

a. Nemo in propria causa judex, esse debet i.e., no one should be made a judge in his/her
own case, or the rule against bias.
 KPR IAS Academy
UPSC CSE Mains 2019 INTENSIVE ANSWER WRITING PROGRAMME
GS IV- Ethics

b. Audi alteram partem i.e., hear the other party, or the rule of fair hearing, or the rule that
no one should be condemned unheard.

9. Patriarchy, untouchability, equality: Sabarimala issue

10. Prejudice: Menstruation

11. Education without character: IPS probationer arrested in Chennai for cheating during civil
services exam, Exams conducted in Ahmedabad without invigilator,

12. Courage, bravery: CRPF in left wing extremism states

13. Corporate Governance: Satyam Company, Chairman.

14. Politics and principle: Defections.

15. Commitment to duty: Harish Salve: 1 rupee India’s case ICJ, APJ Abdul Kalam: Karma Yogi,
Committed to the idea of duty. P N HASKAR: Refused Padma Award. Duty itself is reward.
Duty without any expectation of reward

16. Social influence and attitude change: Toilet Ek Prem Katha

17. Commitment and ethics: E Shreedharan

18. Quality of service : E Seva ( AP) , Friends (Kerala):

19. Leadership: Satish Dhawan

20. Duty : UP Police officer filed FIR against himself in Meerut

21. Intellectual integrity: Socrates

22. Hypocrisy: Celebrity’s behavior in private and public sphere.

23. Seven Deadly sins