Syllabus: GS 4 – Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
| What do you understand by the following terms in the context of public service?Integrity, Perseverance, Spirit of Service, Commitment, Courage of Conviction Indicate two more attributes which you consider important for public service. Justify your answer. | 2013 |
| “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. | 2014 |
| 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. | 2014 |
| What does ‘accountability’ mean in the context of public service? What measures can be adopted to ensure individual and collective accountability of public servants? | 2014 |
| What do you understand by ‘probity’ in public life? What are the difficulties in practicing it in the present times? How can these difficulties be overcome? | 2014 |
| How do the virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude get manifested in public service? Explain with examples. | 2015 |
| How can such undesirable attitudes be changed and socioethical values considered necessary in public services be cultivated in the aspiring and serving civil servants? | 2016 |
| Why should impartiality and non-partisanship be considered as foundational values in public services, especially in the present day socio-political context? Illustrate your answer with examples. | 2016 |
| “Max Weber said that it is not wise to apply to public administration the sort of moral and ethical norms we apply to matters of personal conscience. It is important to realize that the state bureaucracy might possess its own independent bureaucratic morality.” Critically analyse this statement. | 2016 |
| Discipline generally implies following the order and subordination. However, it may be counter-productive for the organisation. Discuss. | 2017 |
| Examine the relevance of the following in the context of civil service:(a) Transparency (b) Accountability (c) Fairness and Justice (d) Courage of Conviction (e) Spirit of service | 2017 |
| One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to be compromised. Explain with reference to a real life example. | 2017 |
| State the three basic values, universal in nature, in the context of civil services and bring out their importance. | 2018 |
| What are the basic principles of public life? Illustrate any three of these with suitable examples. | 2020 |
| Identify five ethical traits on which one can plot the performance of a civil servant. Justify their inclusion in the matrix. | 2021 |
| Identify ten essential values that are needed to be an effective public servant. Describe the /ways and means to prevent non-ethical behaviour in public servants. | 2021 |
| Besides domain knowledge, a public official needs innovativeness and creativity of a high order as well, while resolving ethical dilemmas. Discuss with a suitable example. | 2021 |
| Should impartial and being non-partisan be considered as indispensable qualities to make a successful civil servant? Discuss with illustrations. | 2021 |
| “Integrity is a value that empowers the human being.” Justify with suitable illustration. | 2021 |
| Apart from intellectual competency and moral qualities, empathy and compassion are some of the other vital attributes that facilitate the civil servants to be more competent in tackling the crucial issues or taking critical decisions. Explain with suitable illustrations. | 2022 |
| Write short notes on the following in 30 words each: Constitutional moralityConflict of interestProbity in public lifeChallenges of digitalizationDevotion to duty | 2022 |