how to write case study answers upsc

How to Answer GS 4 Ethics Paper in UPSC Mains

Note : This is a free chapter from my book, Fundamentals of Essay and Answer Writing. I have previously published two excerpts on  GS-2  and  Introductions to Essay . The book has similar detailed chapters on Essay and answer writing for GS-1,2,3,4, including the Anthropology optional. You can get the book here.

GS-IV can be confounding. That’s because the questions in this paper tend to be subjective with no single correct answer. There can be multiple ways to answer a particular question and all of them might be right. Hence, though aspirants are clear about the syllabus, they are often confused about how to answer ethics questions. Given this subjectivity and confusion pertaining to this paper, it becomes challenging to come up with a convincing framework for answer writing. However, some broad principles can guide us in structuring our responses.

In this chapter, we will go through some of those guidelines that can help you argue your case more clearly and make your ethics answer compelling.

GS- IV syllabus can be divided into two segments:

I. Theory II. Case Studies

In this portion (and to some extent in case studies) questions are usually of three types. One, the definition of an ethical value; two, the significance of the value; and three, the application of that value in our daily lives. To put it simply, theory questions ask you to explain a value along with examples.

Let’s take the term integrity. Three questions that could be asked about it are:

• What do you understand by integrity?  [Definition of the value]
• What is the importance of integrity? In its absence, what are the consequences for an individual, society, country or in different walks of life?  [Significance of the value]
• What are the challenges in cultivating integrity? How do you overcome them?  [Application of the value]You may substitute other ethical values for integrity to guess the kind of questions you may face in the test. Anticipate such questions and formulate a basic answer to all ethical terms given in the syllabus. This exercise will help you immensely in preparing for the theory portion.

Prepare a Definition for Each of the Terms in the Syllabus

If the question pertains to a specific ethical value, you must introduce the answer with a crisp definition, followed by an example. The definition can be a personal one, reflecting what it means to you.

Example 1: Integrity

Integrity means being honest and doing the right thing even when nobody is watching you. It can be conveyed through a simple example: Stopping at a red light signal at 3am in the night, even when the entire road was clear. This is an example of my integrity.

Example 2: Leadership

Leadership is the act of motivating a group of people towards achieving a common goal. Leadership provides inspiration, motivation and a vision for the future. Eg: Mahatma Gandhi showed exemplary leadership to unite the country in the fight for independence.

Always prefer a simple definition and avoid jargon. Simplicity is clarity. Another useful way of introducing your answers is by starting with an interesting quote and then proceeding to define the term.

Example 1: When you are answering a question on Emotional Intelligence, it can be started with the following quote:  “As much as 80% of adult success comes from EQ” – Daniel Goleman

Example 2: A question on RTI can be introduced with this quote:  “RTI is the master key to Good Governance” – 2nd ARC

Value mapping

In this exercise, you think of an eminent personality and then map him or her onto the values they stood for.

Below is a table with some examples of prominent leaders. You can add other values that you think match with a particular leader and repeat this exercise for all eminent persons.

As you map values onto the list of the most important leaders, philosophers, or administrators, it will become easier to recollect and quote relevant thinkers in your answers to give weight to your Ethical analysis.

Flow charts and Diagrams

For some topics such as Emotional Intelligence, Good Governance, and Civil Service Values, illustrating their features through flowcharts and diagrams makes your answers concise and neat. Prepare these flowcharts and diagrams beforehand and incorporate them in your mock tests so that it becomes easier to use them in the final test.

Make a database of real life examples

Examples are what make your answer come alive. They not only make the concept clearer, but also convey how the ethical principles and conflicts manifest in real life. Without them, an ethics answer would be a pointless theoretical rambling. Remember that the examiner is not evaluating how much you know about ethics. They want to see how well you can apply those principles in your day-to-day life. For this, examples are crucial.

Some important sources from which to collect these examples are:

• Newspapers — When you read the newspaper, look out for interesting incidents and news that can be used in your ethics paper. There are tons of examples that are reported everyday. For example, when you read about ‘Selfie with Daughter’ campaign, you must be able to correlate with ‘Social persuasion’ topic of the syllabus. Or, say, a newsarticle about civil servants working in remote districts of the country and how they are transforming them for the better. Even happenings in international affairs can be used as examples. Think of Cyber espionage, Syrian refugee crisis, Snowden controversy, Cambridge Analytica scandal and the moral issues pertaining to big tech companies like Facebook and Google. Such everyday examples are numerous, all you have to do is to link it with the syllabus and note them down for future reference.
• Personal Life (School, College, Family) : Littering on the street, jumping a traffic signal, cheating on a test, lying to your parents, shirking work at office. You can think of many examples from your everyday life to quote in your answers. Also, don’t restrict yourself to your own perspective. For instance, there might have been cases of extreme ragging in a certain college and the administration might have turned a blind eye to it in order to protect its image. You can discuss such ethical violations from other’s perspective which has come to your knowledge.
• Workplace : Every profession has its peculiar set of ethical dilemmas. So when you are brainstorming for examples, think of doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, civil servants etc and imagine the moral challenges they might come across in their respective professions. For instance, a lawyer defending a client who is guilty faces an ethical dilemma. An SDM who has to protect government lands and remove encroachments might, in the process, make some poor families homeless. Once you brainstorm, you will have a rich repository of such examples to cite from in your theory answers and case studies.
• From the Lives of Leaders, Philosophers, and Administrators:  Anecdotes, actions, stories, and quotes from the lives of eminent personalities can also be used as examples to drive your argument. Even mythology can be a rich resource to collect good examples. Lincoln’s fight against slavery is an example of moral courage. Dr. Kalam’s commitment to space and nuclear field is a testament to his professional competence.
• Crowdsourcing:  Many online portals such as Insights, IASBABA, ForumIAS, CivilsDaily run a daily module for answer writing practice. Sift through them and you will find some really good answers other people are writing. Reading these can help you build a blueprint for makes an excellent example and prepare your own list.The point of this exercise is to have enough examples for different kinds of situations so that you can easily pick the right one in the right context without wasting much time in the exam hall.

II. Case studies

More than the theory part, case studies bring out our ethical dilemmas and logical reasoning sharply. Done well, they can propel your score beyond 110. Gone wrong, they may restrict your marks to under 90.

The purpose of case studies is to make you ready for the field experience. Once you enter the civil service, you may face situations in which competing values clash. Would you strictly adhere to rules or stay flexible at times to help the needy? Would you suspend an erring subordinate, thereby curtailing his income, or overlook his misdeeds and close it with a warning, considering his dependent family? These are the real-life situations a civil servant confronts on a daily basis. Through case studies, the examiner can understand how you might behave if you were in a similar situation. So, one of the foremost tips (and one of the obvious) is to put yourself in the shoes of an administrator, and consider yourself a problem solver. This makes the whole exercise enjoyable and inevitably your answers exude passion and cogent articulation.

In this component, we will go through some pointers which can help you answer the case studies well.

A standard framework for answers

Having a concrete framework ready while answering gives a sense of flow, coherence and structure to your case study. Else, it

faces the risk of steering away from the question and exceeding the word limit. Therefore, it’s helpful to categorise your answer under the following subheadings:

•  Subject Matter : Briefly in a line or two, capture the entire case study. E.g. In a case Study dealing with an IAS aspirant heading for Interview but sees an accident on the way, subject Matter could be: Dilemma between achieving career ambition and responding to the accident as a good samaritan.

•  Stakeholders : List down the set of people who would be directly and indirectly affected in the case. For instance, you are the CEO of a PSU which is facing severe unionism and strikes, affecting company profits. Stakeholders are yourself, employees, government, public at large, local families, investors, and shareholders. You may also represent this information through a spoke and wheel diagram.

•  EthicalDilemmas/KeyPrinciples :Enumeratetheethicalissues in the case study. This is a crucial part of your answer since you explicitly mention the conflicting values you face in your judgement. For instance, in a case involving mining in a tribal inhabited forest, ethical issues will be: development vs. nature conservation; public interest vs protection of tribal land rights; economic growth vs equitable prosperity. Mention these issues in bullet points, sequentially.

•  Options Available to You : Write 3-4 choices you have in the scenario, along with the pros and cons of choosing each alternative. Two choices inevitably will be the extreme options, which are generally avoided as your choice. The remaining ones should be the practical courses of action you wish to pursue.

•  Choosing an Option : Under this subheading, write about the course of action which can be a combination of the above mentioned options. It should be followed by clear articulation of your arguments (more on this below) along with quotes and examples to substantiate your point of view. The best option to choose in any given situation is not the most original but the most practical. If you come up with a spectacular innovative idea, but isn’t easily implementable, it’s as good as doing nothing. Search for options that can be executed amidst the constraints a govt servant faces. For instance, let’s say in your district, tribals are agitating against a mining company planning to raze the forests and explore the mineral wealth. In such a case, a decision to put a complete ban or a moratorium on mining in your district is impractical and sub-optimal. By

prohibiting any form of mining, you will not help the cause of tribals who would have benefited from the new employment opportunities in the region. So choose an option in which you balance competing interests.

Articulation

Articulation is the beating heart of a case study answer. This follows ‘choosing an option’ section we discussed above.

In this segment, you reason out why you chose a particular option and elaborate on the further of course of action. More than the option you choose, it is the reasoning that led you to choose that particular option that matters more. It’s helpful to narrate from the first person point of view: Use I, wherever possible. It will personalise your answer and therefore carries the weight of a good argument. But, use your discretion based on your experiences on which perspective you want to use.

The course of action you wish to pursue must be mentioned in detail, enumerating the steps clearly. Put yourself in the shoes of the administrator, dive into the details, and make your answer as vivid and concrete as possible. Let me illustrate this through the following examples:

Consider a case study dealing with gender issues in the district. Don’t write something vague saying you will ensure women empowerment in the area. Describe concrete steps by writing on

the lines of: I will try to set up a livelihood opportunity based on their skills, help them produce marketable goods, procure that material in all govt departments, and then encourage local private sector to buy these goods. Quote examples of successful models like SEWA, Prajwala, Lijjat papad etc.

In a case relating to negligent monitoring of government schemes or projects, instead of saying I will collaborate with NGOs to ensure third party accountability, a better way of conveying would be: “I will speak to the reputed local NGOs, hold a meeting with them to take their views. I will give them specific inputs as to when they can go and inspect the schemes and project works discreetly and report to me in person or through WhatsApp.” You can substantiate with a real life example how such Socialcops played a terrific role in effective implementation of Ujjwala Yojana.

Consider a hypothetical case in which you are posted as the DM of a resource-poor district that has a history of vector-borne disease outbreaks. Monsoon season is approaching and you have to prepare for the challenge with limited funds at your disposal. You can narrate the following concrete steps. “Based on the previous years’ data, I will rank specific blocks in terms of their vulnerability and prioritise these hotspots for immediate attention. Fogging shall be done and anti-mosquito nets shall be distributed to these blocks on priority. Intense training sessions will be provided for ASHAs to help them detect of malaria/dengue promptly. I will use the District Mineral Fund (if available) and local CSR funds to procure rapid diagnostic kits. I shall designate every Friday as Dry-day where households in the district will be encouraged to drain out

stagnant water along with conducting a weekly review meeting with all health workers from village level to district level to assess preparedness and correct any issues.”

For a case on eradicating child marriages in a remote area, instead of saying “I will ensure awareness on the subject and adherence to law”, write— “I will take part in bi-weekly Gram Sabha sessions and make the community take a pledge against child marriages. I shall encourage rallies by school children and officers of all government departments. To monitor the on ground situation, I shall depute my officers as special officers responsible for set of blocks where they will tour, discreetly inspect and report back to me. I will monitor complaints and grievances on the issue and ensure a resolution within 30 days.” It helps to mention Govt. schemes like Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana or slogans such as Meri Beti-Mera Garv.

In a case where you, as the Chief, must change the work culture in your office— “At the start of every month, I will conduct a one-on-one meeting with each of my officers, take them into confidence and set mutually agreed goals. At the end of the month, I shall review each officer’s performance against these preset goals and rate them as per objective criteria. Best performers shall be given a letter of appreciation under my letterhead and put a copy of it on the notice board for others to see. The laggards shall be given a warning and if they don’t heed, I will initiate disciplinary action as per the rules to ensure deterrence.”

I don’t mean to say these are the only solutions to these case studies. The point is whatever be your decision, be concrete and specific. It will strike the examiner as practical and implementable.

Towards the end of your answer, quoting a relevant thinker’s opinion or quote gives credence to your decision. For instance, if the ethical issue is about professional integrity, E Sreedharan and his leadership in executing a complex rail project should be quoted as an example. Or let’s take a case study in which you are faced with a decision whether to give clearance to an important road project through a National Park (thereby helping the government save taxpayer’s money) or devising an alternate, but more expensive option (thereby preserving the ecosystem, but hurting govt finances). If you opt for the second option, you can stress on the importance of environmental economics and end with a quote saying:

As environmentalist Wangari Maathai said,  “We need to promote development that does not destroy our environment”.

Just the addition of the above sentence makes the argument more powerful. Your arguments now have the moral backing of an eminent personality. The value mapping exercise we did for the theory section will be helpful here. So for every case study, try and add such relevant quotes to substantiate your points. It will show that you not only read the works of those eminent people, but also understand how to apply their teachings in real-life.

Observe Time Limit

There is a tendency among aspirants to dedicate disproportionate time to case studies. But, remember that they are worth only 120 marks. Irrespective of whether you start with theory portion or the case studies, dedicate time proportionate to their weightage for marks. So for case studies, you should spend the maximum of 90 minutes i.e. 15 minutes per case study.

Further, you should realise that UPSC can change how it distributes marks across questions, but it cannot change the 250 marks assigned to a paper (without prior notice). So, whatever be the number of questions or distribution of marks across those questions, your target must be to write 80 marks worth of answers in the first hour, another 80 in the second hour and 90 in the final hour. This translates to 40 marks in the initial 30 minutes. So whether you start with Part A or Part B, aim to finish questions worth 40 marks in the first half-hour and then repeat this process. Always have an eye on the clock and if you think you are falling behind time, accelerate.

Gain Adequate Practice

Ethics paper has an emphasis on articulation and practical examples, which comes only with adequate practice. Besides, case studies across the years tend to have similar themes and ideas. So answering a lot of these beforehand will give you a sense of confidence to tackle any type of question.

III. Sample Answers

Q. How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (10 Marks)

Social influence is the process through which a person’s attitudes, opinions, or behaviour are changed through social communication. Persuasion is a method of social influence.

Social influence and persuasion contribute to Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) through:

•  Behavioural change among all the stakeholders : By changing attitude toward open defecation in the society through campaigns and media. E.g: Darwaza Band campaign and rallies by school children to build awareness

•  Social pressure and peer pressure : By naming and shaming people who don’t have toilets, they will be forced to build one.

E.g: Children persuading their parents, Gram sabhas reading out names of households without toilets. Positive peer pressure in the form of prizes and rewards for building and using toilets can also help people change.

•  Role-Model effect:  When celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan persuade for SBA, it can bring about a change in orthodox opinions about open defecation.

•  Community Ownership : Through Gram Swachhdhoots, SBA can be made community driven to make it . Such persuasive methods were very successful in Bangladesh.

•  Healthy competition among stakeholders : through initiatives like Swacch Survekshan.

Thus social Influence and persuasion techniques, by effectively targeting the social psyche and behaviour can accelerate the goal of Swacch Bharat Mission.

Q. You are aspiring to become an IAS officer and you have cleared various stages and now you have been selected for the personal interview. On the day of the interview, on the way to the venue you saw an accident where a mother and child who happen to be your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediate help. What would you have done in such a situation? Justify your action. (25 Marks)

Subject matter:  Dilemma between achieving career ambition Vs responding to accident as a good samaritan.

Stakeholders involved:  The mother, child, me, my family, society at large and the UPSC.

Ethical dilemmas :

• Personal ambitions vs. Moral responsibility to help others • Being punctual to the interview vs Saving life • Personal and family’s dream to be civil servant vs Moral

obligation to relatives

Options Available

Final Course of action

I shall choose the last option because I have a moral responsibility to help the victims, and a personal responsibility to myself, my family and my career. I worked hard to reach the interview stage, so it makes sense to balance both these obligations.

So my immediate response would be to quickly move the victims to my cab. Using Google Maps, I’ll check for nearby hospitals and find the shortest route possible to get there. I will call the hospital and ask them to arrange emergency services by the time we reach.

Along the way, I will also call the relatives’ family and ask them to reach the hospital. I will admit the victim to the hospital and pay any charges, if required. If it gets late for the relatives to reach, I will entrust the cab driver to kindly look after her, pay him his waiting charges and proceed to the interview.

In the meantime, I will also check if I can reach out to anyone who can inform the interview panel about my situation and that I may reach late. If I do get delayed, I will make every attempt to convince the authorities involved as to the reasons why it happened. As soon as the interview is done, I will come back to the hospital and check on the victims’ condition and help them in anyway I can.

As remarked by Gandhiji  “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” . By helping people, we not only make the world a better place but also stay true to our conscience. It leads to harmony, balancing social good with personal ambition.

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42 thoughts on “ How to Answer GS 4 Ethics Paper in UPSC Mains ”

Hey anudeep, thank you so much for the invaluable insights you have provided us in your book. Its a wonderful piece of your hard work. I got so much to learn from it. Thank you so much. God bless you 🙂

Glad to hear that. Thank you!

क्या आपकी पुस्तक हिंदी में या फिर English में

Sir please can you tell me that this is ebook or it is hard copy?Will it be delivered to our home?

Sir meru guidance esthara

Sir how you learn fluent english Please give reply sir

respected sir , i have made the payment of 389 for essay answer writing book and videos but still it is showing to pay the amount . how should i access the book ? plz reply it would be helpful for me . thanking u regards maithili

Anna nv super anna I am full inspired

Sir which pen you used??

Sir start the YouTube channel for village people’s

Meru e book videos freega endhuku cheyatam ledhu, afford cheyaleni aspirants me valuble suggestions ela telusukuntaru ?

Kya main BA karke CSE apply karskta ho Apki 5 tips aur konsi konsi books Leno chahiye…

Good Evening sir, I want to write GS paper in English and take Hindi Literature. It’s possible or not.

Yes,Of course. Explanation: If your optional is a literature paper then you have to write those optional papers in that very language. Except them, all papers, Essay and G.S I, II, III, IV are to be written only in Hindi or English. So, You can choose English as your medium and Hindi Literature as your optionals.

Wonderful Sir Salute to your hard work and perseverance You are a true IAS officer,dedicated to Steve your country’s people.

Sir. 1.May I know which online platform for prelims and mains test series is the good one ? 2 .whether to join integrated prelims and mains or separate prelims and separate mains test series? 3.what is the right time to join ?

Sir I am unable to open the video lectures of your book..as those videos are unsupported in my mobile…sir Its a …….please send me those videos in my gmail account as your each video and lecture is very important to me and all the upsc aspirants..

Really it is very helpful for the beginners.. Thank you so much anudeep sir.

for beginners it will give full clarity on how be a good thinker and on track aspirants it will give value addition. we good to see u providing this enormous information which u are giving for aspirants. THANK YOU BRO..KEEP ON GIVE THIS BOOST TO ASPIRANTS

Sir Thankyou very much for this book .Immensely helpful.Sir is your book enough for upsc preparation if we understand it and like this way.

Will you release new editions in the upcoming years?? Or is this book useful for upsc 2022 please reply sir….

Sir is this only e-book or can I get its hard copy ? If yes can I know how to get it .

Thanks a ton sir! What an exaplanation you have presented before us. I cleared all doubts and ambiguities related to paper 4. thanks again sir .love you sir..

Thank you sir

Tnq so much resp. Sir..! Valuable guidance for us…To clear all doubts regarding paper IV.🙏

Hello Sir, Your ethics notes are very concise and effective and I am grateful to you for providing these notes. One thing i can’t make out is the LMR you’ve written at certain places with an highlighter. Please decode this puzzle so that I can be at peace.😭🙏

‘Last Minute Revision’ 🙂

Thanks a lot sir ji one day i will join in your group

Thank u very much sir 😊 such a wonderful explanation for the beginers like me. Keep going in writing such awesome books like this. Actually sreaching for good network ,I think this is the correct platform for not only me but also all the asparents … Thank u sir from the bottom of the heat 😁

Hello Sir, but sir from where i get all quotes.

Your advice is solid. This is amazingly articulated with detailed suggestions. Thank you so much for this. Hope you’re doing well as an IAS officer, best wishes.

Sir it’s an honour to have read this chapter! Thanks a lot for publishing the book! I’ve placed my order and am eagerly awaiting. Thanks once again, Sir. I believe that you are a blessing to all the aspirants. I hope to clear the exam with flying colors and meet you in person to share my respect and admiration for you! I’m from Hyderabad and it feels so proud to be associated with the land where you come from. Believe me, coming from the bottom of my heart. 🙏😊

A warm good afternoon sir! the way you present your answers really awesome sir. sir my small request you to present upsc prelims and mains best books to aspirants ,to clear upsc.

Thank you so much sir for giving well knowledge about answer writing in UPSC mains iam froam Warangal I hope that iam become a civil servant with your blessings sir..

I have to appear in CSE in 2024…so when should I start preparing Ethics..?

Sir please start YouTube channel sir for village people sir

If above case studies come true in life, should I persue the same as given in elaboration. And if I got delayed, I would be entertained for the interview…if “yes” its ok and if not… I can go with court help..

Now it’s clear that how to score good in ethics. Thank you so much for this. 😊

Hello sir , Good evening

Sir i want to write my gs and essay papers in regional language. and going to choose literature of that language too. But the thing is authentic material is not available in this language …so i have decided to read in eng. And translate in my notes in my language….is it advisable ?? Or should i improve my english writing skills ? Or can i reach that level of eng. Writing in a year ?

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How should I answer a case study in ethics?

• Categories Strategy for UPSC Mains
• Published 4th Dec, 2021

Unlike any other paper in UPSC mains , Essay and Ethics paper are high scoring subjects in which students need to be creative in their approach of answer writing . Ethics paper is very much subjective in nature, which don’t follow linear point in their approach. Ethics paper requires a separate prepartion strategy as compare to any other subject.

In Ethics paper, questions in this paper tend to be subjective with no single correct answer. There can be multiple ways to answer a particular question and all of them might be right. Hence, though aspirants are clear about the syllabus, they are often confused about how to answer ethics questions.

Case Studies Segment of GS Paper:

• Along with the theory part, case studies in Ethics paper brings out ethical dilemmas and logical reasoning sharply. The purpose of case studies is to make aspirants ready for the real-time field experience like situation. Aspirants should try to enhance their skill for civil services examination , as once they will enter the civil service after selection, aspirants may face situations in which competing values clash. Would strictly adhere to rules or stay flexible at times to help the needy.
• Ethics paper m akes the aspirants be prepared for the real-life battle as Civil servant confronts real-life situations on a daily basis. With the help of case studies, the examiner can understand how aspirants might behave if they face real-life similar situation.

Framing of the Answer:

• In Ethics answer , aspirants should have concrete framework ready while answering gives a sense of flow, coherence, and structure to your case study. Aspirants faces the risk of steering away from the question and exceeding the word limit. Therefore, it’s helpful to categorise your answer under the following subheadings:
• Aspirants should write briefly in a line or two the entire gamut of case study and should capture the entire case study.
• Before attempting the question, aspirants should List down the set of people (stakeholders) who would be directly and indirectly affected in the case. For instance, you are the Regional Branch Manager, where you come to know that your colleague ABC is being harassed by person xyz based on the caste identity.
•  In ethical dilemmas sort of questions the case study. Aspirants should be crucial part of your answer since you explicitly mention the conflicting values you face in your judgement.
• Options Available to You: Write 3-4 choices you have in the scenario, along with the pros and cons of choosing each alternative. Two choices inevitably will be the extreme options, which are generally avoided as your choice. The remaining ones should be the practical courses of action you wish to pursue.
• Choosing an Optional, aspirants should look to choose their options in answer very carefully by balancing their all options by taking middle path approach. You should try to choose best options in any given situation which may not the most original but the most practical. If you come up with a spectacular innovative idea, but isn’t easily implementable, it’s as good as doing nothing.

Writing Case Studies Answers:

• Aspirants should try to write all the possible options as their first priorities in the answer. Then, one by one, you should attempt all the options by writing, why you will take that particular option and why you will not take that particular option, you should elaborate on the further course of action.
• The course of action you wish to pursue must be mentioned in detail, enumerating the steps clearly. Put yourself in the shoes of the administrator, dive into the details, and make your answer as vivid and concrete as possible.
• Aspirants should try to write towards the end of their answer by quoting a relevant thinker’s opinion as quote gives credence to your decision.

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[Ethics] Sample Questions, Case studies for UPSC General studies paper 4 based on Donald Menzel’s book

Essay-ish / abstract questions, disobeying an informal order, returning unspent money, misleading for good purpose, private matter of public employee, political neutrality, political neutrality part.2, salary hike vs team spirit, holding charity auctions in the office, spouse in the same office, private endorsement by public official, man of word or man of money, courage with a price tag.

So far in the [Ethics] mock-question series

• UPSC’s sample paper for GS4
• Samples questions based on ethics courses of San Diego and Texas University

Now this this articles contains case-studies/questions are based on Donald C. Menzel’s book Ethics Moments in Government:Cases and Controversies .

• For the Essay-ish questions I’ve merely lifted statements from the book. Because UPSC seems to be doing similar thing for Public Administration (lift sentences from some book and ask the candidate to ‘comment’ on it).
• for the case-studies questions, I’ve given Indian flavor to those American cases and included a few answer key points but by no means they’re sacred/official/final/marksworthy- they’re only meant to serve as lighthouse for the utterly confused.

Answer following questions 12 marks/120 words each:

• What do you understand by ethics audit? How is it different from financial audit?
• Are ethics practices and behaviors in the business world different than those found in public service? If so, why?
• Describe an ethical issue you have had to address in your school or college life and the way you handled it. If confronted with the same issue today, would you handle it in the same way?
• Are ethical standards in business organizations higher or lower than those in public service organizations?
• Is there more unethical behavior in government than in business?
• Do you believe the ethical performance of an employee can be evaluated fairly and accurately? Yes/No/Why?
• Is a professional code of ethics that is not enforceable a satisfactory code? Yes/No/Why?
• How does corrupt behavior resemble or differ from unethical behavior?
• Should we hold appointed officials, such as collectors and tehsildaars, to a higher standard of behavior than elected officials such as municipal councilors? Yes/No/Why?
• Gandhi always advocated the purity of means- with respect to that, do you think it is unethical for a military officer to mislead the enemy? Yes/No/Why?

Comment on following statements (12 marks/120 words each)

• Ethics are less a goal than a pathway, less a destination than a trip, less an inoculation than a process.
• Righteous disobedience is better than Moral muteness.
• Exemplary leadership is critical to encouraging ethical behavior in government organizations.
• Openness and transparency are critical safeguards that keep our democracy alive and well.
• Ethical codes are merely veneers. Shiny on the outside but hollow on the inside.
• Living up to the public trust is much more than just an act of compliance.
• Ethics is the cornerstone of effective, efficient, democratic governance.
• Ethics may be only instrumental, it may be only a means to an end, but it is a necessary means to an end.
• The relationships between ethics, service, and trust are mutually reinforcing.
• Ignorance is not an excuse for misconduct.
• Those who commit misconduct out of ignorance should be treated less harshly.
• If men were angels, no government would be necessary
• Humans roam the earth, not the heavens, so ethics are indispensable.
• Honesty and truthfulness have to be practiced and balanced with delicate diplomacy on some occasions.
• List the reforms necessary to encourage ethical behavior and prevent misconduct in public organizations of India.

Ethics Case Studies / Role playing Questions

DevAnand is working as a clerk in Collector’s office. Due to staff shortage, Dev also performs the task of raising flag over the office building every morning and taking it down every evening, although it is not part of his official job description.

One day a criminal turned politician Madan Puri dies. Years ago, Devanand’s best friend was murdered during a riot allegedly orchestrated by Madan Puri.

Nonetheless, State secretariat passes an order to all District collectors, to keep National flag at “half-mast” over their offices, to mourn the death of the Mr.Madan Puri.

DevAnand sees this news on TV, gets angry with such mockery of our national flag. He decides not to goto office next morning and keeps the door key of rooftop with himself. He is confident, “ no formal punishment can be given to me, because this was not part of my official duty. At most Collector sahib will reprimand me informally but I don’t care because Madan Puri killed my best friend. ”

Do you think DevAnand has made the right decision? Yes/No/Why?

Answer keypoints

DevAnand made a wrong decision because:

• It prevents other staff members from carrying out the ‘official’ order from StateHQ.
• It puts his boss in an embarrassing position in front of the StateHQ.
• If Dev’s conscience doesn’t permit him carrying out a task, he should inform his boss. But running away with keys, without informing anyone = irresponsible.
• Such behavior is not expected from a good team player / a public servant.

DevAnand is running an NGO to help street children. He receives government grant of Rs.2 lakh rupees for a project to teach the “out of school” children, who work at tea-stalls, do boot-polishing etc. A year passes, but Dev managed to utilize only 50,000 rupees from the grant. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t convince many poor children or their families to join his NGO’s program.

As per the grant rules, Dev has to return all the unspent money back to government by the end of March 31 st . But his colleague Pran suggests following:

• If we honestly return Rs.1.5 lakh back, then government officials will think we are amateur, ineffective NGOs and they’ll substantially reduce our grant for next year or even worse- they’ll not give us any project next time!
• We should take help of CA Prem Chopra to manipulate our account books and show majority of the grant was utilized for education.
• Many other NGOs do the same thing- there is no problem – nobody will raise any objection, as long as we give 20% of the grant to SDM in charge of this project.
• Although it sounds unethical but we won’t use this money for personal needs, we’ll use it on street children only. Hence our act is fully ethical and moral.

What should DevAnand do with the money?

Answer keypoints:

• “Because others are also doing it” – is never the valid justification to commit an unethical or criminal act.
• Manipulating account books to keep the grant money.
• Bribing SDM to keep the grant money.
• The shelf life of lie and deception is very low- especially when manipulating the account books – ask Ramalinga Raju, ex-chief of Satyam.
• DevAnand was unable to use 75% of the grant money, it implies
• Dev didn’t try hard enough OR
• Government had exaggerated the amount of money required to educate the out of school children OR

In anycase, If Dev keeps the unspent grant, government will continue pumping more money- other NGOs and the SDM will keep amassing wealth. Therefore, DevAnand should return the unspent grant back to the government.

DevAnand is the inspector in charge of Rampur Police station. The police station building is in dire need of repairs, but hasn’t received any grants for years. One day, a cyclone hits a nearby area, damaging most of the houses and shops. Although Dev’s police station gets partially damaged, but most of the building remain intact . Government sends a disaster assessment team to ascertain the level of damage and pay relief money. The DSP Mr. Pran, orders DevAnand to do following:

• Hire some laborers and destroy the remaining parts of your police station building.
• When disaster assessment team comes, you tell them building collapsed by the cyclone, and ask them to give priority in funding after all police station is one the most important public offices in a town.

Should DevAnand obey his boss’s order?

Answer keypoints The shelf life of lie and deception is very low. Especially when many people are involved. In this case: laborers and any bystanders. Both Dev and Pran are risking themselves to an unnecessary negative publicity and possible departmental inquiry and punishment for professional misconduct. Indeed police building needed repairs and should have been given a grant months ago, but three wrongs don’t make a right:

• Wanton destruction of a public building.
• Misleading the disaster assessment team.
• Police officer DevAnand spending his time and energy in such activity rather than doing rescue-relief-patrolling duty after the disaster.

DevAnand is working as an under Secretary in the pension department. One day, his friend GuruDutt, an SBI PO, narrates following incident:

• For last two years, a retired Government employee Mr.Ashok Kumar is giving away 30% of his monthly pension to Mrs.Bindu Chopra every month through cheque.
• I found Mrs.Bindu Chopra happens to be the wife of Mr.Prem Chopra, a section officer in the pension office under you (DevAnand.)
• I feel something is fishy- may be this is part of a large bribe scam where senior citizens are forced to pay money to clear their pension files from Prem Chopra, and have to submit bribes in his wife’s account.

DevAnand visits Mr.Ashok Kumar’s house but he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, unable to give coherent answers. Frustrated DevAnand directly confronts Prem Chopra. But Prem says “Mr.Ashok Kumar was a friend of my father. He has no relatives or children and my wife Bindu has been taking care of him like daughter since a long time. Therefore, Mr.Ashok Kumar gives us money out of good will, so we can send our son to an expensive IIT coaching class @Kota, Rajasthan. Besides this is a personal family matter and none of your damn business.”

Do you think DevAnand made a blunder or was he merely performing an ethical duty?

Here, both GuruDutt and DevAnand has failed to act in responsible manner. Because:

• A banker must keep his clients’ data confidential, unless required by the law to disclose it.
• GuruDutt didn’t even wait to cross verify who else is giving money to Mrs.Bindu Chopra’s account. Because if there was a ‘large scale bribe scam’ then lot other senior citizens would be making payment to Bindu’s account, and not just Mr.Ashok Kumar alone.
• Even in that situation, Gurudutt had to consult his boss within his own bank first. He cannot go around giving informal tips to outsiders. This is an unethical act for a banker.
• DevAnand too acted in hasty manner. First, he starts ‘investigation’ based on an informal tip from a banker who is not supposed to tip him in the first place. He should have consulted the vigilance department before moving further.
• Second, Dev Anand confronts Prem Chopra, without any hardcore evidence. When you’re holding a public office, you can’t go around accusing people in such haste. It breaks the office discipline, destroys the staff morale and allows the guilty person to cover his tracks.

Prem Chopra, a civil society activist, has launched a mass-movement to change Prime-ministerial form of government to presidential form of government. Dev Anand is an undersecretary in the PMO. Before joining civil service, he had done Ph.D on the demerits of presidential form of government. He is invited by a news channel for prime-time debate. The newschannel anchor, Mr.Arnab Goswami assures DevAnand following:

• It’ll be only an educational-intellectual debate among scholars.
• No politicians from ruling or opposition party are invited in our show.
• You’re invited in your capacity as a scholar in political science and not as a bureaucrat.

Should DevAnand accept Arnab Goswami’s invitation for news-debate?

Answerkey point:

No. Because bureaucrats should not voice their opinion about political matters on public platform. Even if no politician is invited, some other scholar/participant/anchor might raise points in favour or against the ruling party during the debate, and Dev will find himself in a political minefield.

To curtail the mounting fiscal deficit, Finance Minister Pran Chindu decides to merge agriculture ministry with forest ministry; coal ministry with oil ministry and reduce personnel in the central services by 30%. But opposition party is hardly raising any objection –they are occupied with onion price rise issue. Media is too busy covering MS Dhoni’s new hairstyle.

DevAnand, an employee in the Cabinet secretariat feels both Opposition party and media have failed to perform their ethical duty to inform citizens about matters of public interest. Therefore, he starts writing anonymous blogs and tweets to inform public about the negative consequences of Chindu’s austerity measures. Is DevAnand doing the right thing?

Answer key points:

• No. DevAnand is not doing the right thing.
• Role of public servant is to obey the will of the community- articulated through the elected members including the said Finance Minister.
• Public servant has to remain politically neutral. Dev is crossing that Laxman-Rekha by his anonymous blogs.

DevAnand has been serving as the Chief fire officer in city for over 3 years. Because of his efficient management, there were very few fire incidents, no lives were lost and property damage was minimum. He enjoys almost a celebrity like status in local media and city dwellers. As the election year comes, Mayor Pran, with an aim to garner goodwill among voters, frames a budget with 10% pay raise to fire bridge staff and 25% pay raise for the Chief fire Officer. Should DevAnand accept it or not/Why?

• Firefighting is a team work. Team leader must display fairness and equity.
• If Dev accepts 25% raise, it could promote his image as an aloof, insensitive, self-serving boss. Staff may not follow his lead with same enthusiasm afterwards.
• Therefore, Dev should not accept more than what is being offered to other employees of Fire brigade. (10%).

Pran, the bank employee, approaches Bank Manager DevAnand and says following:

• My child is suffering from blood cancer. I don’t have health insurance policy and my salary is insufficient to meet these medical expenses.
• But over the years, I’ve been collecting autographed bats and balls of various cricketers.
• I seek your permission to hold a charity auction in the office. I’ll also send fliers to clients of our bank. Everyone is welcome to bid for these bats and balls, so I can raise money for the medical treatment of my child.

Three other bank employees-Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Ranjith overhear this conversation. They also inform DevAnand – indeed Pran’s financial situation is very bad and his child will die if the treatment is not done on time, therefore permission should be given to hold this charity auction.

Should Dev give permission or not?

• No. Because some members may informally feel pressured to give money -Especially Pran’s juniors and subordinates.
• It might create a feeling of alienation between employees who bid and those who don’t.
• Next time another employee will try to do the same, may be with a trivial reason e.g. I’m willing to auction t-shirts autographed by filmstars to repay the last EMI of my home loan, allow me to hold auction in the office. And if Dev says no that time, it might create an impression Dev is biased towards certain employees- staff morale goes down.
• Therefore, it is best to keep auctions and other money raising activities out of the workplace irrespective of their noble aims.

DCP DevAnand marries Sub inspector Rosie. In the office, Rosie doesn’t directly report to DevAnad but Dev has responsibility for signing off on her annual evaluation. Although Dev doesn’t give any preferential treatment to Rosie but one of her colleague, Prem Chopra, complained several times to the DIG Pran: “Dev saab always gives highest ratings to his wife and I’m always given average ratings despite my best performance in criminal investigations.“

DIG conducts inquiry, doesn’t find anything against DevAnand. Later Dev officially reprimands Prem Chopra for this unprofessional behavior.

Frustrated Prem Chopra narrates this incident to his wife Bindu. Bindu decides to take matters in her own hands, writes an anonymous email to the local press, informing how Rosie hasn’t legally divorced her first husband Marco, yet she is staying with DCP DevAnand and gives vivid details of their “adulterous” live-in relationship.

Rita reporter, an expert on such masala news, starts giving ball by ball commentary in her newspaper about Rosie’s past by interviewing her college friends, neighbors, relatives etc. Everybody in the town starts gossiping about this. Dev asks his IT expert friend GuruDutt to investigate. GuruDutt digs out that email originated from Prem Chopra’s home computer.What should DevAnand do:  Reprimand Prem Chopra once more?  Suspend him for indiscipline? Sue him for defamation? Is doing nothing an option?

• Doing nothing is not a viable option since situations like this only fester and become more problematic.
• It is never a good practice for a public official to have a relative in a subordinate position. Despite efforts to avoid perceived acts of favoritism, sooner or later the official will find himself being accused of an inappropriate action. Therefore, Police and Military organizations often have anti-fraternization policies. (e.g. As per the US Air Force rules, one of the couple has to quit from the service.)
• This situation is all about the perception of favoritism. The perception may or may not be true whether DevAnand is giving preferential treatment to Rosie during annual performance evaluation.
• To prevent this from happening, DevAnand needs to stop chasing Prem Chopra and take steps to get his wife posted in another office, or seek his own transfer to another office.
• Last but not least, the DevAnand should put to rest the question of the legality of his marriage to avoid future accusations.

Prem Chopra runs a company that offers private security guards, CCTV, burglary alarm and other security devices.

DCP DevAnand learns that everytime after a theft or robbery takes place, Police Inspector Pran advices the victim and bystanders to install security devices from Prem Chopra’s company to make their home and shops secure from criminals. Pran even tells them “ When you goto Prem Chopra’s office, tell him I’ve sent you, he’ll give you special discount. ”

Dev confronts Pran about this matter. Pran justifies his action by saying:

• Yes, I take money for Prem Chopra to endorse his security products for homes and offices.
• I use this money to pay my informers and keep a check on criminal elements. I don’t spent this money on myself or my family.
•  Even municipal buses and railway-wagons have advertisements, then why is an endorsement by a city official unethical or illegal?
• Besides, Prem Chopra’s security devices are very effective at preventing burglary.

Should DevAnand permit Pran to continue this endorsement activity? Yes/No/Why?

• Advertisement on bus / railway wagon is not same as a public official promoting a brand. Because those bus/railway ads don’t interfere with vehicle’s primary function of transporting persons from one place to another. But when a public official promotes a brand, he is spending part of his office time and energy for private gain rather than serving the citizen.
• If Dev permits Pran, then other staff members will also start similar marketing. Thus part of the office-time will diverted to selling products rather than solving crime
• Might even lead to internal rivalries about who is earning more commissions.
• Citizens may feel informal pressure to buy such products fearing their file / matter will not be cleared by the public officials otherwise.
• Endorsements of commercial products by public officials can easily result in an unethical situation: sharing financial gain through bribes, kickbacks, or postemployment opportunities for government officials.

In short, it will open a Pandora’s box. Therefore, DevAnand should order Pran to stop this activity at once.

DevAnand is a brilliant maths teacher in a private English medium school in Ahmedabad and gets yearly package of Rs.3 lakhs. Another school at Baroda offers him package of Rs. 3.5 lakhs. Dev makes a verbal commitment to the Baroda school principle, “Sure,I’ll join your school from next month.“

But when Dev submits his resignation to A’bad school, its Principle Mr.Pran requests him to stay and offers new package of Rs.3.8 lakhs. Should Dev take back his resignation? yes/no/why?

• from ethical perspective, even verbal acceptance = contract. And contract must be honored.
• Even if Pran’s counteroffer is higher, Dev has a moral obligation to remain consistent with his original intention (of joining Baroda school).

(Copy pasting a news report from TheHindu )

December 7, 2012, Chandigarh.

Robanjit Kaur, 23-year-old daughter of ASI Ravinderpal Singh was returning home after her IELTS coaching class when Shiromani Akali Dal leader Ranjit Singh Rana and his goons started teasing her. She called up her father Mr.Ravinderpal Singh, an ASI with Punjab Police.

When her father arrived and confronted the group, a heated argument followed and Rana pulled out his pistol and began firing at both father and daughter. Both received bullet injuries and father collapsed.

Even as Ms. Kaur struggled to shift her father into a vehicle to take him to hospital, Rana and his gang returned with a rifle and shot Ravinderpal Singh again in full public view.

Ms. Kaur said to media, “Rana kept kicking and hitting us in full public glare. I cried and pleaded for help but everyone ran away. Even when the ambulance came, I had to lift my father into it as no one came to help me.”

End of news.

A Sociologist remarks: “Our government has not set up a system to encourage civilians to fight against criminal acts. Why should someone risk injury or their life to save another if one’s life or livelihood is endangered? Government needs to enact a new scheme named after you know who , to reward any civilian with Rs.10 lakh, a government job and a 3 BHK flat, if he prevents a crime in a public place.”

Do you believe announcing big financial rewards to pedestrians who standup against a criminal, will change the situation? Does or can courage have a price tag? Yes/No/Why?

• Indeed an act of courage should be rewarded and applauded.
• But running a scheme with Rs.10 lakh and a government job, might lead to vigilante mobs of unemployed youth, roaming around with hokey sticks and baseball bats looking for a crime to happen (or orchestrating a crime by themselves) in order to get the money and the job.
• In the given case, goons were armed with pistols and rifles. No unarmed civilian can be expected to fight with them. In future, might lead to a situation where a poor man intentionally jumps in the fight, knowing fully well that he’ll be killed- but only doing so his family can get Rs.10 lakh.
• Maintenance of law and order is state’s responsibility not civilians’. Money is better spent on recruiting more policemen and judges.

For more on case studies & revision notes, visit Mrunal.org/ETHICS

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62 comments.

Thank u buddy

epic(awe)some ;) as always

Wonderful adaptation from ASPA Book Mrunal. Exemplary work.

@MRUNAL SIR PLEASE POST THE E-BOOK…

Thank you sir..

This is very good article on UPSC, thank you very much for providing such a nice article, for more about UPSC, please visit to http://upscmpscguide.blogspot.in

sir should we buy this book and from where,I mean what material should we read to answer your questions

anyone having this book pls share

thank you very much sir.you have done very good job.

really commendable job…thanx sir

Hi Mrunal, I have recently started following your Blog and I must say that you are doing a great job. Can you please suggest me some books or reading resources for preparing for “Ethics” section of the exam ? Can any of the other aspirants suggest something on this? Thanks.

Sir,cAn u suggest some boooks for this paper

Great job Mrunal…. This is my first site by first surfing on the internet for the ethics …so I appreciate u for data… So I am starting for ethics right now….

Please suggest a good book for GS Paper 4…Subbarao or Arihant…or any other.

Sir,please post important study materials for preparation of

UPSC(GS -4) mains paper on my Email.I need your help sir .please!!!

#Case Study : You have an opportunity for an internship in a respected business in the community. Part of your qualifications comes from a Senior Project that you worked on with several other students. Through the interview process, you discover that you are given credit for a key section of the project that really impressed the company. In fact, another member of your senior team, with little input from you, did that section. How do you proceed?

Firstly if you are aware that your senior has helped you out to get your work done then say the truth.

Mrunal sir ur site has been extremely beneficial fo my mains prep

Commendable perspective..

Lovely article – one of the best things I’ve recently read, and by far the most useful. I think it could also be useful for everyone to know how and where to fill a form online. Try PDFfiller to fill a form here http://goo.gl/W3yHeH . It allows you to to fill out PDF files.

Dear Mrunal Greetings from Nepal,

The Public Service Commission (PSC) of Nepal recently changed the syllabus of Joint Secretary. It includes one of the chapters “Ethics and Morality” has covered different topics which almost you are mentioned in your site. Here (Kathmandu) most of the aspirants of PSC competition exam (especially Joint Secretary competition ) has been suffering from the materials in this topics. Actually, I benefited…

Thank u very very much for ur great job….

Bal Sagar Giri Under Secretary Government of Nepal

Plz sir which books are study for ethics

Sir, Please provide a list of materials that are needed to ace the ethics paper.

Sir, Please update it to the next level. Thank you for the great work.

Sir Aap jo abhi case study newspaper analysis me dete ho uske model answer bhi diya kro

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How to Solve Case Studies for Ethics Paper - UPSC Mains 2022

Aug 16, 2022

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Follow a standard framework, be specific.

Practice Writing

Track Your Time

Follow the steps below to ensure that you always write good answers for the case study questions. 

You must have a standard framework for writing case study answers. This ensures that your answer is well structured and easy to understand for the examiner. 

Otherwise, you waste time figuring out where to start and what to write. You also run the risk of moving away from addressing the core issue. 

Here is a standard framework you can use

• The Core Issue

Here you have to capture the essence of the entire case study in a few lines. Let us take the earlier example of development vs. environment dilemma. 

On one hand, you are dealing with the dilemma of deciding whether or not to approve the construction of a factory that will generate thousands in employment and bring hope to many families. 

On the other hand, you are dealing with the issue that factories will generate a lot of non-biodegradable waste, pollute the environment and cause the life expectancy of the people around them to decrease. 

Here, the core issue can be summarised as a “dilemma of choosing between development and the environment. ”

• Stakeholders

Here you need to list the people directly or indirectly affected by the problem. 

To continue the above example, the stakeholders are the employees, the government, the public, local families, investors, shareholders, and yourself.   The stakeholders involved will differ according to the case study you are given.

• List the Ethical Issues Involved

Here you have to list all the ethical issues you will face. For example, in a whistleblowing case you as an IAS officer have to decide whether to let the public know about some wrongdoing in your department that harms the public interest or ignore the matter and be loyal to your organisation. 

If you decide to be a whistleblower, you know that you will be ostracized and your colleagues will stand against you. 

The ethical dilemmas, in this case, will be “Personal Loss as against Public Interest” and “Organisational Loyalty as against Public Interest.”

• Write the Options Available and Their Merits and Demerits

Study the given situation and write 3-4 choices you have along with their merits and demerits. One or two choices might be too extreme to be considered. Nonetheless, you still have to list them as they are options. 

• Decide Your Final Course of Action  

Here you list the final course of action that you would pursue. This can be one of the options you listed above or a combination of them. 

Once you have decided the course of action you want to take, present clear arguments along with quotes and examples to support your view. 

Usually, the best course of action is the most practical one. Try to come up with an action that you believe will be easily doable amidst all government rules and regulations and is possible with the available resources that you as an administrative officer at that time would possess. 

When you are listing out your final course of action, be specific in mentioning what you aim to do. Put yourself in the shoes of an administrator and think like a civil servant. 

Let’s assume you have to decide whether to allocate land to a helpless, lonely, widowed woman without proper documentation that verifies her claim to the land. 

Here the dilemma is, “Upholding the law as against Public Interest.”

In this situation, you should not simply write, “I will follow the law and refuse to allocate the land as she lacks the proper documentation. However, I will ensure that she gets help.”

You have to list concrete steps that you will take in this situation. Write something like this, “I will follow the law and refuse to allocate the land as she lacks the proper documentation. However, I shall contact the nearest relevant NGO and ensure she gets food and shelter for the next few days. In addition, I will discuss with my seniors and direct the NGO to the best possible course of action in getting the widow proper documents so that she can stake her claim.” 

Towards the end of your answer, you can insert a relevant quote by an iconic or famous personality. For example, you can write Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote, “The only way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” 

Although it is not necessary to include a quote, doing so can make your answer more presentable to the examiner. 

Practice Writing 

To score high in the case study section of the Ethics paper, you must be articulate and able to provide practical, actionable solutions to real-world problems. 

Go through previous year's questions (PYQs). Case study questions have a common theme, so practicing PYQs will give you a fair idea of how you need to write your answers and give you confidence. 

Avoid spending too much time writing the case study answers as you have to complete the rest of the paper. In 2021, UPSC allotted 120 marks to the case studies section of the Ethics paper. Assuming that the marks distribution will remain the same for 2022, you still have an additional 130 marks to attempt. 

You can start with either the theory portion or the case studies. However, dedicate your time according to the weightage of marks. 

And with that, we have come to the end of the framework for writing case study answers. 

If you want to write answers that impress the examiner, you must practice with high-quality QBank and Mock Tests. 

Mains is coming near, so don’t waste your time searching for them now. Save your time, download the PrepLadder App and easily access the best QBank and Mock Tests that will elevate your answer writing skills.   

In addition, you will find high-quality notes, NCERT Summary and PYQs, based on the latest exam pattern to help boost your UPSC CSE Mains preparation.

The PrepLadder App has everything you need to achieve your IAS dream, including the Dream Team's concise, effective, well-planned video lectures, comprising India's top UPSC faculties. 

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UPSC MAINS STRATEGY - GS PAPER 4

• Society And Culture
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Case Studies

This topic is the final culmination point of all the other topics mentioned in Ethics syllabus. One is required to answer questions based on a given case study, the issue here is that there is no right or wrong answer when answering questions on case-study, but it is all about being reasonable and ethically-morally right based on one's thought process and experiences.

Important Sub-topics/Issues are:

• Gender Issues
• Mal-governance
• Environmental Issues
• Current Affairs Issues
• Human Development factors.
• Ethical Dilemmas
• Conflict of interest

One must be familiar with the common terminology used in the Ethics Syllabus and try to use those keywords while writing answer. It will not suffice to only memorize answers. You must be very good at the basics . It is very important to learn how to skim through contents. This will save you valuable time and effort and you can go through more content in a limited amount of time.

The candidate should understand that if he or she tries to read from too many sources, it won’t serve a purpose. Rather, one should stick to a single source, we recommend Ethical Case Studies: A Broad Dimension by Ankit K. Agarwal and focus on how s author have analysed a particular topic and formulated their theories.

What the examiner seeks?

From the examiner's point of view, the ethics-integrity-aptitude of ethics paper in UPSC seeks to gauge the candidate's basic understanding of topics like Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, Work Culture, and Quality of service delivery and ability to analyze and form views on various conflicting socio-economic issues.

For the questions framed in this area, the candidates must answer in such a way that reflects his or her complete knowledge on the topic and the formation of the answer should be to the point and relevant to what has been asked.

Answer Writing Strategy for Case Studies

There is never a set answer for a case study. The idea should be to learn from the format:

• Answer Body
• Try to provide practical solutions. Ideal solutions , if unworkable, would not fetch you marks.
• Give out-of-the-box yet practical solutions.
• Try to provide specific solutions . Avoid generalized solutions:To illustrate, don’t say, “I would take steps to promote transparency. Mention how you would promote transparency.
• When you are asked to give all the options available to you - give even the most undesirable course of action as one of the options . However, don’t choose that option: To illustrate, in a case that mentions the offer of a bribe to you, mention ‘acceptance of bribe’ as one of the options. But prefer the options that entail ‘rejection of bribe’.

Do not touch upon only core issues. Also, touch upon peripheral issues in a case study.

To illustrate, suppose a case study in which “you are the head of the committee investigating the irregularities of colleges. You are in the dilemma whether to recommend for de-recognition of college and spoil the career prospects of students or to recommend their regularization in the light of future of thousands of students. You have been offered a bribe of Rs. 5 crores.”

In this case study, a core issue is ‘whether to regularize colleges’. Most candidates would just address this issue in their answer. However, there is another issue, the ‘peripheral issue’, that is, the offer of a bribe. Try to address that issue as well. While addressing bribe issue, please don’t just say – “I won’t accept the bribe”. Also, say – “I would lodge a complaint against the person who has offered me the bribe”.

Let your solutions try to balance conflicting options as much as possible. (Caution – such balancing may not happen always).

For detailed understanding watch the Ethics Case Study UPSC 10 Year Paper videos on YouTube.

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Ethics Case Study: Five Types of Case Studies You Shouldn’t Miss Out On!

The General Studies IV paper of the UPSC Mains Exams mainly focuses on the three parts, i.e. Integrity, Aptitude, and Ethics. GS IV paper has two sections, Section A and Section B. Section B is based on an ethics case study and holds a weightage of 125 marks.

As a UPSC aspirant, you must write appropriate ethical answers to all the case studies asked. It is of utmost importance that you focus on some of the frequently appearing case studies on ethical issues, as this is a major category.

Business Ethics Case Studies

CASE STUDY 1

XYZ Limited is a multinational company which carries out a variety of businesses. This company is generating multiple jobs and also holds a large share base. To grow its branches, it has decided to develop a business in an undeveloped area. Being energy adept this project will save 15% of the production costs.

The government policy of no payment of tax for 5 years for those who invest in undeveloped areas goes hand in hand. But this project will disturb the natural habitat as well. So the residential people started protests. The company tried to manage the issue by making them understand the importance and benefits of this project. Despite all efforts of the company, the people residing in this area opted for the judiciary.

• What are the problems involved in this situation?
• What steps can be taken to satisfy the demands of the company and people who stay there?

Engineering Ethics Cases

CASE STUDY 2

An engineer gets employment in the prestigious chemical industry. The pay from this company is also decent. Within a short span, he discovers a kind of waste that has a high amount of toxicity, is dismissed in the nearby river illegally. This is causing many health-related issues for the people consuming this river water nearby.

He informs his fellow workers about this issue, but they suggest to be quiet. On one hand, he is the only working man in his family and can’t risk his job. On the other, his fellow mates’ suggestion feels wrong as the people are suffering from the consumption of toxic water. You seem an advisable person to him, so he asks for your help.

• What conflicts can you bring up for making him understand that being silent is not a correct option?
• What type of conduct will you suggest to him and why?

Also Read :  Best Books for UPSC Mains Exam Preparation: Here’s the UPSC Books List You were Looking For

Ethical Case Studies in Education

CASE STUDY 3

Currently, you are a Development Officer at a district level. Recently there has been a dispute in one of the villages of your district. The senior groups in this village do not want girls to go out of their houses to study, as it is unsafe. As per them, girls should marry at an early age with less education. The competition is increasing, and male employment is declining due to young girls thinking about their individuality, taking steps for education and freedom.

The situation is heated. Everyday discussions are around these issues. One day you are informed that girls were molested while returning from schools. This led to another huge argument. After fighting their guts, the seniors decided not to send girls to schools and avoid other families who send their girls to study.

• What action would you take to ensure safety and assure the education of these girls?
• How would you handle the patriarchal approach of the senior generation and spread a word of peace in the village? How would you deal with the senior generation’s patriarchal approach, and spread a word of peace in the village?

Professional Ethics Case Study

CASE STUDY 4

A staff member junior to you took a leave on account of her mother’s illness. She joined again a few days ago. Her mother is old as well as very sick. She has been handling both her mothers’ care adjustments and her job at the same time. At times she has to leave the workplace early or arrive late. This created extra pressure on her co-workers as well. You are the manager of this company.

One of her male co-workers stated that she is a female and should stay at home rather than work, which added more stress on her shoulders.

• As a manager, how would you handle the workload suspended on other co-workers?
• How would you use your professional integrity to correct the male co-worker?

Ethics in Finance Case Study

CASE STUDY 5

You are a chief officer in a ministry. As a result, you are allowed to take all the important decisions related to construction and road development. The ministry is all set to announce a huge road consignment. Ample care was taken by the officials to use government land majorly and to make less usage of private land. Also, with minimum deforestation, the road plan was finalized.

At the same time, one of the related ministers insisted that you must change the roadways in such a way that comes closer to his huge farmhouse. He also promises to buy a plot legally in your name after this realignment of this road. But this realignment project will cause a burden on government finances. Many agricultural lands fall under this realignment of the road. Also, hundreds of trees would be demolished for the same.

• What would you do in such a situation?
• What are the areas of arguments and improvements in this situation?
• What is your responsibility as a servant of the public?

The format in the above case studies is usually what is asked in Section B of the GS IV paper in the UPSC Exams. These case studies are of great significance and carry huge weightage in the civil service exams. Along with these case studies, many case studies like nonprofit ethics case study and administration ethics case study also have a good amount of weightage.

You must focus intensively on case studies on ethical issues to score brilliantly in your UPSC exams. Your answers should contain ethical terms and an appropriate approach. Practising various kinds of ethics case studies regularly for IAS will keep you intact with the approach you have to maintain. It will also develop a useful skill to write productive and efficient case study answers.

We here at UPSC Pathshala will keep bringing you important content related to UPSC exams. Stay updated with our regular blogs to come across useful tips, tricks, strategies, and suggestions for UPSC exams.

Also Read :  Sanjeev Newar’s UPSC Results Data Analysis Explained: Facts, Real Issue and Share of Reservation

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These different ethics case studies have helped me a lot for my preparation, will try to answer these questions in an ethical manner.

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UPSC Mains: General Guidelines for Ethics Case Studies

Ethics is an important paper in the UPSC Mains exam. It consists of two different sections, for a combined total of 250 marks. Tackling case study section may not be easy although it may appear simple. This article gives some important tips that could be implemented while answering Ethics paper in the UPSC Mains examination.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam .

How to Solve Ethics Case Studies?

The General Studies Paper 4, more commonly known as the Ethics Paper can be tricky for many candidates in the UPSC civil service mains exam. In this paper, there are theoretical questions as well as case studies, both for almost the same marks. While the theory portions can be straightforward for candidates to answer, the case studies might prove to be their undoing in the exam. Since candidates have to choose between various courses of action based on ethical and legal considerations and ramifications, they often falter in this decision-making exercise. This article gives you a few general guidelines to follow while solving case studies in the ethics paper in the IAS mains exam.

Using Appropriate Terminologies

Even though the Ethics paper might seem like a generalist paper, it is still based on a syllabus. (Check the UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper 4 here ). To make your answers and solutions more akin to the paper, you should use apt terminologies – specific terms which will show your subject knowledge. Your paper should not look like a general essay or a paper on public administration. Some examples of ethics terminologies are professional integrity, ethical competencies, conscience, ethical reasoning, empathy, tolerance, dignity of the individual, attitude, compassion, diligence, bureaucratic inertia, red tape, intellectual integrity, fidelity, moral turpitude, probity, esprit de corps, morality, hedonism, grey areas, equanimity, etc.

Empathise and Place Yourself in Another’s Shoes

The ethics case studies, all portray an issue with a person as the central character and the ethical dilemma faces by him/her. In such cases, you should know how to empathise with this fictional person. Put yourself in his/her shoes and think about the issue at hand. This will be easier if you practice solving case studies.

Ethics vs Legal

While answering questions on ethics, you should also be aware of the difference between ethicality and legality. Being ethical does not mean you need to break the law, but sometimes, the legal course of action is not necessarily ethically correct. The solution here is to think out of the box and strike a fine balance between legality and ethicality. So when making decisions, you must know the difference between ethical decisions and legal decisions.

Raise Questions

Once you start solving case studies, you should raise questions on the issue. What is the core issue? What are the aspects of work/organisation that are affected by it? Who all are affected? What are the possible courses of action? What are the dangers/hazards involved? What are the pros and cons of each course, etc.?

Follow these general guidelines while attempting the case studies in the UPSC Mains GS paper IV. Case studies need not be a confusing and difficult affair. You only need to follow a basic methodology while dealing with them. Once you have a framework to follow, you can easily work out the solutions.

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2021 .

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How to Write a Great Answer in the UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam: ClearIAS Guidelines

Last updated on October 13, 2023 by Alex Andrews George

What is the difference between a good answer and a great answer?

If you ask me, I would say it lies in the structure and logical continuity of the answer.

To be frank, well-structured to-the-point answers are rare.

In this post, ClearIAS presents important guidelines on how to write a great answer.

Also read: How to Start Practicing Answer Writing for UPSC CSE Mains Exam?

Table of Contents

Find what are you really supposed to answer

Let us first go through the question given below.

This is a question asked in UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam 2019 in General Studies Paper 2.

“Parliament’s power to amend the constitution is limited power and it cannot be enlarged into absolute power”. In light of this statement explain whether parliament under article 368 of the constitution can destroy the Basic structure of the constitution by expanding its amending power? (UPSC CSE 2019 Question, answer in 250 words, 15 marks)

In the above question, you are supposed to explain whether parliament can destroy the basic structure of the Constitution.

This should be the prime focus when you write an answer to this question.

Did you get this core requirement correct?

To find the core part of the question correctly, do the following process.

Find Keywords in the Question

Consider the same question again, with certain words written in bold.

“ Parliament’s power to amend the constitution is limited power and it cannot be enlarged into absolute power”. In light of this statement explain whether parliament under article 368 of the constitution can destroy the Basic structure of the constitution by expanding its amending power? (UPSC CSE 2019 Question, answer in 250 words, 15 marks)

We call those words mentioned in bold letters are keywords.

In the above question, the keywords are – (1) Parliaments power to amend the constitution (2) Article 368 of the Constitution (3) Basic structure of the Constitution.

When you write your answer, ensure that you touch all the main keywords in the question.

Answer according to the Question Directive

Go through the same question again. Was there any question directive?

In the above question, the question directive is ‘explain’.

‘Explain’, ‘Elucidate’, ‘Discuss’, ‘Analyse, ‘Critically Analyse’, ‘Elaborate’ etc are all question directives with a different meaning. You should answer according to the question directive.

We shall explain the minute differences in each of these directives in another post.

Also read: ClearIAS Restarts UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice (AWP)

Structure your answers with the correct logical flow

Make sure your answer contains a well-planned introduction, body, and conclusion.

There are marks for each part.

Impressive introductions and conclusions play a great role in boosting your marks.

However, what matters most is the content present in the body of your answer.

Introduction of the answer: State your thesis

A thesis is a statement that is put forward to be proved. Your introduction should put forward the unproven ‘thesis’, which will be your opinion in most cases. This thesis should be proved and substantiated by quoting facts and examples in the body.

Note: Introduction is not the summary of your answer, but rather the thesis.

Body of the answer: Justify your thesis

Present your arguments logically in the body of your answer.

Touch all dimensions possible – social, political, economic – and give different examples to substantiate your view.

If the question is something related to India, don’t just present from the point of view of the Central government. As you know, India is a federal country . You may think from the perspective of states and even bring factors affecting local self-governing bodies. That’s how you can bring different dimensions to the answer.

Conclusion of the answer: Prove your thesis

In the conclusion part you should state that after analysing ‘this’ ‘this’ and ‘this’, your thesis is proved.

The conclusion should be logically derived from the introduction and body of the answer. If your thesis is positive, your conclusion should also be positive in nature. If your thesis is negative, your conclusion should also be negative.

That is, if you presented a negative outlook in the introduction and body, then don’t deviate abruptly from the same and provide a positive futuristic standpoint in the conclusion – just to impress the examiner.

You are supposed to prove your thesis, not contradict it at the end.

You should also not forget to

Apart from the above-discussed points, there are some other vital tips to boost your marks. This includes sticking to the mentioned word limit in the question, providing examples, lucid explanations, critical thinking, creativity, original ideas etc.

(1) Provide value addition

UPSC CSE is a low-scoring exam with tough evaluation standards. The highest marks secured by toppers in GS is only around 45% (450 marks out of 1000). In that background, we have developed a marking scheme, which we use for ClearIAS AWP as well.

• 0-19% –  Not satisfactory.
• 20%-29% – Below average answer.
• 30%-39% – Average answer.
• 40%-49% – Above Average Answer.
• 50%-59% – Excellent Answer.
• 60% and above – Exceptional Answer.

Looking at the above marking scheme, you can understand that if you get 3.5 marks for a 10 mark question, that is an average score. However, if you get 1 mark extra (ie 4.5 marks for a 10 mark question), your answer is above average!

If there are 20 questions, and if you manage to get 1 mark more for each question, you would get 20 marks extra! Overall this would make a huge difference. This would help your final rank to go up at least by 300, considering that there will be 10-15 candidates per each mark.

Now the question is how to provide the correct value addition for each answer to get that 1 extra mark? How to make your answer stand out? How to make your answer special?

A few tips:

• Quote Supreme Court Judgments: In General Studies Paper 2, bring the viewpoints of the honourable Supreme Court of India to supplement your answer on crucial issues. We have compiled important judgments for UPSC aspirants into a handy book, which is already a best seller. Get the book ‘ Important Judgments that Transformed India ‘.
• Quote provisions from relevant Acts:  For all papers (General Studies Paper 1 to Paper IV), add value to your answers by quoting provisions from relevant Acts. For example, when a question is asked about Disaster Managment, mention provisions from the Disaster Managment Act. If a question is asked about Fiscal Responsibility, quote provisions of the FRBM Act. The book ‘ Important Acts that transformed India ‘ can save a lot of your time in this respect.
• Connect the static part of your answer with relevant current issues: Make your answer interesting by linking it with items in news. Use recent examples.
• Use Important Data from the Economic Survey – Get Economic Survey Summary by ClearIAS . Use the facts and statistics to substantiate your answer.
• Quote the latest Budget – Get India Budget summary by ClearIAS .
• Mention relevant schemes or programs from the India Yearbook
• Quote NITI Aayog Reports
• Quote ARC Reports
• Quote Sarkaria Commission and Punchi Commission Reports
• Keep 5 notebooks – one for the essay paper, and four each for the General Studies Papers. Note down the value-adding points you come across during your preparation time in the respective notebooks. Practice this and believe me, the points you add to these notebooks will make your answer special in the exam hall.

(2) Stick to the word limit

Sticking to the word limit will help you score better. Some questions may have the word-limit set at 150, some others may have it at 250. Carefully check the word limit before starting answering.

As you won’t get time to check the word limit for every answer in the exam hall, make sure you try this while doing Answer Writing Practice (AWP) .

A general thumb rule which can be helpful in the exam hall is that – if the question has a 150-word limit, then the answer should be written within 1 and a half A4 pages. If it’s 250, then write the answer not going beyond 2.5 A4 pages.

Precise answers will not only help you fetch better marks but also save a lot of time.

(3) Address add parts of the question

Not all questions are focused on a single topic. There may be questions that may be divided into 2-3 parts. While answering such questions, make sure you address each of these subparts.

(4) Give examples to substantiate your answer

Without examples, your answer will be so dry.

Your need interesting examples to justify your arguments.

If possible, use an example to substantiate each of your main points/arguments.

(5) Use simple language (and may use points to explain)

Use small and simple sentences. Avoid jargon and flowery language.

You can use ‘points’ inside the body part of your answer – if you feel that will make the answer stand out.

If you prefer a paragraph way of writing, break your contents into small paragraphs whenever possible.

(6) Bring Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking into the Answer

Even if automation replaces everything that human beings do currently, it cannot replace creative and critical thinking. This is what UPSC looks for in future candidates. No wonder, the Commission sets most of the questions with the popular directive – “Critically Analyse”.

If the question demands creative or critical thinking, your answers should be in that direction.

If you are asked to critically analyse, be sure that you present both sides – for and against – in the answer.

(7) Express your opinion; Bring original ideas

UPSC asks many questions seeking your opinion or viewpoint. Consider the below question asked in UPSC CSE Mains 2019.

“Do you think the Constitution of India does not accept the principle of strict separation of powers rather it is based on the principle of ‘checks and balance’? Explain.” (10 Marks)

In this question, UPSC had directly asked your opinion. Don’t run away without giving your opinion.

In these questions, rather than adding the quotes of experts, mention your opinion and substantiate it well. UPSC will appreciate candidates with fresh ideas and original thinking.

How to write a great answer: Concluding remarks

• You need to write a well-structured answer to score high marks in the UPSC Civil Services Exam .
• By being well-structured, it means having a logical connection between the introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Make sure you understand what is really asked in the UPSC question before starting to answer it. This can be understood by carefully observing the keywords and directives.
• State your thesis clearly in the introduction.
• Give examples to substantiate your view of the body part. Cover multiple dimensions – social, political, economic etc in the body of the answer.
• End your answer by unequivocally that your thesis is proved based on the discussed arguments/facts/examples.
• If you maintain the flow and logical continuity throughout your answer, you will definitely get high marks in UPSC Mains. All the best!

Do you need proper training on how to write a high scoring answer in UPSC CSE Mains?

If you are looking for online training on how to write a high scoring answer in UPSC CSE Mains, you are at the right place.

ClearIAS program for UPSC CSE Mains has two components.

• ClearIAS UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice (AWP – Practise of 1 question daily with personalised feedback)
• ClearIAS UPSC Mains Test Series (Exams simulating actual UPSC Mains for Essay, GS1, GS2, GS3 and GS4)

At this moment, we offer both programs for aspirants who register in  ClearIAS Online Classroom Program Ultimate Batch . You can find more details here .

Aim IAS, IPS, or IFS?

About Alex Andrews George

Alex Andrews George is a mentor, author, and social entrepreneur. Alex is the founder of ClearIAS and one of the expert Civil Service Exam Trainers in India.

He is the author of many best-seller books like 'Important Judgments that transformed India' and 'Important Acts that transformed India'.

A trusted mentor and pioneer in online training , Alex's guidance, strategies, study-materials, and mock-exams have helped many aspirants to become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers.

Reader Interactions

May 23, 2020 at 10:26 pm

Any model question and answer paper give me please

May 23, 2020 at 10:35 pm

We will be publishing model answers on the website soon. Until then, you can refer the guidance and personalised feedback we gave to answers written by participants in ClearIAS Answer Writing Practice. Link – AWP

May 24, 2020 at 2:21 am

Give some model answers too

May 24, 2020 at 3:34 pm

Thank you for the suggestion. We will be providing that.

May 24, 2020 at 7:52 am

May 24, 2020 at 3:33 pm

You are welcome 🙂

May 24, 2020 at 2:44 pm

Sir can you plz share the answer writing strategy for optional paper as well. Like if i have opted for anthropology as an optional…what should be my answer writing strategy for that.

May 24, 2020 at 3:32 pm

The above write-up is general in nature. That means following the ClearIAS guidelines mentioned above will help you in the optional papers as well.

May 24, 2020 at 3:00 pm

A separate “Answer writing telegram group ” would help aspirants. Thank you

May 24, 2020 at 3:30 pm

Hi Aryan…Thank you for the suggestion. We can do that at a later stage.

November 3, 2020 at 9:41 pm

Sir! Please sprovide some model answer of privious years question which is asked in UPSC exam… I will wait this!!

March 8, 2021 at 8:37 am

‘Explain’, ‘Elucidate’, ‘Discuss’, ‘Analyse, ‘Critically Analyse’, ‘Elaborate’ etc are all question directives with a different meaning. You should answer according to the question directive.

We shall explain the minute differences in each of these directives in another post’ …. Sir please share that link…

August 17, 2023 at 8:48 pm

She never criticise BJP for any issue in the country. She especially mentions that no matter whichever the political party: either Congress or BJP, Government of India needs to be accountable for every matter. Means she doesn’t want to defame BJP at any cost! That is right wing party and she supports RIGHT WING ideology. But being an independent content writer for the public, she can’t clearly promote ideologies of right wing political party. But she had supported each and evey bill passed by the BJP (bcz all those bills are either in favour of Hindus or in favour of Hindu Girls!)

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UPSC Mains Daily Answer Writing (16-09-2022)

Ethics case study writing practice.

Case Study: You are a senior civil servant. One of your officer friend is hard working, completes her work on time but always demoralizes her subordinates by blaming them for one or the other thing. She keeps everyone on toes. Often she shouts in her office and want to just follow the blue book while working. She also insults junior officers if one fails to get the things done. Her only mantra to work is to "get the things done -whatever it takes." Due to this bossy attitude your friend is not liked by the subordinates and because of her uneven relation with her team members; she fails to portray a good office culture. Most of the colleagues know about this case but no one wants to discuss it because of your proximity with that lady officer. However one day one close friend happens to be your colleague who is briefed about the problem subordinate officers are facing.

Suggest Different options. Bring merits and demerits related to each course of action and discuss the best option.

Model Solutions

You are a senior civil servant. One of your officer friend is hard working, completes her work on time but always demoralizes her subordinates by blaming them for one or the other thing. She keeps everyone on toes. Often she shouts in her office and want to just follow the blue book while working. She also insults junior officers if one fails to get the things done. Her only mantra to work is to "get the things done -whatever it takes." Due to this bossy attitude your friend is not liked by the subordinates and because of her uneven relation with her team members; she fails to portray a good office culture. Most of the colleagues know about this case but no one wants to discuss it because of your proximity with that lady officer. However one day one close friend happens to be your colleague who is briefed about the problem subordinate officers are facing.

(a) Directly talk to subordinates and assure them about correcting the things in future.

• Directly listening to them will instill confidence in the system that their views are properly heard.
• However, directly talking to the subordinates and bypassing the hierarchy system will set wrong precedence.
• Thus before taking any action or consoling for any action, the senior civil servant should talk to the officer friend to get proper information about the factual situation.
• This may also lead to decrement in trust of subordinates as they may think the above stated action has been impartial. (b) Give responsibility to your friend who briefed you about this case.
• This will be the wrong course of action as delegating power to someone else in such sensitive issues may deteriorate the work culture more.

(c) Transfer the lady officer as this case may bring sorry figure for you also in future.

• Transfer of the lady can act as the short-term measure but without giving due chance to her to explain her position will set wrong precedence and it is also against the good leadership quality. (c) Request the lady officer not to do so as this may hamper their personal relations also
• In public relationships the individual relations takes a back seat and interest of larger society takes over. This requires fair and reliable decision-making to create public trust and level the playing field.
• Requests can be done at personal level, but being a civil servant the dignity and integrity of the post has to be maintained. He has to act as a role model for the other subordinates. (d) Is there any better option available to correct the things other than what mentioned above?
• I will inform him about the situation and give her last warning to improve her behavior. If she failed then move for appropriate action to maintain the work culture as well as trust between the senior and subordinates.

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How to Write Answers for UPSC IAS Mains Exam?

Answer writing is a skill that develops gradually over a period of time. Just like any other skill, we need to break it into components and master each component and then weave it into one complete whole. This learning process needs time as substantive content is needed to be responded/reflected in the answers. So, relax, it is natural that it will take time and if the process is followed sincerely the results are bound to come.

Given the vast UPSC syllabus and the mismanagement of time during the initial phase, aspirants focus more on reading multiple books and gathering content, so they fall short of practising answer writing. Even if the practice is done, they start it when it’s already too late, in the cycle towards the Mains Exam after the Prelims Exam. But it’s very important to realise that the real game lies in writing good answers in the Mains exam.

Reading books gives us an unfiltered amount of information, leading to a decent knowledge base. But the answers that are supposed to be written in the Mains Exam are about "what is being asked" rather than "what do you know". Thus , the crux of answer writing is having the ability to address the demand of the question. Because at the end of the day, it is our answer that is being judged by the examiner based on its fulfilment of the things asked in a question. A critical thing to be observed here is that 1750/2025 marks are given based on the answers that we write. Therefore, answer writing is something that we cannot ignore at all.

Components of an Answer

When we visit a good restaurant with the intention of eating good food, our experience is never restricted to specific food only, as the starters, the aroma, and the ambience all have an impact on our appetite. It is only after these that we get the main course, the food we actually want to consume to fill our stomachs. Nevertheless, it doesn’t even end with the main course food item, as we all know, ‘desserts’ matter a lot. A good ice cream, a good halwa, or a sweet dish will make the meal complete, and we will feel satisfied. Exactly the same analogy goes for an answer, either of General Studies or the Optional subjects . Not just the content, but the manner in which the content is presented and arranged, has an impact on the examiner’s judgement.

Before we learn the Art of Answer writing let’s see what a good answer looks like and what its key components are. An answer consists of the following basic components – Introduction, Body, Conclusion, Flow and Presentation.

• Introduction : It gives a start to the answer and shows the examiner that an aspirant has understood the question and its demand. It sets the context for the answer ahead.
• Body : It is the main part of the answer and addresses the question’s actual demand. It is the part that carries the maximum marks.
• Conclusion: It gives closure to the answer, summarising and justifying what has been asked in the question. It’s an opportunity to revisit the question.
• Flow: This ensures that the points written in the answer make sense to someone reading it and are arranged in a logical manner.
• Presentation: This enhances the readability of the answer and also takes you ahead in the competition. 

Let us divide this journey of writing a good answer into milestones.

Understanding the Exam and Its Pattern

It’s very important to understand the exam, as it will help in writing a better answer and preparing for it. 

• For this, one needs to go through the PYQs and Syllabus properly and regularly to develop an awareness of the exam pattern.
• In the absence of a well-educated and organised local-level government system , `Panchayats’ and ‘Samitis’ have remained mainly political institutions and not effective instruments of governance. Critically discuss. (2015)  
• “The local self-government system in India has not proved to be an effective instrument of governance”. Critically examine the statement and give your views to improve the situation. (2017)
• To what extent in your opinion has the decentralisation of power in India changed the governance landscape at the grassroots? (2022)
• Then find what all Dimensions are being asked under that theme. For example, the effectiveness of Local Self-government has been asked multiple times (as can be seen in the above examples)

In this manner find important themes for each subject. This will help in doing a targeted study of the syllabus. You will not only understand what topics are important, but you will also get an idea of what exactly has to be read under those topics once you analyse the PYQs.

Understanding the Question

The process of answer writing starts with understanding the question and its exact demand correctly. The better the question is comprehended; the better answer will be written. For this:

• Read the question at least 2 to 3 times.
• Break it into its components/headings (to identify the exact demand of the question)
• Identify the directive in the question like analyse, discuss, critically examine etc.

In this manner try to understand exactly what the question is demanding from you.

Macrostructure of the Answer

Once you read the question, frame a macrostructure of the answer, i.e., decide how your answer will look at the end. It would include how many headings will be there, where will they be placed and how many words are to be written under each heading depending on the marks assigned to that question.

Introduction: 

Once you understand the question and its structure, start with the introduction. It should show the examiner that you have understood the question and its demand. And it should set the context for the question.

• Different types of introductions :  Definition based, mentioning the current happenings related to the theme, mentioning the dimensions like reasons, importance, basic features etc. depending on the question.
• Make the introduction specific:  Include some data, facts or examples to showcase your understanding of the question.

Body: 

This is the most important part of an answer. It addresses the actual demand of the question.

• For example, in the question – “Define potential GDP and explain its determinants. What are the factors that have been inhibiting India from realizing its potential GDP?” (2020) – There are two headings – 
• Determinants of potential GDP 
• Factors inhibiting India from realizing its potential GDP.
• 5-6 argumentative and multidimensional points can be written under one heading.
• Argumentative: The content in the body should be argumentative . This means that instead of just giving examples, proper reasoning should be given for each point.
• Multi-dimensional: Writing a multi-dimensional answer is crucial. For this, pick points from various GS papers and write points related to dimensions like historical, social, political, economic, and even ethics etc. depending on the question. Don’t worry you will understand these things once you start writing your answers. For this, it’s very important to read the content with a realisation that ultimately answers are to be written.
• Substantiation: Each point in the body should be substantiated with a relevant example/data/fact etc. – this signals the examiner that the points we have written are authentic.
• Structure of a point: Preferably try to start a point with a keyword and then explain it in a small sentence and then substantiate it with the help of examples.
• Make a list of the most important keywords from each subject and use them in your answers. For Example, certain keywords in GS2 paper are Minimum Government Maximum Governance, Accountability, Transparency, Regulatory cholesterol, Political patronage, Cosmetic Reforms etc. Similarly, certain keywords in the GS3 section are – Structural transformation, Dual distress, Doubling farmers’ income, Green desert, Hidden hunger, Har Khet ko Paani etc. Therefore, a list of similar keywords can be collected in various subjects.
• Point brevity : Keep the point short and simple for ease of evaluation by the examiner.
• Style : You can either choose paragraph style or point-wise writing style – just ensure that the answer is argumentative, multidimensional and substantiated with examples.
• Visibility: The visibility of your points is very crucial. We should make it easier for the examiner to check our answers. This can be done by underlining the key points, and by writing the keyword at the start of the sentence.

Conclusion of an Answer: 

This is the last part after which the examiner would award the marks – hence it should be given due importance as it’s the last chance to impress the examiner.

• A conclusion should be broad and futuristic .
• One can summarise the arguments given in the answer.
• A solution-based conclusion can be written.

Value Addition

Once the basic foundation of Answer writing is created, the next most important thing is to add more value to the answer to move ahead in the competition.

• Here one needs to make separate notebooks for such value addition – so that they can be revised just before the exam.
• If not explicitly asked, the way forward can also be given in relevant questions as value addition.
• Government policies can also be mentioned in some answers.
• Case Studies can be mentioned to give more authenticity to the answer.

It is very crucial that the answer should have a good flow. The points should make sense and should be prioritised accordingly.

Presentation

It acts as the icing on the cake and fetches those extra brownie marks to get a good rank, service and cadre. 

• Flow charts, diagrams, tables etc. all improve the presentation
• Putting the heading in the box also improves presentation.

The Process to Improve Presentation: 

• For a beginner, don’t force yourself to improve your presentation. 
• Instead, first, write your content naturally and then convert it into a form diagram, flow chart or table. Doing this multiple times will help you identify where you can use diagrams etc. and hence gradually improve your presentation.
• Prepare some diagrams for repeated topics beforehand and directly use them in the examination.

The Process to Learn the Answer Writing Skills 

Here is a step-by-step process to develop one’s answer-writing skills.

Take up a topic from the syllabus – pick up a bunch of questions on that topic from PYQs, NCERTS, and daily practice sessions – read and prepare the topic – then solve the questions chosen – then get it evaluated from your mentor – do the necessary changes suggested – re-write the answers incorporating those changes (it is very important to re-write so that you remember the suggestions in the future) – get it evaluated again – make any changes suggested – then revise these answers later to clearly remember what mistakes you made and what suggestions were suggested.

• Also, make notes of things you learn about answer writing and keep revising them – to ensure that you don’t repeat the same mistakes.
• In the beginning, do not worry about the time you are taking to write the answer for the initial 20-30 answers. Because it’s important to learn first and then practice in a time-bound manner.

The Level-Wise Process to Learn the Skill

• In the body, think about the various dimensions that can be added and various arguments that can be given in a logical manner. Don’t worry about the quality as it will improve gradually with practice. Similarly, start with a basic forward-looking conclusion – summarising your answer.
• For the body, write better keywords for your arguments and start substantiating your arguments with support of suitable examples or data. Adopt a structure in which the keyword is mentioned first then it is explained and then the point is substantiated.
• Level 3 – Now is the time for better presentation and value addition in the answer. Start making flow charts, diagrams etc. Also, add case studies, and quotations in your answer. 

In this manner, you will gradually start writing a good answer. Once you understand how to write a good answer, then it’s all about how much practice you do to make it your second nature. Practice is the key once learning is done. Therefore, be patient with the process.

Laws of Answer Writing

Here are certain key points that you need to keep in mind while writing answers:

• The demand of the question should be addressed – it’s the most crucial aspect.
• Arguments and substantiation are the most important for an answer.
• Stick to the word limit .
• Visibility is critical because good content may not be appreciated if the visibility of keywords and important concepts is improper.
• Don’t compare with others – instead, monitor your daily progress and keep practising and improving .

Steps to Make Answer Writing Easier and Faster

There are certain processes through which the answer writing journey can be smoothened in the examination.

• Develop pre-prepared templates of answers for often repeated themes. This can be tweaked in the actual exam as per the question and an answer can be written quickly. 
• Pre-prepared templates can also be developed for Introductions and Conclusions to quickly overcome the initial inertia and reduce the thinking time while writing the answers.
• You can also prepare diagrams and flow charts in advance for such topics and use them directly in the exam to save thinking time.
• Brainstorm multi-dimensional points for a lot of questions to improve the thinking process.
• With this, as others are still reading questions multiple times and brainstorming about it, you can actually start your writing and be ahead of everyone. This will give you the edge you require to surpass the competition by creating your own secret recipe for answers . 

Challenges Faced by an Aspirant and Ways to Overcome Them

Often the aspirants face multiple difficulties while learning the whole process of answer writing. A few are mentioned below along with their solutions to soothe your nerves.

• For this , choose a topic – read the PYQs from that topic – then read the content of that topic – then solve the PYQs or NCERT question (for beginners). This will not only help in beginning the answer writing process but will also help in preparing the topic better.
• Try to understand, there is no need to force anything. If you face initial inertia – go for an open-book test . Read the questions beforehand – prepare the content for those questions – and then write answers to them in a structured manner. Remember you first need to learn the art of answer writing and then practice. So do not pressurise yourself at the beginning itself.
• If it’s even tricky then start with one component of an answer . For example, pick up a few questions and write the introduction to those questions. It will be easier and will help overcome the barrier. Then you can pick one part of the question and try to write 5-6 points under that part. Slowly and gradually, you will understand and gather the courage to write the whole answer.
• Solve easy sectional tests before going for full-length tests.
• Doubting about self : It’s normal to have doubts in the beginning. Remember someone who has prepared for prelims has sufficient knowledge to write a decent answer. It’s all about consolidating what you have been preparing.
• Therefore, create your own model answer , by incorporating the fundamentals discussed above and stick to it.
• Creating your own model answer : if you write one answer multiple times (say 5-6 times) and keep analysing and improving every time, then you will be able to create a model answer for yourself. Once you do this exercise for a few questions then you will simply have to replicate your own version of the model answer in the answers that you write further.
• Choosing a question bank for daily answer writing practice : Because of multiple sources of question banks available in the market, it might get difficult to choose the best one. Remember you can pick up any good source and start practicing. In the beginning, it’s more important to learn the art of answer writing. Even Vajiram provides you with daily questions for practice on its portal ( www.vajiramias.com ) you can happily use that.
• Choosing a test series: A test series can be very helpful in not only helping you learn answer writing but also providing you with healthy competition. Choose a test series that gives you a good evaluation (you can rest assured about the evaluation quality here at Vajiram).

Prerequisites for the Mains Exam

The process that we have learnt till now is meant to ace the Mains exam. But before you write the Mains exam keep the following things in mind. Short notes on each important topic (both factual and analytical notes) should be prepared to make the revision process more effective. Practising and brainstorming a lot of answers will help in reducing stress during the exam. Try to attempt all the questions in the exam as even a single mark counts. Lastly, one needs to have faith in themselves to ace the exam.

One needs to keep in mind that Answer writing is ultimately an art. It takes time in its development and hence requires not only patience and perseverance from the aspirants but also the right guidance in this journey. This journey might become overwhelming for some aspirants, but if the process discussed above is judiciously followed one will see rapid progress in the journey to write a good answer.

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Last Minute Tips for UPSC Prelims 2024

With the UPSC Prelims 2024 exam slated to be held on 16th June 2024, the pressure is mounting on the aspirants. While a year-long dedicated preparation is crucial, managing the last few days leading to the exam can make a significant difference in your performance. This article of NEXT IAS aims to provide some last minute tips for UPSC Prelims 2024, including an effective study plan, prioritising key areas, revision techniques, and handling exam pressure.

The UPSC Prelims, as the first stage of the Civil Services Examination, witnesses a cut-throat competition. While lakhs of aspirants appear for the exam, only around 10-12 thousand of them are able to clear it. As the exam date approaches, it’s crucial to fine-tune your preparation to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Here are some last minute tips for UPSC Prelims 2024 to help you maximize your score and ace the first hurdle in your IAS dream.

Prepare a Special Study Plan

While you must have been following your usual study plan till now, the last few days before the exam entail a Special Study Plan in order to stay organized and reduce last-minute stress. Here are some important elements that should be incorporated into the plan:

• Create a daily schedule for the remaining days, ensuring you revise all important topics.
• Divide your daily study hours such that sufficient time is allocated to each of the key areas.
• Ensure a fine and weighted balance between the static topics and current affairs.
• Adopting the “ Pomodoro Technique ” of breaking down your study sessions into 2-3 hour intervals with short breaks in between helps prevent burnout and keeps your focus sharp.

Focus on Revision and Consolidation

With barely 10-12 days left for the UPSC Prelims 2024, one should focus solely on revision and consolidation. The following points can help you do this effectively:

• Resist your urge to learn new things at this stage.
• Focus on multiple revisions of the topics you’ve already covered, especially those with a high probability of appearing.
• Stick to your existing materials and avoid introducing new sources or books at this stage.

Tips for Effective Revision

This last revision before the exam has to be quick and effective. Here is how you can achieve the same:

• Your short notes for each topic , which you have prepared during your year-long study, are the way out.
• Go through your short notes 3-4 times before the examination . This will help you brush up and memoize the key concepts and facts.

Prioritize Key Areas

The revision schedule for the last few days should be prepared as per the priority of the topics. Here are a few tips regarding the same.

• History, Art & Culture, Geography, Polity, Economy, Environment, and Current Affairs are essential areas that often carry significant weight.
• Make sure you have a solid understanding of fundamental concepts and recent developments in these subjects.
• Weak areas in these subjects, if any, need special attention.

Special Strategy for Current Affairs

It is a well-established fact that the UPSC Prelims Examination is current affairs driven. Thus, the last few days demand significant and special attention to current affairs. Here are some last minute tips for the current affairs section for UPSC Prelims 2024.

• Focus on news related to Government Schemes, Policies, International Relations, Economics, Environment, and Science & Tech from around the last 1 year.
• In case, you have not prepared your own short notes of current affairs, you can pick up any ready-made yearly compilation of current affairs.

Don’t Neglect CSAT

In recent years, the CSAT Paper has been playing a crucial role in deciding one’s result in UPSC Prelims. Thus, it is pertinent that one does not neglect this paper. Here are some last minute tips for the UPSC CSAT Paper.

• Revise key formulas and concepts.
• Dedicate specific time to practicing CSAT questions, especially from previous years’ papers.

Practice Mock Tests

With pressure mounting in the last few days before the examination, most of the aspirants commit the mistake of stopping to practice the mock tests. This is not advisable.

• Taking a few more mock tests can help you maintain consistency and improve your time management skills.
• Thus, it is advisable to keep practicing the mock tests so as to keep yourself in “examination mode”.

Bonus Tips for UPSC Prelims 2024

• Along with one’s study, one must pay attention to maintaining physical and mental well-being. Eat healthy and get enough rest.
• Staying calm and composed is vital in the final days before the exam. Avoid last-minute stress and maintain your mental composure.
• Believe in yourself and stay positive. Keep reminding yourself that you have studied hard throughout the year and hence you are bound to excel in the exam.
• There is no one-size-fits-all approach to crack the UPSC Prelims Exam. So, tailor the strategy to your individual strengths and weaknesses.

Tips for The Day Before the Exam

• Being well-prepared with essentials will help you avoid last-minute panic on exam day.
• Avoid late-night study sessions as they can lead to fatigue and decreased concentration levels.
• A well-rested mind performs better in recalling information and staying focused during the test.

Exam Day Strategy for UPSC Prelims 2024

Even after sufficient preparation, pressure does build up on the day of the examination. In order to perform well in the exam, it is very essential to handle this pressure effectively. Here are some tips to do the same:

• Keep reminding yourself that it is not just you but all other fellow aspirants are having butterflies in the stomach.
• Keep reminding yourself that you have studied well and deserve to crack the exam.
• Keep yourself hydrated and breathe deep to stay relaxed.

The last few days before the UPSC Prelims are critical in shaping your performance. By focusing on key areas, effective revision, consistent practice, and maintaining a calm and composed mindset, you can optimize your preparation and enter the examination hall with confidence. Remember, the goal is to perform to the best of your abilities, so stay positive and believe in your hard work.

We wish you all the very best for your UPSC Prelims 2024!

Team NEXT IAS.

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UPSC CSAT Simplified: How to approach ‘Cubes and Dice’ questions?

How to solve questions on ‘cubes and dice’ accurately and swiftly in our special series on csat, our expert simplifies it for you. let’s learn..

As we know cracking UPSC Prelims is not just about your knowledge of General Studies. The CSAT paper too, gives a hard time to aspirants. So, UPSC Essentials’ special series ‘UPSC CSAT Simplified’ presents some important topics from the qualifying CSAT paper of UPSC prelims. The aim is to provide you with some tested methods to answer the questions correctly without wasting precious time.

Mudit Gupta, our CSAT expert , takes you through the types and tricks of one of the most frequently asked topics: Cubes and Dice . Don’t miss to ‘Check your progress’ towards the end of the article. Also, let us know what topics you want us to cover as part of this new series. Please write to us at manas.srivastava@ indianexpress.com .

About our Expert: Mudit Gupta has been a mentor and faculty for the UPSC Civil Services exam for 8 years with expertise in CSAT, Polity, International Relations, and Current Affairs. He is known to break complex concepts into simpler ones that allow UPSC aspirants to develop a grip over the subject matter.

What questions on ‘Cubes and Dices’ the aspirants must prepare for UPSC CSAT?

Mudit Gupta: ‘Cubes and Dice’ are one of the most frequently tested areas in the UPSC CSAT examination. Within cubes and dice, the question on ‘opposite faces’ is often asked. In these types of questions, we are usually given a set of different views of the same dice and we have to find the face opposite to one specific face.

Depending upon the views of the dice that are given, there are two ways in which we can easily solve such questions. Let us consider both the types one by one: 

TYPE 1 – SINGLE COMMON FACE

The figure given below depicts the same dice from three different angles:

Now, let us consider a question: Find the face of the dice opposite to the face with 1 dot. 

Observe that in Figure (1) and Figure (2) the face with 5 dots is the only common face. Now, to solve this question, write 5 in two rows one below the other (because the face with 5 dots is the single common face in Figure (1) and Figure (2) ):

Row 1: 5 __ __

Row 2: 5 __ __

In Figure (1) move clockwise starting from the face with 5 dots and write the numbers in the first row. We observe that as we start moving clockwise starting from the face with 5 dots, we encounter the face with 4 dots followed by the face with 6 dots. So we will write these numbers in Row (1):

Row 1: 5 4 6

In Figure (2), we will again start moving in the clockwise direction starting from the face with 5 dots. As we move, we will encounter the face with 3 dots followed by the face with 1 dot. We will write them sequentially in Row (2)

Row 2: 5 3 1

In Row (1) and Row (2), the numbers in the second and the third column will be opposite to each other i.e. face with 4 dots will be opposite to the face with 3 dots and the face with 6 dots will be opposite to the face with 1 dot.

Using the same technique, you can use Figure (2) and Figure (3) to find the face opposite to the face with 2 dots. Hint: Figure (2) and Figure (3) have a common face with 3 dots.

TYPE 2 – TWO COMMON FACES

Let us consider another cube with two different views:

Now, let us consider a question: Find the face opposite to the face with 5 dots.

If we observe Figure (4) and Figure (5), then faces with 1 dot and 3 dots are common in both figures. If we have 2 common faces in 2 views, then the third faces are always opposite. Hence, in Figure (4) and Figure (5), faces with 1 and 3 dots are the common faces and the faces with 4 and 5 dots will be opposite to each other.

Check your progress:  

Using the same technique as given above, find the face opposite to the face with 6 dots in the dice below:

(Please post your answers in the comment box.)

Previous Article in the UPSC CSAT Simplified series:

How to approach Reading Comprehensions?

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Manas Srivastava is currently working as Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and majorly writes for UPSC-related projects leading a unique initiative known as UPSC Essentials. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than four years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called ‘Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik’ and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called ‘You Ask We Answer’.His talks on ‘How to read a newspaper’ focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also currently working on a monthly magazine for UPSC Aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women’s Studies by the Women’s Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on ‘Psychological stress among students’ at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More

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UPSC CSE Prelims 2024: 10 Tips to Ace It on the First Attempt

Upsc first timer 10 powerful tips to smash the civil services exam.

First-time UPSC aspirant? This web story's your guide! Conquer the Civil Services Exam with 10 powerful tips. Learn how to tackle the syllabus, build a study plan, master answer writing, and stay motivated throughout your journey. Embrace the challenge and ace the UPSC!

Image Source: Canva

Know the Syllabus Inside Out

The UPSC syllabus is vast, but understanding it thoroughly is crucial. Familiarize yourself with all sections (General Studies, CSAT) and the specific topics covered within each.

Develop a Strategic Plan

Don't just dive in! Create a study plan that allocates sufficient time for each subject, considering its weightage in the exam. Be realistic about your pace and adjust as needed.

Build a Strong Foundation

Start with foundational concepts before diving into complex topics. NCERT books are a great resource for building a strong base knowledge in core subjects like history, geography, and polity.

Master the Art of Answer Writing

The UPSC exam is not just about knowing information; it's about presenting it effectively. Practice writing concise, well-structured answers that address the question directly.

You may also like

Current affairs are king.

Stay updated on national and international current affairs. Read newspapers, credible online sources, and relevant magazines like Yojana and Kurukshetra.

Mock Tests are Your Friend

Take regular mock tests (Prelims and Mains) to assess your understanding, identify weak areas, and practice time management skills.

Join a Support System

Consider joining a coaching institute or online forum to connect with other UPSC aspirants. Sharing strategies, doubts, and motivations can be invaluable.

Maintain a Healthy Balance

The UPSC journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Prioritize your physical and mental well-being. Manage stress effectively through exercise, meditation, or hobbies you enjoy.

Believe in Yourself

Self-doubt is a common enemy. Develop a positive attitude and believe in your ability to succeed. Stay inspired by stories of past UPSC toppers.

Enjoy the Process

While the UPSC exam is demanding, try to find enjoyment in the learning process. Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge will keep you motivated throughout your preparation.

Thanks For Reading!

Next: This Study Technique Will Change Your Academic Life!

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Sreekanth is District Magistrate of La La Land. The land is home to diverse communities, living in harmony despite occasional tensions. However, recent events have led to an increase in communal tensions and an atmosphere of distrust.

Topic: Case Study

7. Sreekanth is District Magistrate of La La Land. The land is home to diverse communities, living in harmony despite occasional tensions. However, recent events have led to an increase in communal tensions and an atmosphere of distrust.

Sreekanth’s reputation as a just and fair administrator is well-known. As the District Magistrate, he finds himself in the midst of a delicate situation when he receives a call from both the influential MLA and the Mayor. They request his assistance in demolishing what they claim are illegal constructions linked to the minority community.

The MLA and Mayor assert that these constructions have been established without proper permits and are a result of the recent riots, which they attribute to the minority community. They claim that these buildings serve as hotbeds of dissent and must be torn down to maintain peace and security in the region.

Sreekanth is faced with an ethical dilemma. On one hand, he understands the importance of maintaining law and order in the region. On the other, he senses a hidden agenda behind the MLA and Mayor’s request. He knows that blindly complying with their demands could lead to further unrest and fuel division among the communities.

• What are the options available to Sreekanth?
• Critically analyse the above-mentioned actions?
• Which actions should Sreekanth choose? Why?
• What are the ethical issues in the above case?

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