2015 GS-IV Civil Service Values & Ethics in AdministrationVerbatim · UPSC

"A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also has to have a well-developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties." Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples, where (i) an act is ethically right, but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically.

Paper

GS-IV

Question

Marks

10M

Word Limit

150W

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Practice Answer Writing

Word limit: 150 wordsMarks: 10MSuggested time: 7 min

How to approach this question

Directive: Explain

Make the topic clear with reasons, mechanisms and examples.

Structure (10 marks · about 150 words)

Introduction: define the core term or set the context in two or three lines.
Body: two to three dimensions, each backed by an example, data point or case.
Conclusion: a balanced, forward-looking way ahead.

This sub-point (Laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance) has been asked 7 times since 2013

20132025

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Learn from a topper's answer

Real evaluated answer copies where a topper tackled this question (or a very close one). The learnings below are drawn straight from their actual answer, not a model answer.

Madhavi R handwritten UPSC Mains answer to "Whether established law cannot answer moral aspects of new situations / need for new moral" (GS4, Rank 446, CSE 2024)

View answer copy →

Madhavi RRank 446CSE 2024

Answered a very similar question

Their question: “Whether established law cannot answer moral aspects of new situations / need for new moral laws — law vs morals with contemporary examples (10m/150w)”

The PYQ asks for cases where an act is ethically right but not legal (and vice versa) to show law alone is insufficient, exactly the law-vs-morals gap Madhavi argues, with a ready bank of precise legal examples a student can lift.

Key learnings from their answer

›She wrapped abstract ethics prompts in hard current affairs instead of textbook theory, Q3a (politics/power overshadowing ethics in IR) was answered with Russia-Ukraine loss of lives, SIDS facing submersion, China-Taiwan, and Taliban's violation of women's rights, while Q1b (law vs morals) cited Article 377 decriminalisation, a cancelled transgender 'priest' appointment, UAPA clashing with Art 21/22, and anti-conversion/abortion laws -> stock real-world cases pinned to each specific clause of the question turn a vague ethics answer into a concrete, gradeable one; build a small bank of dated examples you can map onto recurring GS-4 themes.
›For the law-vs-morals question (Q1b) she didn't just list examples, she landed the precise legal hooks, Shreya Singhal, Puttaswamy, Srikrishna committee, SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, Prohibition of Manual Scavenging Act, and named constitutional articles (Art 21, 22) -> citing the exact case/Act/Article rather than 'a Supreme Court judgment' signals genuine command and is the difference between a generic and an authoritative ethics answer.

What they cited: Article 377 decriminalisation as moral law catching up with changing times (Q1b) · Transgender 'priest' appointment cancelled due to gender (Q1b) · UAPA conflicting with Art 22 (protection against detention) and Art 21 (Q1b) · Anti-conversion laws and abortion rights vs right to reproduction (Q1b) · SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and Prohibition of Manual Scavenging Act (Q1b, Q11)

See Madhavi R's answer copies View the full evaluated copy →

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About This Question

Paper

GS Paper IV: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

Subject

Civil Service Values & Ethics in Administration

Subtopic

Laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance

Section

A (Theory)

Source

Official UPSC 2015 paper, Q3 (verbatim)

Official UPSC syllabus: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.

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2025GS-IV Q5

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2025GS-IV Q4

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2025GS-IV Q3

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2025GS-IV Q2

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What is UPSC Mains 2015 GS-IV Question 9 about?▼

This is a verbatim UPSC Mains 2015 GS-IV question from the "Civil Service Values & Ethics in Administration" area of the official syllabus. It carries 10 marks with a 150-word limit.

How should I approach this UPSC Mains question?▼

For a 10-mark question with a 150-word limit, decode the directive verb first, then structure your answer with a crisp introduction, 2–3 substantiated body points, and a forward-looking conclusion within the limit.

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