Section A
Questions
1) Moral intuitions often shape our actions before ethical Sectional Test 1
reasoning occurs.
(a) Identify key components of ethical awareness in everyday decision-making.
(b) Illustrate with examples how intuitive ethics and reflective ethics may diverge in moral
judgment. (Answer in 150 words)
2) “Consequentialism risks reducing morality to arithmetic.”
(a) Do you agree with this critique of utilitarian ethics? Give reasons.
(b) Evaluate whether ends can ever fully justify means in ethical policymaking. (Answer in 150
words)
3) “A good action does not always reflect a good character — and vice versa.”
(a) Do you agree with this statement in the context of virtue ethics?
(b) Critically examine whether character-based ethics offers greater moral depth than rule-
based systems. (Answer in 150 words)
4) Deontological ethics imposes moral limits on power, but fails to account for urgency and
outcomes in public decision-making. Do you agree? Critically examine the strengths and
limitations of rule-based ethics in high-stakes governance. (Answer in 150 words)
Section B
Case Study 1:
Ravi is a junior accounts officer posted in the Rural Housing Department of a backward district.
His duties involve verifying payment records for a flagship central housing subsidy scheme
meant for economically weaker sections. During a routine internal check, Ravi notices
anomalies, multiple beneficiaries with fake names, ghost entries, and payments routed to
suspicious bank accounts.
Digging deeper, he finds that many of these accounts are linked to people who don’t exist or
had passed away long ago. Disturbed by the scale of potential fraud, he raises the issue with his
immediate superior. The response is chillingly casual: “This has been going on for years. Don’t
rock the boat.”
Ravi documents the evidence and sends a confidential report to the District Magistrate. Weeks
pass with no response. Later, a colleague warns him that the file has been buried and that
senior officials are involved.
As the evidence about the scam increases, Ravi contemplates going public with the evidence
and was weighing his options.
Questions
(a) What are the administrative and ethical challenges faced by Ravi in this case?
(b) Was Ravi justified in leaking the information to the media? Evaluate his options.
(c) What institutional mechanisms are needed to support ethical conduct in public service?
Case Study 2
As the District Magistrate of a rapidly developing region, you are reviewing a proposal to
approve a paper mill near a sensitive wetland ecosystem. The project promises significant local
employment and investment, and the region’s MLA — a senior party leader — has publicly
backed it.
However, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the project is vague, with no
clear data on potential harm to the wetland. Local activists and environmentalists have raised
objections, citing the area’s biodiversity, risk of water pollution, and long-term ecological
imbalance.
You receive a call from a senior bureaucrat who indirectly suggests: “Don’t stall this file. It has
Delhi’s interest.” Meanwhile, the industry association highlights how the mill will generate over
800 jobs in the district, including for landless families.
If you delay or raise queries, the political fallout may be significant. If you approve hastily, you
risk irreversible environmental damage — and public criticism in the future. You find yourself at
crossroads.
Questions:
A) What are the key administrative and ethical challenges in this situation?
B) Evaluate your available courses of action and justify the most appropriate one.
C) How can environmental decision-making be protected from short-term political influence?
