How to Prepare Ethics for UPSC Mains

The UPSC main examination is approaching, and fresh notification for the upcoming year is scheduled to be released on 2nd February 2022. The UPSC main examination has papers of GS with their dynamics and specific focus.  Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude in GS Paper 4 of the IAS Main Examination have a sizable chunk of marks under its syllabus. Aspirants can score really well if they prepare with proper plan and practice sufficient questions, case studies keeping in mind the demand of the paper.

In this article, we shall discuss a suitable strategy that will help aspirants prepare and work on a smart strategy for the important Ethics portion of the GS Paper 4, taking into consideration the fundamental aspects of the Syllabus of UPSC.

Please follow the linked pages for more updates on the examination Notification, Eligibility Criteria, examination pattern, and more.

What are the Main Components of the GS4 Ethics  Paper?

The General Studies-4 Ethics paper can be categorized into two sections. 

• Theoretical Part
• Case Studies Part

Please visit the linked page to know more about the UPSC GS 4 Ethics Syllabus and approach

Theoretical Part

• Candidates need to have an idea of the nature of questions generally asked in this section.
• The first type of question is the definition oriented ones on ethical Values.
• The next type of question is on the Significance of that value in public service as well as a personal and professional sphere.
• The other category is the application of the value in decision making in day to day lives of an individual.

It must be kept in mind that current affairs and real-life examples in answers enrich the content and presentation.

How to Prepare the Theoretical Part?

Defining the Terms of the Syllabus

•  Defining values in simple terms and clear definitions adds value to the presentation.
• The definition can be tuned to the individual perspective, confirming the accepted norms.
• Preparing a list of definitions beforehand will save time, help in interlinking and writing quality answers.
• Simple definition without any technical jargon or high-sounding words should be a priority.
• Linking and starting answers with interesting quotes to the defined syllabus will be possible if one has a list of definitions from their own perspective.

Identifying the Values Listed in the Syllabus with Great Personalities 

• While preparing the Ethics paper, candidates can make a list of the key values from the syllabus and identify them with great personalities.
• It will help candidates produce real-life examples as well as relate them with great personalities, applicable quotes in the examination environment.
• It adds value to the answers and also aids in writing analytical answers.

Role of Diagrams and Charts

• Diagrams and charts make the answers presentable and to the point, helping the candidates convey the concept clearly. 
• Diagrams and charts with respect to the concepts must be prepared earlier and candidates should be well versed with their application. 
• Inventing something on the spot is fraught with issues of missing crucial points or linkages.

Examples from Various Sources

• Examples from various sources add value to the answers. 
• Various ethical principles and their applications in real-life situations can be studied and be used for enriching the answers.
• Therefore, it is indeed essential that along with the sources, syllabus the candidates must collect real-life examples in and around them to make their answers stand out and relevant with respect to the concepts.

Newspapers

• Important events and happenings from the newspapers and how the concerned government machinery dealt with the issue can be taken into account as an example of the ethical dilemma in the administration.
• Further, various schemes and their implementation is useful for the collective social approaches, to be quoted as examples.
• Important global issues can also be mentioned in the example case studies for their ethical relevance.

Individual and Societal Experience

• Day to day experience of an individual; and examples around in the society at large, communities can also be quoted for ethical prudence.
• Analysis can be done from the perspective of the various stakeholders.

Work Environment and Professions

• Different professions have a set of dilemmas unique to themselves. 
• The ethical challenge of demands from the profession sometimes could clash with the ethical standards of the individual, and as expected being a servant of the larger public interest.

Lives of Great Personalities 

• Observations, decisions, narratives, and quotations taken from the lives of great Personalities will add value to and support the arguments.
• Native literature and traditional folk tales have a plethora of examples.

How to Deal with Case Studies?

• Case studies present the real-life situations and dilemmas faced by a public servant on various fronts, on a regular basis.
• It also focuses on testing the logical reasoning and decision making aspect in a tough situation, where the boundaries or conditions of the situations are clearly mentioned.
• Case studies solved well and reasonably can really boost the marks of an individual.

What are the Points to be Kept in Mind for Case Studies?

• First, understand the ethical dilemmas on a professional and personal level, in the case studies.
• It is necessary
•  To have clarity on structure and word limit for different kinds of questions, as per the dilemmas and various stakeholders.
• Classification of subtopics during the study and use of subheadings during answer writing is very useful.

Points to Note while Answering

• The first few lines of the answer should be dedicated to summarising the situation given in the case study.
• It should include the keywords of the syllabus in its description of the situation in brief.
• Secondly, various stakeholders of the parties who are affected or involved in the situation or in the crisis should be clearly and broadly mentioned.
• The Ethical Dilemma and key principles faced by the public servant must be mentioned, along with the conflict and situation that one comes across before arriving at the judgment.
• One should also write the different possible courses of action and their pros and cons while evaluating each of the options.
• In the end, one should write why one would go with one of the options as the chosen course of action. This can be a combination of more than one option at times.
• Here, the candidates should be clear and concise in their arguments as to why they choose a certain course of action.
• It must be kept in mind that the solutions should be pragmatic and workable. An idea could be innovative. However, if it lacks originality, and is not administratively implementable, locally acceptable, financially viable is difficult to go ahead.
• So there should  be a balance of all three which leads to selecting 
• a course of action, in that regard.
• One must take adequate care to put forth the view with clarity and without any ambiguity.
• Candidates should prepare an average time frame for different questions and must practice the same beforehand to implement in the examination.
• Adequate IAS Mains Answer Writing oriented to the needs and demands of the examination must be done to achieve the speed required to finish the paper well in time.
• Furthermore, case studies of previous years share many common concepts and issues. Answer writing in this regard will be beneficial for the candidates to address the demands of different types of questions. 

Some Basic Principles to Keep in Mind

• First of all the candidates should acquaint themselves with the syllabus and understand the conceptual depth required for each of the topics. 
• Students can take help from this linked article to have a better idea of the syllabus prescribed for UPSC Main Examination and Previous Year Questions for GS4 Ethics.
• Therefore, sufficient knowledge in the topic as expected from an educated person coupled with a basic understanding of the issues, their various dimensions, and an ability to write analytical answers with a good presentation is needed.
•  It is essential to note that to delve deep into the topic, repeated reading and revision from specific sources, will prepare the base. 
• A limited number of good Resources and Books for GS4  Ethics can be helpful along with multiple revisions. 

Conclusion

The demands of the paper are not only of conceptual clarity but how well a candidate is equipped to apply them in real-life situations, involving ethical dilemmas. The syllabus of Ethics Integrity and Aptitude of the GS4 paper can be tackled with a  detailed strategy and a thorough approach prioritizing more practice, honing up the skills of presentation and answer writing.

Similarly, multiple revisions from limited sources will enable the candidate to recall better, keeping up the facts from various reports on the tip. It also adds to the ability to link across topics in answers. Candidates must prepare a plan, stick to it and take the help of quality resources, saving their crucial time. They also need to practice an adequate number of previous questions to acquaint themselves with the real exam-like environment. 

This article is relevant for the sections of the Ethics Integrity Aptitude part of the UPSC Syllabus prescribed for the Preliminary and Main Stages of the Civil Services Exam. 

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