Multiple Choice Questions (1-50)
1. What is the most accurate definition of Ethics, as per the document?
a) One's own standard for judging right and wrong.
b) A set of standards society places on itself to guide choices and behaviour.
c) The formal, written rules established by a legislature.
d) The emotional feeling of what is good or bad.
Answer: b) A set of standards society places on itself to guide choices and behaviour.
2. The fundamental problem of ethics is concerned with:
a) The psychological basis of human actions.
b) The nature of the moral ideal or standard.
c) The economic factors affecting human conduct.
d) The legal justification for punishment.
Answer: b) The nature of the moral ideal or standard.
3. Which of the following best describes the relationship between Ethics and Morality?
a) They are synonymous and can be used interchangeably.
b) Morality is universal, while ethics is personal.
c) Ethics is about universal standards, while morality is about personal or cultural standards.
d) Ethics is based on faith, while morality is based on reason.
Answer: c) Ethics is about universal standards, while morality is about personal or cultural
standards.
4. A key point of difference between Ethics and Law is that:
a) Ethics is always enforceable by courts, while law is not.
b) Law is universal, while ethics is specific to a region.
c) Law is a formal, written document, while ethics consists of unwritten principles.
d) Ethics is established by legislatures, while law is presented by philosophers.
Answer: c) Law is a formal, written document, while ethics consists of unwritten principles.
5. The "essence" of ethics refers to its:
a) Historical origins and development.
b) Features, significance, and intrinsic properties.
c) Religious and cultural sources.
d) Economic and political consequences.
Answer: b) Features, significance, and intrinsic properties.
6. Which of these is NOT listed as a factor affecting ethics?
a) Religion and Traditions
b) Law and Constitution
c) Astrological signs
d) Economic Factors
Answer: c) Astrological signs
7. According to the document, consequences of ethics can be established at which three levels?
a) Local, National, and International
b) Individual, Organizational, and Societal
c) Economic, Political, and Social
d) Past, Present, and Future
Answer: b) Individual, Organizational, and Societal
8. The branch of ethics that deals with questions like "What is the nature of morality?" is:
a) Normative Ethics
b) Applied Ethics
c) Descriptive Ethics
d) Meta-Ethics
Answer: d) Meta-Ethics
9. Which ethical theory focuses on the outcome of an act and says "the end justifies the means"?
a) Deontology
b) Virtue Ethics
c) Teleological Ethics
d) Descriptive Ethics
Answer: c) Teleological Ethics
10. Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative is a key concept in:
a) Utilitarianism
b) Deontology
c) Virtue Ethics
d) Consequentialism
Answer: b) Deontology
11. The four pillars of medical ethics are:
a) Truth, Non-Violence, Peace, Right Conduct
b) Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Autonomy, Justice
c) Duty, Utility, Virtue, Rights
d) Care, Compassion, Courage, Commitment
Answer: b) Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Autonomy, Justice
12. What is a primary ethical concern associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
a) Its potential to create too many jobs.
b) How to distribute the wealth created by machines.
c) Its inability to process complex data.
d) The high cost of development.
Answer: b) How to distribute the wealth created by machines.
13. The Four Pillars of Corporate Governance are:
a) Profit, People, Planet, Policy
b) Accountability, Transparency, Responsibility, Fairness
c) Leadership, Integrity, Honesty, Openness
d) Production, Distribution, Consumption, Recycling
Answer: b) Accountability, Transparency, Responsibility, Fairness
14. Which of the following is a feature of private relations, as opposed to public relations?
a) They are highly formal and regulated.
b) They are based on emotional bonds and are informal.
c) Duties are obligatory and externally imposed.
d) They have a wide reach impacting society at large.
Answer: b) They are based on emotional bonds and are informal.
15. A major problem with the rigid separation of public and private ethics is that:
a) It is easily manageable and reduces conflict.
b) They consistently interact and affect each other.
c) It leads to higher efficiency in public administration.
d) It is clearly defined and unambiguous.
Answer: b) They consistently interact and affect each other.
16. An internal feeling that something is true, even if unproven, is defined as:
a) Value
b) Attitude
c) Belief
d) Norm
Answer: c) Belief
17. According to the document, Values are best described as:
a) Social expectations that guide behaviour.
b) Principles that are always universal and unchanging.
c) Our inbuilt mechanism to decide what is right or wrong.
d) Temporary emotional states.
Answer: c) Our inbuilt mechanism to decide what is right or wrong.
18. Which of these is an example of a "Terminal Value"?
a) Courage
b) Happiness
c) Hard-working
d) Patience
Answer: b) Happiness
19. Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development includes all of the following stages EXCEPT:
a) Pre-conventional Morality
b) Conventional Morality
c) Post-conventional Morality
d) Unconventional Morality
Answer: d) Unconventional Morality
20. In the context of attitude, the 'ABC' model stands for:
a) Action, Belief, Character
b) Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive
c) Attitude, Behavior, Consequence
d) Analysis, Bias, Control
Answer: b) Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive
21. The statement "Attitude is akin to spectacles through which a person sees the world" implies
that attitude is:
a) Always negative and destructive.
b) A subjective interpretation of the objective world.
c) An innate and unchangeable trait.
d) The same as a person's behavior.
Answer: b) A subjective interpretation of the objective world.
22. When a person must act in contrast to their attitude, the resulting psychological discomfort is
called:
a) Cognitive Dissonance
b) Emotional Intelligence
c) Heuristic Persuasion
d) Attitude Ambivalence
Answer: a) Cognitive Dissonance
23. Daniel Katz's functions of attitude do NOT include:
a) Knowledge function
b) Ego Defense function
c) Economic function
d) Value expression function
Answer: c) Economic function
24. The Elaboration Likelihood Theory of Attitude Change proposes two routes to persuasion. They
are:
a) Central and Peripheral
b) Internal and External
c) Logical and Emotional
d) Systematic and Heuristic
Answer: a) Central and Peripheral
25. According to the document, what is the key difference between Persuasion and Manipulation?
a) Persuasion is always negative, while manipulation is positive.
b) Persuasion uses emotion, while manipulation uses logic.
c) The intention behind persuasion is noble, while for manipulation it is immoral.
d) Manipulation builds trust, while persuasion destroys it.
Answer: c) The intention behind persuasion is noble, while for manipulation it is immoral.
26. 'Nudging' as a tool of social influence primarily aims to:
a) Enforce strict laws and punishments.
b) Alter the decision-making environment to influence behaviour.
c) Provide large financial incentives for desired actions.
d) Mandate specific behaviours through legislation.
Answer: b) Alter the decision-making environment to influence behaviour.
27. Aptitude is best defined as a/an:
a) Learned skill through years of practice.
b) Innate capacity to acquire a certain skill or ability in the future.
c) A person's current set of knowledge and expertise.
d) A temporary interest in a particular field.
Answer: b) Innate capacity to acquire a certain skill or ability in the future.
28. Which of the following is a type of 'Mental Aptitude'?
a) Physical Strength
b) Numerical Aptitude
c) Height and Agility
d) Dexterity with tools
Answer: b) Numerical Aptitude
29. For success in the Civil Services, the document suggests a civil servant must have three kinds of
aptitude. They are:
a) Technical, Managerial, and Political
b) Intellectual, Emotional, and Moral
c) Linguistic, Logical, and Spatial
d) Physical, Mental, and Social
Answer: b) Intellectual, Emotional, and Moral
30. The equation "Aptitude + Attitude + Opportunity = Altitude" signifies that:
a) Aptitude alone is sufficient for success.
b) Attitude is more important than aptitude.
c) A combination of inherent ability, mindset, and chance leads to high achievement.
d) Opportunity can be completely ignored if one has a good attitude.
Answer: c) A combination of inherent ability, mindset, and chance leads to high achievement.
31. The Nolan Committee (UK) listed several foundational values for public life. Which of these is
NOT one of them?
a) Leadership
b) Selflessness
c) Profitability
d) Objectivity
Answer: c) Profitability
32. Objectivity in civil services refers to:
a) Basing decisions on personal relationships.
b) Looking at things as we are, with our biases.
c) Basing decisions on rationality, facts, and laws.
d) Always prioritizing empathy over rules.
Answer: c) Basing decisions on rationality, facts, and laws.
33. The progression from a state of indifference to action, as per the related terms, is:
a) Compassion → Empathy → Sympathy → Apathy
b) Apathy → Sympathy → Empathy → Compassion
c) Sympathy → Apathy → Empathy → Compassion
d) Empathy → Sympathy → Apathy → Compassion
Answer: b) Apathy → Sympathy → Empathy → Compassion
34. Why is empathy important for a modern civil servant?
a) It helps them to distance themselves from the public.
b) It is a tool for increasing their power and authority.
c) It helps in understanding the problems and suffering of the common man for inclusive growth.
d) It is mandated by the constitution in every article.
Answer: c) It helps in understanding the problems and suffering of the common man for inclusive
growth.
35. Tolerance is important for a civil servant primarily because:
a) It allows them to ignore injustice.
b) It is a constitutional obligation inherent in secularism and necessary for impartiality.
c) It helps them to avoid making difficult decisions.
d) It promotes a single, unified culture.
Answer: b) It is a constitutional obligation inherent in secularism and necessary for impartiality.
36. Integrity in civil services, as per the 2nd ARC, means that civil servants should be guided solely
by:
a) The interests of their political masters.
b) Their personal financial considerations.
c) The public interest in their official decision-making.
d) The directives of international organizations.
Answer: c) The public interest in their official decision-making.
37. The concept where a civil servant serves the government of the day without letting their
personal political beliefs interfere is known as:
a) Political Partisanship
b) Political Impartiality
c) Bureaucratic Neutrality
d) Administrative Efficiency
Answer: b) Political Impartiality
38. The key difference between Accountability and Responsibility is that:
a) Accountability is a moral concept, while responsibility is a legal one.
b) Accountability is inward-looking, while responsibility is outward-looking.
c) Accountability makes one answerable to an external authority, while responsibility is an internal
sense of answerability.
d) They are exactly the same and can be used interchangeably.
Answer: c) Accountability makes one answerable to an external authority, while responsibility is an
internal sense of answerability.
39. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is best defined as the ability to:
a) Suppress all emotions in the workplace.
b) Identify, understand, and manage one's own and others' emotions.
c) Use logic and reason to completely override emotional responses.
d) Experience only positive emotions and eliminate negative ones.
Answer: b) Identify, understand, and manage one's own and others' emotions.
40. Daniel Goleman's Mixed Model of EI includes all of the following components EXCEPT:
a) Self-Awareness
b) Self-Regulation
c) Technical Expertise
d) Social Skills
Answer: c) Technical Expertise
41. According to the document, what percentage of workplace success is attributed to Emotional
Quotient (EQ) by Daniel Goleman?
a) About 20%
b) About 50%
c) About 80%
d) About 100%
Answer: c) About 80%
42. Which of the following is a technique to improve self-awareness, a component of EI?
a) Ignoring feedback from others.
b) Avoiding introspection.
c) Introspection and talking to trusted friends.
d) Focusing solely on technical skills.
Answer: c) Introspection and talking to trusted friends.
43. The "dark side" of Emotional Intelligence refers to its potential use for:
a) Improving team collaboration.
b) Manipulating others for self-serving interests.
c) Enhancing personal well-being.
d) Making better decisions.
Answer: b) Manipulating others for self-serving interests.
44. The central question of Virtue Ethics is:
a) What should I do?
b) What sort of person should I be?
c) What will maximize pleasure?
d) What is the universal rule?
Answer: b) What sort of person should I be?
45. Socrates is famously associated with:
a) The Socratic Method of inquiry and cross-examination.
b) The theory of the Forms.
c) The Doctrine of the Mean.
d) The concept of the Social Contract.
Answer: a) The Socratic Method of inquiry and cross-examination.
46. Plato's four cardinal virtues are:
a) Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, Justice
b) Honesty, Integrity, Empathy, Compassion
c) Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude
d) Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Justice
Answer: a) Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, Justice
47. Aristotle's concept of the "Golden Mean" suggests that virtue is:
a) A midpoint between two extremes of deficiency and excess.
b) The same for all people in all situations.
c) An unattainable ideal.
d) Based solely on the consequences of an action.
Answer: a) A midpoint between two extremes of deficiency and excess.
48. Jeremy Bentham is most closely associated with which ethical theory?
a) Deontology
b) Virtue Ethics
c) Utilitarianism
d) Social Contract Theory
Answer: c) Utilitarianism
49. According to the document, Mahatma Gandhi's core values included:
a) Non-violence, Truth, Forgiveness
b) Socialism, Sacrifice, Revolution
c) Modernity, Secularism, Industrialization
d) Empowerment, Development, Vision
Answer: a) Non-violence, Truth, Forgiveness
50. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is highlighted for his values of:
a) Loyalty and wisdom.
b) Empathy and commitment to the upliftment of weaker sections.
c) Techno-savvy and visionary leadership.
d) Integrity and whistleblowing.
Answer: b) Empathy and commitment to the upliftment of weaker sections.