QUESTION 3(a)
GS4
10 marks
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, but knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. What do you understand by this statement? Explain your stand with illustrations from the modern context.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why integrity and knowledge depend on each other, taking a stand with modern illustrations.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Integrity without knowledge is weak: an honest but uninformed officer cannot design good policy, spot fraud or use technology; good intentions fail (e.g. poorly designed welfare schemes with leakages)≈30 words
- 2Knowledge without integrity is dangerous: experts misuse skill for fraud, manipulation or harm (corporate accounting frauds, algorithmic manipulation, cyber crime, unethical research)≈30 words
- 3Stand: both are needed for 'ethical competence'; knowledge multiplies the impact of character, good or bad≈30 words
- 4Implication for civil service: continuous learning plus value training≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Meaning of each halfIllustration for eachOwn standImplication for public service
Where marks usually go
- Defining integrity and knowledge separately without showing why each fails alone
- Using only historical examples when 'modern context' is asked
Draw this
- 2x2 matrix: high/low integrity vs high/low knowledge with an example in each box
Value addition
- ThinkerThe statement is from Samuel Johnson's novel 'Rasselas' (1759).Samuel Johnson, 1759
- ExampleSatyam (2009): top-level financial expertise used to inflate cash balances by about Rs 5,000 crore.Satyam case, 2009
- ExampleCambridge Analytica (2018) misused data science to profile voters without consent.UK ICO, 2018
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Divya Mishra · Page 21 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Vaishali · Page 23 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Vidushi Singh · AIR 13 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.