QUESTION 3(a)
GS4
10 marks
‘Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do.’ – Potter Stewart
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain what the quote means: legal permission is not the same as moral rightness, and public servants must aim for the latter.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Meaning: rights and laws set the outer limit; ethics asks whether an allowed act is fair, kind and responsible≈35 words
- 2Examples: legal tax avoidance vs fairness; a legally valid but harsh eviction in monsoon; using a discretionary quota for a relative≈35 words
- 3Relevance for administrators: discretion, conflict of interest, spirit vs letter of law≈35 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Meaning in one lineTwo contrasting examplesRelevance for civil servantsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Only paraphrasing the quote
- Saying ethics should override law; it should guide action within the law
Draw this
- Venn diagram: legal / ethical, with examples in each zone
Value addition
- ThinkerKant's categorical imperative: act only on a maxim you could will as universal law; a legal act can still fail this test.Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
- RuleAll India Services (Conduct) Rules require officers to maintain integrity and avoid conflicts of interest even where no law is broken.All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Vidushi Singh · AIR 13 · Page 5 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- G Sanjana · AIR 55 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 7 ↗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.