GS Paper IV — Q1
(a) In the present digital age, social media has revolutionised our way of communication and interaction. However, it has raised…
In the present digital age, social media has revolutionised our way of communication and interaction. However, it has raised several ethical issues and challenges. Describe the key ethical dilemmas in this regard. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
"Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment but a product of civil education and adherence of the rule of law." Examine the significance of constitutional morality for public servant highlighting the role in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability in public administration. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
मौजूदा डिजिटल युग में सोशल मीडिया ने संचार और बातचीत के तरीके में क्रांति ला दी है। हालांकि इसने कई नैतिक मुद्दे और चुनौतियाँ खड़ी कर दी हैं। इस संबंध में मूल नैतिक दुविधाओं का वर्णन कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए) 10 अंक
"संवैधानिक नैतिकता कोई स्वाभाविक मनोभाव नहीं है, बल्कि नागरिक शिक्षा और कानून के शासन के पालन का परिणाम है।" सिविल सेवक के लिए संवैधानिक नैतिकता का परीक्षण करते हुए लोक प्रशासन में सुशासन को बढ़ावा देने और जवाबदेही सुनिश्चित करने में इसकी भूमिका पर प्रकाश डालिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए) 10 अंक
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
(a) Key ethical dilemmas of social media
- Free speech versus harm: Article 19(1)(a) protects expression, but hate speech, incitement and defamation spread fastest online. Who decides what is removed — the platform, the state or a court?
- Privacy versus personalisation: free services are paid for with personal data; users rarely give informed consent to profiling, a concern under Puttaswamy (2017) and the DPDP Act, 2023.
- Truth versus virality: algorithms reward outrage, so misinformation and deepfakes spread faster than corrections, as during COVID-19.
- Echo chambers versus public reason: feeds that show users only what they already believe deepen polarisation.
- Anonymity versus accountability: anonymity protects dissenters and whistle-blowers but also trolls who harass women and minorities.
- Well-being: addiction, cyberbullying and body-image harm among adolescents raise the platforms' duty of care.
- For public servants: expressing opinions and engaging citizens versus political neutrality under the Conduct Rules.
(b) Constitutional morality for public servants
Dr Ambedkar, quoting the historian Grote, told the Constituent Assembly that constitutional morality "is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated." It means fidelity to the Constitution's values — liberty, equality, dignity, secularism, rule of law — and to its forms and limits, even over popular or personal morality. The Supreme Court relied on it in Manoj Narula (2014), Navtej Singh Johar (2018) and Government of NCT of Delhi (2018).
Significance for public servants:
- Good governance: decisions follow law and constitutional values rather than majoritarian pressure or personal belief — for instance, protecting an inter-caste couple or a minority procession.
- Impartiality: service to all citizens equally under Articles 14 and 15.
- Accountability: respect for judicial review, RTI, audit and parliamentary oversight as legitimate checks, not obstacles.
- Resisting illegality: the basis for refusing unlawful orders and recording dissent.
It is cultivated by civic education, training and leaders who model it.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS4 Ethical Dilemma & Constitutional Morality
What earns full marks: Precise definitions, specific examples, clear link to governance/accountability, balanced reasoning.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- (a) Describe the key ethical dilemmas raised by social media in communication and interaction. 10 marks · 150 words
describe— context → dilemmas with competing values → examples → conclusion
Must cover
- Set the context: social media's reach and its ethical stakes
- Identify 3-4 specific dilemmas (privacy vs convenience, free speech vs harm, anonymity vs accountability, engagement vs well-being)
- Explain the competing values in each dilemma
- Note the impact on individuals, society and democracy
Loses marks
- Listing issues without explaining the dilemma
- Focusing only on technical aspects, not ethics
- Moral preaching without analysis
Earns more
- Algorithms, echo chambers and polarisation
- Data privacy, surveillance and consent
- Misinformation, deepfakes and hate speech
- Platform accountability and erosion of trust
Extra mark
- Specific law or rule (IT Act 2000, IT Rules 2021, DPDP Act 2023)
- Landmark case (Shreya Singhal 2015; K.S. Puttaswamy 2017)
- (b) Examine the significance of constitutional morality for public servants in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability. 10 marks · 150 words
examine— intro → how/why with reasoning → evidence → conclusion
Must cover
- Define constitutional morality as adherence to constitutional values, cultivated through civic education and the rule of law
- Link it to the public servant's duties (impartiality, neutrality, non-discrimination)
- Explain its role in promoting good governance
- Explain its role in ensuring accountability
Loses marks
- Confusing constitutional morality with personal ethics
- Failing to link to public administration
- Vague generalities without administrative context
Earns more
- Contrast with personal or popular morality (Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly, citing Grote)
- Rule of law and due process in decision-making
- Examples: RTI, social audit, speaking orders, grievance redress
- Resisting unlawful orders and partisan pressure
Extra mark
- Supreme Court judgment (Manoj Narula 2014; Navtej Johar 2018; Govt of NCT of Delhi 2018)
- Specific Articles (14, 21, 51A, 311)
What "Describe" is asking you to do
Give a full, ordered account of the thing named — its parts, stages or mechanism — in the sequence in which it actually exists or occurs. Most describe questions come from the science optionals, where the marks sit in correct technical detail and, where the stem says so, a labelled diagram.
Structure that answers it
One-line identification of the subject → the parts or stages in their real order, each with its defining detail → labelled diagram where the subject is structural → closing line on function or significance
Where marks are lost
Loose general prose where the examiner is ticking named parts, correct terminology and their sequence; and in the General Studies papers, turning to evaluation before the description is finished.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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