UPSC Mains 2018 GS4 Q6 — Ethical Quotations
What do each of the following quotations mean to you in the present context ? (a) “The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject any thing, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more evil than good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost every thing, especially of governmental policy, is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded.” — Abraham Lincoln (150 words) (b) “Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.” — Mahatma Gandhi (150 words) (c) “Falsehood takes the place of truth when it results in unblemished common good.” — Tirukkural (150 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- What do each of the following quotations mean to youdetermining to embrace, or reject
- Scope keywords
- present contextinseparable compoundpreponderanceenemies of correct understandingunblemished common goodgovernmental policy
- Implicit sub-parts
- Application of Lincoln’s Utilitarianism in modern policy trade-offs (e.g., Development vs. Environment).
- The role of Emotional Intelligence in overcoming Gandhi’s identified barriers of anger and intolerance in civil service.
- The ethical justification of 'Noble Lies' or strategic secrecy in governance versus the principle of transparency.
- Identification of specific contemporary examples where the 'lesser evil' or 'higher truth' was chosen.
- Common pitfalls
- Defining the quotes in abstract philosophical terms without linking them to the 'present context' as explicitly demanded.
- Ignoring the specific mention of 'governmental policy' in Lincoln's quote and keeping the answer purely personal.
- Equating Tirukkural’s 'falsehood' with corruption or self-interest rather than the strict 'common good' caveat.
- Writing a biography of the authors instead of analyzing the ethical core of their statements.
- Dimensions required
- Utilitarianism and ConsequentialismEmotional Intelligence (Social Awareness and Self-Regulation)Deontological Ethics vs. Teleological EthicsPublic Policy and Administrative Pragmatism
- Marks allocation hint
Divide the 150 words per quote into three equal segments of 50 words each. For each, spend 15 words on the core philosophical interpretation and 35 words on a robust contemporary application or case study (e.g., vaccine mandates for Lincoln, communal harmony for Gandhi, and national security undercover operations for Tirukkural).
Unlock the full analysis for this question
You've seen the question and its examiner-intent decoding. Subscribers also get:
- 🔗 Similar Previous Year Questions — cross-year, cross-paper matches so you study the topic, not the question
- 📚 Source Map — verified citations from Laxmikanth, NCERT, PRS, Yojana, Economic Survey, Spectrum
- 🌱 How this topic is evolving — current-affairs bridge anchored to live TARS news clustering
- 🧭 Examiner's Pattern — how the topic has been framed across every year UPSC has tested it
- ✍️ Answer Skeleton — a structured outline (intro → body → conclusion) you can flesh out
- 🎯 AI evaluation — write your answer, get rubric-based scoring from gs-eval
Or browse 132+ free preview questions across all years and papers — the first 3 questions of every paper are unlocked.
Ready to practice?
Subscribers can attempt this question in 150 words and get an instant, rubric-based evaluation showing where they stand.
Subscribe to evaluate your answer →