Afterthoughts on the UPSC Ethics Paper 2024
[Relevant for Public Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude]
Afterthoughts on the UPSC Ethics Paper 2024
It is always a feeling of contentment when justice is accomplished on any front by an individual.
Justice requires that full accountability and transparency is maintained vis-à-vis all the stakeholders; if I can put it in Ethical lingo. In that sense I could do justice for myself, my students and the wider discourse about breaking some myths propagated with ulterior motives by some interested people/organizations.
Now, as the dust have settled post the UPSC Mains 2024 exams and students – both who attempted their mains and those who would attempt it next time – are pondering over the questions; it is the right time to share with you some afterthoughts about my take on the Ethics paper.
Before we get into that, I would like to share one out of many such instances about how Triumph IAS classes including test (we conducted 4 tests – 3 sectional and 1 comprehensive) have fared in relation to the real exam. Every aspect which I would be penning here is also uploaded on the website of the Triumph IAS for you all to go and get assurance.
From my Section A test the following question I gave to students:
AI and ML are increasingly entering into the domain of governance but this technical innovation comes with its own set of ethical issues. Discuss some of them and bring out a feasible and viable solution for each mentioned by you.
And, the real question which came in your paper held on Sept 22nd 2024 was:
The application of Artificial Intelligence as a dependable source of input for administrative rational decision-making is a debatable issue. Critically examine the statement from the ethical point of view.
And like this about 45% of the questions that appeared in the exam came from those few tests that I conducted in the batch who studied at Triumph IAS.
If you also include the lectures (in 33 lectures Ethics class was completed) then you can find more than 90% of the questions which came in your exam.
Infact, out of ten or so shorts which I made (and are there on the Triumph IAS website) one question about code of ethics and code of conduct which came in your exam came from that short. The link of that short is https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YKEkfzxh0-w.
This is the reason that I feel contented that I could do justice with my experience in the field of Ethics pedagogy for UPSC since 2013. This is the same year when the Ethics paper was introduced in UPSC. Actually, I authored the book Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude in 2013 when I was working with Chronicle Publication and after that I have been mentoring students in Paper IV, Essay paper and also a very unique one-month course on how to effectively read Newspaper (one standard newspaper whether that be The Hindu or The Indian Express).
After the examination of Ethics paper on 22nd Sept on 23rd Sept I made a Youtube Video about the analysis of the questions. I would invite you all to once visit that and see for yourself.
It would take some time but I pledge that the time spent seeing that video would be worthwhile for you. The link to that video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeY-2DLe7ys.
All the other details about the question papers and the pre-test discussion (2 in all) which I took for my mains writing students is also mentioned in the description of this video.
So, this makes me contented with a sigh of relief.
But again, I would like to mention and underline that it is not possible for anyone to predict the UPSC paper by any means but you all can make certain intelligent and informed guess about the questions if you have conceptual clarity and you are abreast with the latest happenings in the domain of governance.
Like I kept on repeating in my class that this time one question would certainly appear related to BNS, BNSS and Sakshya Adhiniyam as these cardinal penal jurisprudential statutes got operational from July of this year. And, yes that question came in your paper.
So, in a nutshell you all can make intelligent framework about the questions which you would be facing while writing mains exam.
You have to keep three things in mind:
- Have crystal conceptual clarity about the concepts of the paper vis-à-vis the syllabus. Do not go beyond the syllabus but you also need to be mindful that UPSC GS papers in general and Ethics paper in particular have their syllabus in a very broad-contoured lines.
- Keep yourself abreast of all the latest happenings in and around you. And this requires you to be very proficient and imandaar with your daily newspaper reading. I recommend The Indian Express but this can be your take.
- Solve the past five years question papers and at least see the previous five years to that. This means that you are aware of the question trends for the last ten years as far as this paper is concerned.
With these and some bit of luck from the Existence or Divine or whatever you call Him/Her you all would do better than you have ever anticipated for this paper in particular and others papers in general.
Again, remember that there is no short cut to success so anybody telling that they have the gyan ka ghunti with them and you just have to drink from it and you become capable of writing this exam proficiently are just taking you for a ride. A ride in which you fall and that fall breaks your soul and your confidence.
Why I am telling you this?
Just to emphasize that it is you who have to do the newspaper reading and no monthlies or materials (I always have a natural aversion for the yellow materials of ORN) can ever make you “aware” about the questions and how to tackle them. But this newspaper reading is another thing which I would take in another blog.
Having shared all this, I invite you all to Triumph IAS and go for a genuine beginning in this journey of becoming an IAS officer.
Niraj Kumar
(Author of Lexicon & currently teaching Ethics at Triumph IAS)
#EthicsBlogoTerms
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