Q.1 A government officer receives a gift from a contractor after awarding a contract. What is the most ethical course of action?
Keep the gift and continue with the contract
Return the gift and report the incident to higher authorities
Share the gift with colleagues
Ignore the gift since it is small
Explanation - Accepting gifts from parties with business interests creates a conflict of interest. Returning it and reporting maintains integrity and transparency.
Correct answer is: Return the gift and report the incident to higher authorities
Q.2 A public servant notices misallocation of funds in a project. Which action demonstrates ethical responsibility?
Ignore it as it is not their responsibility
Report the issue to the appropriate oversight authority
Wait for someone else to report it
Use the funds for personal benefit
Explanation - Ethical governance requires reporting misuse of public funds to ensure accountability and proper use of resources.
Correct answer is: Report the issue to the appropriate oversight authority
Q.3 An officer faces pressure from a senior to favor a relative in a recruitment process. What should they do?
Give preference to the relative to avoid conflict
Refuse and follow the merit-based selection process
Consult colleagues before deciding
Delay the recruitment indefinitely
Explanation - Integrity in governance requires following merit-based processes even under pressure, ensuring fairness and impartiality.
Correct answer is: Refuse and follow the merit-based selection process
Q.4 A senior official uses government resources for personal use. Which principle is being violated?
Transparency
Integrity
Accountability
All of the above
Explanation - Using public resources for personal gain violates multiple ethical principles including integrity, transparency, and accountability.
Correct answer is: All of the above
Q.5 During policy implementation, an officer finds that a regulation unintentionally harms a marginalized community. What is the ethical action?
Ignore the impact as it was unintentional
Report and suggest corrective measures
Blame the community for misunderstanding
Follow the regulation strictly without change
Explanation - Ethical governance requires taking responsibility for unintended harm and recommending corrective measures to protect vulnerable groups.
Correct answer is: Report and suggest corrective measures
Q.6 A bureaucrat is offered an expensive hospitality during an inspection. What is the correct ethical response?
Accept it to maintain good relations
Politely refuse and continue duties impartially
Accept but report later
Decline only if the value is very high
Explanation - Accepting hospitality from stakeholders can compromise impartiality. Refusal ensures integrity and trust in governance.
Correct answer is: Politely refuse and continue duties impartially
Q.7 A public officer learns of favoritism in awarding tenders. What should they do?
Join in to gain favor
Expose the favoritism through proper channels
Ignore as it doesn’t concern them
Advise contractors to bribe for fairness
Explanation - Addressing favoritism through proper channels promotes fairness, accountability, and ethical administration.
Correct answer is: Expose the favoritism through proper channels
Q.8 An official discovers a colleague is manipulating records to cover errors. Ethical action would be:
Confront the colleague and correct the records
Ignore it to maintain workplace peace
Help them cover up the errors
Leak it to media anonymously
Explanation - Correcting records and addressing misconduct internally reflects accountability and upholding ethical standards.
Correct answer is: Confront the colleague and correct the records
Q.9 A government project requires environmental clearance. Officials are asked to bypass due process. What should they do?
Bypass to save time
Follow legal procedures strictly
Ask the public for opinion
Delay the project indefinitely
Explanation - Ethical governance demands adherence to legal and environmental regulations, even under pressure to expedite processes.
Correct answer is: Follow legal procedures strictly
Q.10 A public officer notices nepotism in promotions. Best ethical course of action?
Complain to colleagues
Report to higher authorities or ethics committee
Accept it as normal
Favor someone else in revenge
Explanation - Reporting unethical practices ensures transparency and maintains merit-based governance.
Correct answer is: Report to higher authorities or ethics committee
Q.11 An official is offered a bribe to overlook a regulatory violation. What is the ethical response?
Accept since it is small
Report and refuse the bribe
Delay action hoping for larger bribe
Ignore the violation silently
Explanation - Refusing and reporting bribes prevents corruption and maintains integrity in public service.
Correct answer is: Report and refuse the bribe
Q.12 A bureaucrat is asked to falsify data in a report to make performance look better. Ethical action?
Falsify to avoid trouble
Refuse and submit accurate data
Delay submission indefinitely
Alter selectively to minimize impact
Explanation - Maintaining honesty in official records ensures credibility, accountability, and public trust.
Correct answer is: Refuse and submit accurate data
Q.13 A senior officer pressures juniors to overlook safety standards in construction. Ethical response?
Follow orders to avoid conflict
Report violation and adhere to safety norms
Slow down work to prevent harm silently
Compromise partially
Explanation - Prioritizing safety and reporting unethical directives ensures protection of public welfare and professional integrity.
Correct answer is: Report violation and adhere to safety norms
Q.14 An official finds that the beneficiary of a welfare scheme was wrongly excluded. Ethical action?
Ignore it since the error is small
Rectify and ensure inclusion
Ask the beneficiary to apply again
Wait for someone else to notice
Explanation - Ethical governance requires correcting errors to ensure equitable access to public welfare schemes.
Correct answer is: Rectify and ensure inclusion
Q.15 During procurement, an officer is offered a gift to approve low-quality materials. What should they do?
Accept to maintain relationship
Reject gift and ensure quality standards
Approve but note down the issue
Delegate the decision
Explanation - Maintaining procurement standards and refusing gifts ensures public resources are used responsibly.
Correct answer is: Reject gift and ensure quality standards
Q.16 A public officer notices favoritism in scholarship allocation. Ethical response?
Adjust criteria secretly
Report and recommend fair allocation
Do nothing
Distribute scholarships to friends instead
Explanation - Promoting fairness in public programs upholds integrity and equitable treatment.
Correct answer is: Report and recommend fair allocation
Q.17 A junior officer discovers corruption in tax collection. Best course of action?
Participate to avoid risk
Report through whistleblowing channels
Ignore since it’s risky
Collect evidence for personal gain
Explanation - Reporting corruption maintains integrity and strengthens ethical governance mechanisms.
Correct answer is: Report through whistleblowing channels
Q.18 An official is asked to hide environmental violations of a company. Ethical action?
Hide violations to keep job safe
Report violations and enforce law
Modify the report partially
Wait for higher authority instruction
Explanation - Ethical responsibility requires enforcement of environmental laws irrespective of external pressure.
Correct answer is: Report violations and enforce law
Q.19 During disaster relief, an officer sees favoritism in aid distribution. Ethical action?
Redistribute aid fairly
Follow orders without questioning
Favor friends and family
Delay action to avoid conflict
Explanation - Equitable distribution in crisis situations is crucial to uphold fairness and public trust.
Correct answer is: Redistribute aid fairly
Q.20 A government official notices misuse of office vehicles for personal travel. Ethical response?
Report and stop misuse
Ignore as minor misuse
Join the practice
Only report if loss is significant
Explanation - Preventing misuse of public resources is key to maintaining integrity and accountability.
Correct answer is: Report and stop misuse
Q.21 An officer is pressured to approve a substandard infrastructure project. Ethical response?
Approve to avoid conflict
Reject and follow safety standards
Approve partially
Delay decision indefinitely
Explanation - Safety, legality, and ethical standards must take precedence over external pressures.
Correct answer is: Reject and follow safety standards
Q.22 During audits, an official finds inflated expenses by colleagues. Ethical action?
Ignore to maintain team harmony
Report through official audit channels
Correct figures quietly
Collect evidence for personal leverage
Explanation - Reporting financial discrepancies ensures accountability and protects public resources.
Correct answer is: Report through official audit channels
Q.23 A bureaucrat is asked to approve a policy against expert advice. What is ethical?
Approve to follow orders
Document objections and follow due process
Delay decision indefinitely
Modify policy secretly
Explanation - Documenting objections and following proper procedure ensures accountability and professional integrity.
Correct answer is: Document objections and follow due process
Q.24 A public officer finds errors in citizen welfare data. Ethical response?
Ignore errors
Correct and notify relevant authorities
Alter data to show better performance
Wait for citizens to report
Explanation - Correcting data errors ensures transparency and equitable delivery of public services.
Correct answer is: Correct and notify relevant authorities
Q.25 An official observes misuse of power by a superior. What is the ethical response?
Confront them publicly
Report through proper channels
Ignore to avoid risk
Resign immediately
Explanation - Using proper channels to report misuse balances accountability with procedural fairness and personal safety.
Correct answer is: Report through proper channels