APSC Mains GS-IV (Ethics) 2026 QUESTION PAPER : Trend Analysis

Section A: concepts, thinkers and values

• Quotes and philosophy: Q1 Nelson Mandela on diligence vs natural aptitude; Q3 Thoreau, “that government is best which governs least”; Q13 Rajadharma as a basis of probity.
• Aptitude and attitude: Q1 attitude over aptitude; Q2 a personal account of problem-solving (a “describe your own experience” question, new in style).
• Public service values: Q4 sincere duty with detachment vs engagement with colleagues and society; Q12 the foundational value tested when implementing an unpopular but legal policy; Q11 Citizen’s Charter.
• Role models: Q6 two great Indian administrators and their core values; Q7 Rani Gaidinliu and lessons for officers in tribal regions.
• Constitutional and legal ethics: Q8 constitutional morality and who popularised it (Dr. Ambedkar, with the Grote link).
• Current affairs with an ethics lens: Q5 the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, after the Cockroach Janata Party protest; Q9 Strait of Hormuz conflict and ethics in international relations.
• Case study: Q10 whistleblower officer in the Orunodoi scheme, with the doctrine of pleasure (Article 310) and the Article 311 safeguards.

Section B: long-form, 20 marks each

• Q14 Social audit, in four parts (expansion since MKSS, principles, significance with two good practices, challenges and reforms).
• Q15 Parenting and technology, including the under-16 social media ban as in Australia.
• Q16 Case study: the Executive Officer, the VIP football ticket and the businessman bidding for a waste contract. Three parts: should he have left, the ethical issues, and how to redeem the situation.
• Q17 Women empowerment and the contradiction between veneration of goddesses and crimes against women.
• Q18 Declining government schools (11.07 lakh to 10.13 lakh, about 25 a day) and reform proposals.
• Q19 Work culture in Assam and why Assamese youth work in restaurants outside the state.

Key Trends

1. Assam and North-East context is strong again. Q7 (Rani Gaidinliu), Q10 (Orunodoi, an Assam scheme) and Q19 (work culture in Assam) are directly regional. Together they carry about 40 marks. This continues the pattern from GS-I and GS-II.
2. Case studies are only two, but they are worth a lot. Q10 (10 marks) and Q16 (20 marks) total 30 marks, with Q16 the single heaviest. Both are about integrity under pressure: whistleblowing and conflict of interest. Gifts, hospitality and conflict of interest in public office is a classic theme and one to prepare well.
3. Section B is policy-heavy, not philosophical. Q14 (social audit), Q15 (technology and parenting), Q18 (school closures) and Q19 (work culture) ask for administrative and social solutions. Reform proposals and “assume you have the authority” framing appear in Q18, so expect applied answers rather than thinker-quoting.
4. Current affairs entered the ethics paper. Q5 (a July 2026 bill), Q9 (the Hormuz conflict) and Q18 (the NITI Aayog school data) all need up-to-date facts. The Hormuz question links to GS-I Q18 on energy and maritime disruption, so the same 2026 events served two papers.
5. Rooted in Indian ethical tradition. Rajadharma (Q13), the doctrine of pleasure (Q10b), constitutional morality (Q8) and Indian administrator role models (Q6) all draw on Indian sources, such as the Mahabharata, Arthashastra, Ambedkar and Kautilya, rather than Western theory alone.
6. Personal experience questions are a new trend. Q2 asks about your own challenge and how you solved it. Prepare one or two real stories in a structure of situation, approach, steps and lessons.
7. Gender and society links continue. Q17 matches the gender emphasis in GS-I (Q3, Q8, Q12, Q14, Q17, Q20) and GS-II (Q9, Q16). Violence against women and gender discrimination is now one of the most recurring themes across all papers.
8. Technology and its social cost reappears. Q15 (children, parenting, social media bans) joins essay topics 1, 3 and 5, GS-I Q16 and GS-II Q1 and Q11. This is the most persistent theme across the whole exam.
9. Multi-part directives need part-wise answers. Q10, Q14 and Q16 each have clearly labelled sub-parts. Marks follow the parts, so each should get its own heading or paragraph in proportion to its weight.