Law Legal Studies

Professional and General Ethics

1,417 Questions

Professional and general ethics cover the moral principles and confidentiality rules guiding various occupations, including law, engineering, and healthcare. These topics are essential for state public service commissions and other competitive assessments testing professional conduct. Explore questions on conflicts of interest, technological responsibility, and client obligations.

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Professional and General Ethics Questions

Multiple choice softskills teamwork

Your team is faced with making a decision on a very controversial and emotionally charged issue. The leader has asked for each individual to express his/her views. The first thought that comes to your mind is:

  1. It is safe to express your true feelings without fear of reprisal

  2. A person would be a fool to be himself in this team-don't be vulnerable

  3. How open you are depends on the issue and people around you at the time

  4. In the majority of cases it is best not to let your true feelings or self show
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

To solve this question, the user needs to understand the importance of expressing one's views in a team and the potential risks involved.

Now, let's go through each option and explain why it is right or wrong:

A. It is safe to express your true feelings without fear of reprisal - This option is ideal because expressing one's true feelings in a team is essential for effective communication and decision-making. It helps to establish trust and open dialogue among team members.

B. A person would be a fool to be himself in this team-don't be vulnerable - This option is incorrect because hiding one's true feelings or opinions can lead to misunderstandings and poor decision-making. It can also hinder the team's ability to solve problems effectively.

C. How open you are depends on the issue and people around you at the time - This option is partially correct. While the level of openness can vary depending on the issue and people involved, it is important to maintain honesty and transparency in communication.

D. In the majority of cases it is best not to let your true feelings or self show - This option is incorrect. Hiding one's true feelings or self can lead to mistrust and misunderstandings among team members. It can also negatively impact the team's ability to make informed decisions.

The Answer is: A

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the view of Gandhiji in respect of profession of lawyers?

  1. It is the duty of a lawyer to defend his client even if the lawyer knows him to be guilty.

  2. It is impossible to practice law without compromising truth.

  3. True function of a lawyer is to induce people to seek justice from the court of law.

  4. It is not impossible to practice law without making it subservient to the interest of the lawyer’s purse.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Gandhiji’s thoughts on the law and the lawyers is that it is not impossible to practice law without making it subservient to the interest of the lawyer’s purse.

Multiple choice

Duties of an agent include the duty to

  1. obey lawful instruction of the principal

  2. keep information obtained by virtue of the agency relationship confidential

  3. keep the principal informed of all information related to the agency relationship

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

(4) Duties of an agent include all of the above mentioned duties.

Multiple choice
Directions: Read the paragraph and answer the question that follows.
The very act of placing our assets in the hands of other people requires immense trust. An untrustworthy stockbroker or insurance agent, like an untrustworthy physician or attorney, finds few takers for his or her services. Financial scandals shock us precisely because they involve people and institutions that we should be able to trust. Finance is not a clearly identifiable occupation or profession and involves a highly technical body of knowledge, but people who are trained in finance engage in a much wider range of activities. Accountants, by contrast, do much the same work in every setting, and the different accounting functions — public and management accounting or external and internal auditing — raise similar ethical problems that can be identified and addressed in a code of ethics.
What is the primary purpose of the passage?

  1. The accounting ethics focuses on the ethical problems of a relatively uniform activity.

  2. A moment's reflection reveals that finance would be impossible without ethics.

  3. Finance is not a limited field, in fact, it involves broad range of activities.

  4. <div align="justify">The field of finance requires immense trust as its one essential characteristic.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Option (1) is in tune with the last statement of the passage, thereby, narrowing down our approach to accountants, which is cited to elaborate on the ethics in finance. Hence, (1) is ruled out. Option (3) is contrary to the passage (“Finance is not … activities” gives the clue), hence, it can be ruled out. Both options (2) and (4) are true according to the passage, thus let's find out the more appropriate option. 'Immense trust' in (4) is one of its essential characteristics, but it narrows down our approach. Therefore, (2) would be more appropriate as it emphasizes on 'ethics in finance' which is more general and cover the entire field of finance. Hence, (2) is the answer.

Multiple choice

As the Chief Invigilator at an examination centre, you catch a student with written notes hidden in his pocket. He pleads that the notes are for an exam that took place yesterday. Upon examining the notes, you realize that he is speaking the truth.

As the person in charge, what would be an ethical decision on your part?

  1. Evict the student from the examination centre and mention attempted cheating in his record.

  2. Evict the student and show him as absent from exam so as not to spoil his academic record.

  3. Take a written apology and an undertaking of future good conduct as a condition for letting him continue with the exam.

  4. Warn the student for future and let the matter close. After all, the notes were for yesterday's exam.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The ethical approach balances discipline with fairness. Since the notes were for a past exam, the student is not cheating on the current paper, so a punitive eviction is excessive; however, some accountability is required to maintain institutional standards.

Multiple choice

You catch your colleague using office resources for personal purposes. The magnitude of his misdemeanour is rather limited to printing of personal documents or using official phone for personal purposes. So far, either no one else in the office has noticed him or have chosen to turn a blind eye.

What would be an ethical decision on your part under these circumstances?

  1. Report the matter to the concerned authorities anonymously.

  2. Ignore it as no else seems affected or bothered.

  3. Confront your colleague and threaten to report him unless he mends his ways.

  4. Speak to your colleague and ask him to desist from such activities with a clear warning.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Direct communication is the most professional and ethical first step. It allows the colleague to correct their behavior without immediate escalation, which is appropriate for minor infractions.

Multiple choice

As a student you had formed an NGO to look after the needs of abandoned children. Five years later, the NGO is much bigger with many more volunteers and has fetched you accolades for your service to humanity. You are selected for a government job which requires you to have no other professional affiliations. You are torn between selecting the job or the NGO.

What would be an ethical choice for you in such a scenario?

  1. Transfer the NGO ownership in the name of your brother and assist him in your spare time.

  2. Shut down the NGO and concentrate on your job responsibilities.

  3. Join the job and keep running the NGO in your free time.

  4. Form a trust from among the more mature and responsible volunteers and hand over the administration of the NGO to them.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Delegating the NGO to a trusted team ensures the sustainability of the social work while allowing the individual to fulfill their new professional obligations. This is a responsible way to manage a transition.

Multiple choice

It is brought to your attention that two people in the office are romantically involved with each other. One of the persons is already married. While there are no official guidelines for handling such situations, you fear that it could impact the atmosphere in the office.

As the senior most officer, what would be an ethical decision on your part?

  1. Inform the married person’s partner anonymously and hope that it will take care of the matter.

  2. Summon both the parties to your cabin and inform them of possible disciplinary action if they do not mend their ways.

  3. Summon both the parties to your cabin and inform the unmarried person about the marital status of the other person.

  4. Ask a trusted junior to speak to both the parties and inform them of your displeasure.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Getting romantically involved with another person, while being married to yet another person need not be illegal and need not lead to second marriage. Yet you need to intervene as the general ambience of the office is affected. At this stage, your role is basically advisory.

Multiple choice

As an investigative officer, you are handed a case by Customs officials who have caught a woman smuggling drugs. She pleads that she is not a user and that she agreed to do it because she is very poor and needed money. Her medical test proves that she is not a user and her story is also checked out in your investigation.

What would be the most ethical choice for you under such circumstances?

  1. Report the matter to your senior and let her take a call on it.

  2. Arrest the woman and submit her case with her previous track record and present exigencies.

  3. Arrest the woman, interrogate her to extract information about her contacts and then let the law take its course.

  4. Confiscate the drugs but let her go subject to a written undertaking of good behaviour in future.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The law must be applied consistently regardless of the offender's personal situation. Arresting the individual and presenting all facts, including mitigating circumstances, to the court allows the legal system to decide the appropriate sentence.

Multiple choice

According to the passage legal duty is�

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and pick out the best answer out of the
four choices given in the questions that follow.

A duty is an obligation. It is something we owe to others as social beings when we live together. We must let others live with us. My right of living implies my duty to my fellow beings to allow them the same conditions of life. In fact, rights and duties are correlated. What is a right in regard to one may be a duty in regard to others. Rights and duties are two sides of the same coin. We should always observe from the standpoint of others. Moral duty is more effective than legal rights. A moral duty is that which is binding upon the people on moral grounds. It is my moral duty to help the poor because of being a member of the society.

I must try to create conditions that contribute to the welfare of humanity. Similarly, I owe a duty to my parents—to be obedient and respectful to them. This duty originates from the sense of responsibility which is directly related to our conscience. So this is concerned with a moral duty which any person owes without a legal bondage.

A sense of duty is paramount for the proper development of civilization. Hypocrisy is quite reverse to the sense of duty. It involves wickedness, while duty involves sincerity and faithfulness.

  1. more important than moral duty

  2. less important than moral duty

  3. more effective than moral duty

  4. less effective than moral duty
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states that 'Moral duty is more effective than legal rights.' By implication, legal rights (or legal duty) are described as less effective than moral duty.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not related to moral duty?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and pick out the best answer out of the
four choices given in the questions that follow.

A duty is an obligation. It is something we owe to others as social beings when we live together. We must let others live with us. My right of living implies my duty to my fellow beings to allow them the same conditions of life. In fact, rights and duties are correlated. What is a right in regard to one may be a duty in regard to others. Rights and duties are two sides of the same coin. We should always observe from the standpoint of others. Moral duty is more effective than legal rights. A moral duty is that which is binding upon the people on moral grounds. It is my moral duty to help the poor because of being a member of the society.

I must try to create conditions that contribute to the welfare of humanity. Similarly, I owe a duty to my parents—to be obedient and respectful to them. This duty originates from the sense of responsibility which is directly related to our conscience. So this is concerned with a moral duty which any person owes without a legal bondage.

A sense of duty is paramount for the proper development of civilization. Hypocrisy is quite reverse to the sense of duty. It involves wickedness, while duty involves sincerity and faithfulness.

  1. Sense of responsibility

  2. Conscience

  3. Hypocrisy

  4. Sincerity
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage describes hypocrisy as the reverse of the sense of duty. Therefore, it is not related to moral duty in the positive sense described for the other options.

Multiple choice

According to the passage, rights and duties are�

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and pick out the best answer out of the
four choices given in the questions that follow.

A duty is an obligation. It is something we owe to others as social beings when we live together. We must let others live with us. My right of living implies my duty to my fellow beings to allow them the same conditions of life. In fact, rights and duties are correlated. What is a right in regard to one may be a duty in regard to others. Rights and duties are two sides of the same coin. We should always observe from the standpoint of others. Moral duty is more effective than legal rights. A moral duty is that which is binding upon the people on moral grounds. It is my moral duty to help the poor because of being a member of the society.

I must try to create conditions that contribute to the welfare of humanity. Similarly, I owe a duty to my parents—to be obedient and respectful to them. This duty originates from the sense of responsibility which is directly related to our conscience. So this is concerned with a moral duty which any person owes without a legal bondage.

A sense of duty is paramount for the proper development of civilization. Hypocrisy is quite reverse to the sense of duty. It involves wickedness, while duty involves sincerity and faithfulness.

  1. two sides of the same coin

  2. correlated

  3. both (A) and (B)

  4. neither (A) nor (B)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer