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Philosophy Past Papers 2026

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:20:07 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2026 FOR RECRUITMENT
TO POSTS IN BS-17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-I (MCQs)(COMPULSORY)

Q.1. (i) Select the best option/answer and fill in the appropriate Box on the OMR Answer Sheet.(20x1=20)

(ii) Answers given anywhere else, other than OMR Answer Sheet, will not be considered.

1. According to ______ politics has to be obedient to morality.
(A) Russel (B) Plato (C) Aristotle (D) None of these

2. Representative realism is also known as:
(A) Common sense realism (B) Subjective idealism
(C) Transcendental subjectivism (D) None of these

3. ________ has proposed the verification principle as the main idea of logical positivism.
(A) Berkley (B) Freire (C) A.J. Ayer (D) None of these

4. The nature of Greek philosophy is predominantly:
(A) Mythical (B) Religious (C) Speculative (D) None of these

5. Das capital is the work of:
(A) John Rawls (B) Karl Marx (C) Voltaire (D) None of these

6. _______ pragmatism is also known as instrumentalism.
(A) Rorty (B) Dewey (C) Putnam (D) None of these

7. To be is to be perceived is a famous dictum of:
(A) Berkley (B) Kant (C) Locke (D) None of these

8. AL-Ghazali’s major work the revival of religious sciences focuses upon:
(A) Philosophy (B) Religion (C) Ethics (D) All of these

9. ________ is known as the father of Islamic Neoplatonism.
(A) Al-Farabi (B) Ibn Sina (C) Ibn Khaldun (D) None of these

10. Social contract theory is associated with:
(A) Rawls (B) Rousseau (C) Hobbes (D) All of these

11. Ibn Khaldun’s conception of history is:
(A) Progressive (B) Cyclical (C) Scientific (D) None of these

12. ______ believes that practice of anatomy enhanced one’s faith in God:
(A) Ibn Rushd (B) Al-Ghazali (C) Ibn Sina (D) None of these

13. Birth of clinic is the work of:
(A) Nietzsche (B) Foucault (C) Nozick (D) None of these

14. Bergson prefers ______ over intellect
(A) Experience (B) Revelation (C) Intuition (D) None of these

15. According to ______ man is a pleasure-seeking animal.
(A) Anaximenes (B) Democritus (C) Plotinus (D) None of these

16. _______ is best known for his theory of monads.
(A) Spinoza (B) Leibniz (C) Hume (D) None of these

17. Mind-body dualism is the theory of:
A Kant (B) Descartes (C) Hobbes (D) None of these

18. According to _______knowledge is sense experience elaborated by understanding.
(A) Iqbal (B) Ibn Khaldun (C) Sir Syed (D) None of these

19. Nihilism is a philosophy of:
(A) Lyotard (B) Nietzsche (C) Popper (D) None of these

20. The term open society is coined by:
(A) Popper (B) Bergson (C) Gadamer (D) None of these

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Discuss some of the implications of Aristotle’s virtue ethics in the context of his notion of moral excellence. (20)

Q. No. 3. Pierce's pragmatic maxim claims that the purpose of philosophy is to free philosophy from ‘senseless jargon’. Explain. (20)

Q. No. 4. What is the connection between Nietzsche’s Nihilism and Existentialism? Elaborate. (20)

Q. No. 5. Differentiate between Hobbesian and Rawlsian contractarian approaches with examples. (20)

Q. No. 6. Why Heidegger is critical of traditional metaphysics? Discuss in detail. (20)

Q. No. 7. Why does Kantian philosophy is known as Copernican revolution in the history of Western philosophy? Discuss. (20)

Q. No. 8. Why was Shah Wali Allah interested in developing an equilibrium between angelic and animalistic dimensions of man? Discuss with reference to his
conception of man.(20)

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Philosophy Past Papers 2025

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:13:30 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2025 FOR RECRUITMENT
TO POSTS IN BS-17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-I (MCQs)(COMPULSORY)

Q.1. (i) Select the best option/answer and fill in the appropriate Box on the OMR Answer Sheet.(20x1=20)

(ii) Answers given anywhere else, other than OMR Answer Sheet, will not be considered.

1. There are ____________ causes operative in the Universe according to Aristotle.
(A) One (B) Four (C) Thirteen (D) None of these

2. The School of Epicureans promotes:
(A) Pessimism (B) Pleasure (C) Withdrawal (D) None of these

3. ______________means purpose.
(A) Ontology (B) De-ontology (C) Teleology (D) None of these

4. _____________believed in the singularity of Reality.
(A) Spinoza (B) Berkeley (C) Leibniz (D) None of these

5. According to _____________ the universe is composed of numbers.
(A) G.E. Moore (B) Wittgenstein (C) Spinoza (D) None of these

6. “ Self Consciousness” is the fundamental concept of:
(A) Dialectical Materialism (B) Empiricism (C) German Idealism (D) None of these

7. ________ was the first Muslim philosopher who proposed a complete theory of Prophet-hood.
(A) Al-Kindi (B) Ibn Sina (C) Al-Farabi (D) None of these

8. Monads, as per Leibniz possess:
(A) Atomic structure (B) Amorphous shape (C) Pre-established harmony (D) None of these

9. Critique of Pure Reason is a work by:
(A) Kant (B) Spengler (C) Spencer (D) None of these

10. _____________ declared religion as opium for the masses.
(A) Carl Jung (B) Adler (C) Marx (D) None of these

11. “Vienna Circle” was founded by:
(A) Sigmund Freud (B) Moritz Schlick (C) Bertrand Russell (D) None of these

12. “Dialogue Concerning Natural Religion” is a well-known work of:
(A) A.J Ayer (B) Camus (C) Hume (D) None of these

13. Divine Attributes are identical with his essence according to:
(A) Mutazilites (B) Asharites (C) Zahirites (D) None of these

14. ______________revived the philosophical and scientific spirit in the world of Islam.
(A) Al-Ghazali (B) Ibn Sina (C) Al-Farabi (D) None of these

15. Marcus Aurelius belonged to School of:
(A) Stoicism (B) Scepticism (C) Hedonism (D) None of these

16. Kashf-ul-Mahjoob is a book of:
(A) Philosophy (B) Mysticism (C) Theology (D) None of these

17. ____________ was the only English member of Vienna Circle.
(A) G.E. Moore (B) A.J. Ayer (C) Gilbert Ryle (D) None of these

18. Pragmatic theory declares Truth as:
(A) Correspondence (B) Usefulness (C) Coherence (D) None of these

19. _______________ proposed that Philosophy should revert to Being again.
(A) A.N. Whitehead (B) Martin Heidegger (C) Immanuel Kant (D) None of these

20. The term “ Post-Modernism” was coined by:
(A) Lyotard (B) Sartre (C) Foucault (D) None of these

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Explain David Hume’s Theory of Knowledge in detail. How did Hume carry his Empiricism/Scepticism to its logical limits? (20)

Q. No. 3. Do you agree with the John Stuart Mill’s Creed of “Greatest Happiness Principle”, better known as “Utilitarianism”? Support your opinion with cogent arguments. Highlight its contemporary relevance. (20)

Q. No. 4. Explain Al-Ghazali’s stance on the relationship of Cause and Effect. Discuss its subsequent consequences in the academic arena of the Muslim World.
(20)

Q. No. 5. What is Pragmatism? How is it the best method to resolve Old Metaphysical Disputes according to William James? (20)

Q. No. 6. Shed light on Hegel’s illustrious Dialectical Method. What did Hegel prove through it? Why did he need a new philosophical method? (20)

Q. No. 7. “Sensible World is a crude copy of the World of Ideas”. Elucidate Plato’s Metaphysics in-depth. (20)

Q. No. 8. What do you understand by the term “Neo-Pragmatism”? Analyze Richard Rorty’s Ethnocentrism, Naturalism and Relativism shortly and crisply.

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Philosophy Past Papers 2024

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:06:49 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2024 FOR RECRUITMENT
TO POSTS IN BS-17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-I (MCQs)(COMPULSORY)

Q.1. (i) Select the best option/answer and fill in the appropriate Box on the OMR Answer Sheet.(20x1=20)

(ii) Answers given anywhere else, other than OMR Answer Sheet, will not be considered.

1. For Karl Marx, the benefits and burdens of society should be distributed according to the following principle:
(A) Every person should be given exactly equal shares of a society’s benefits and burdens
(B) From each according to his abilities to each according to his needs
(C) From each according to his abilities, to each according to his contributions (D) All of these

2. In John Locke’s ‘state of nature’,:
(A) People’s life, liberty and property are secure. (B) People’s life, liberty and property are distributed fairly.
(C) People’s life, liberty and property are insecure. (D) None of these

3. The following best captures Kant’s Formula of Humanity as End in itself.
(A) “Act according to that rule that you want yourself to be treated by all”
(B) “Act according to universal and rational principles that make humanity look better”
(C) “Act only on principles that nature has given to us all”
(D) “Act only on that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”

4. Jean-Francois Lyotard defines postmodern as “incredulity towards metanarratives”. Accordingly, one of the
following is discredited.
(A) Reason distorts reality (B) History is contingent and dialectics mystify truth.
(C) Science is biased and socially conditioned. (D) History is progressive and knowledge can liberate humans.

5. Consciousness, according to Sartre, is:
(A) Nothing but innate ideas (B) Nothing but awareness of the external world (C) Nothingness (D) All of these

6. Kant objected to sex outside marriage, because:
(A) By doing so, a person will be ignoring divine law.
(B) By doing so, a person would be treating other partner as a mere means, and not as an end in herself.
(C) By doing so, a person would be treating herself as irrational
(D) By doing so, person would be acting against the normative principles of society.

7. John Rawls’s difference principle is vividly encapsulated in the following:
(A) Everyone should be given equal opportunity to qualify for the privileged positions of society.
(B) Society will incorporate inequalities by improving the position of the least advantages members of society.
(C) Each citizen’s liberty will be protected from the invasion of others.
(D) Society will minimize differences among its citizens like color, sex, etc.

8. “Explaining something in terms of others” is called:
(A) Holism (B) Solipsism (C) Reductionism (D) Skepticism

9. According to Nietzsche, truth lies:
(A) In the will of the nation (B) In the moral categories of good and evil
(C) Beyond moral categories of good and evil (D) In the divine will

10. “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, _________ and _____________”.
(A) Pain and Pleasure (B) Happiness & Contentment
(C) Consciousness & Inner feeling (D) True Happiness & Fair Judgment

11. Virtue theory replaces the question ‘How should I act?’ with:
(A) How should we live? (B) How should one live? (C) How should I die? (D) How should I live?

12. ‘It is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied’ advocates:
(A) Jeremy Bentham’s Utilitarianism (B) Peter Singer’s Utilitarianism
(C) J. S. Mill’s Utilitarianism (D) Act Utilitarianism

13. For early Muatazilites, grave sinners are:
(A) Unknowable (B) Infidels (C) Muslims (D) Neither Muslim nor infidel

14. According to al Farabi, absolute certainty is the feature knowledge (ilm ) which means:
(A) Distinct and Clear (B) Necessary and universal (C) Objective and measurable (D) Simple and clear

15. Exegesis of the Quran must be left to the philosopher, says Averroes, because:
(A) They can check their interpretations of scripture against what they already know to be true on independent
grounds
(B) They can check their interpretations of scripture against what they have learned from their past religious
experiences

(C) They can check their interpretations of scripture against what they have inherited from past exegetes.
(D) All of these

16. Thomas Hobbes states that ‘man’s life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’ in the state of nature.
Accordingly:
(A) Human nature does not exist. (B) Human nature is neutral
(C) Human nature is selfish (D) Human nature is good

17. ‘To be is to be perceived’ represents:
(A) Idealism (B) Phenomenalism (C) Transcendental Idealism (D) Subjective Idealism

18. Thomas Aquinas’ design argument is challenged by one of the followings:
(A) Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity (B) Charles Darwin’s theory of Evolution
(C) Thomas Kuhn’s theory of Paradigm shift (D) All of these

19. According to Karl Popper, ‘Conjectures’ are:
(A) Facts based on well-grounded observation (B) Well-calculated laws
(C) Well-informed guesses (D) Both (A) & (B)

20. The following is the perception as a result of awareness of inner representations of external world.
(A) Common sense realism (B) Representative Realism (C) Critical realism (D) Causal realism

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Outline al-Ghazali’s journey from al-kalam methods to philosophy and then to mysticism in the wider background of his recognition of limits of reason. (20)

Q. No. 3. Aristotle’s concept of ‘eudemonia’ is better than the modern consequential and deontological theories. Discuss it with reference to recent ethical challenges (20)

Q. No. 4. Expose the weaknesses of Rene Descartes’s cogito argument. Outline the influence of cogito on later modern philosophy. (20)

Q. No. 5. Critically analyze how is Michel Foucault’s ‘knowledge/power’ is different to common impression ‘knowledge is power’. (20)

Q. No. 6. “Bad faith is a permanent risk for consciousness”, says Sartre. Critically assess this statement in the wider thought of Sartre. (20)

Q. No. 7. “World history is the unfolding of the spirit in time”, says Hegel. Explain it in detail while contrasting with Kant’s philosophy. (20)

Q. No. 8. Write short notes on any two of the followings: (10 each)
(a) ‘Ought’ implies ‘Can’
(b) Reason and revelation in Averroes
(c) Limits of Rawls’ ‘difference principle’

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Philosophy Past Papers 2023

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 11:00:37 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2023
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-II

Q. No. 2. How does Ibn-Rushd reconcile Philosophy with Religion? Discuss in detail. (20)

Q. No. 3. What is Pragmatism? Discuss Pragmatism as a method with reference to William James. (20)

Q. No. 4. Discuss Kant’s moral proof for the existence of God. (20)

Q. No. 5. Hegelian Philosophy is mainly responsible for the contemporary anti-metaphysical movement (e.g., Logical Positivism). Discuss. (20)

Q. No. 6. Discuss the need of principle of movement in the structure of Islam in the Philosophy of Iqbal. (20)

Q. No. 7. State and explain the cardinal principles of Leibniz monadology. (20)

Q. No. 8. Give critical exposition of Berkeley’s doctrine of Esse Est Percipi or “To be is to be perceived”.

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Philosophy Past Papers 2022

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:56:19 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2022
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Pragmatists argue that philosophy has become irrelevant. Do you agree? (20)

Q. No. 3. How does Aristotle derive virtue ethics? (20)

Q. No. 4. Discuss any four inductive fallacies with examples. (20)

Q. No. 5. Examine Marx’s views on human consciousness. (20)

Q. No. 6. Discuss Bergson’s critique of Kant’s philosophy. (20)

Q. No. 7. Shed light on the debate between Foucault and Derrida. (20)

Q. No. 8. Write short notes on any TWO of the following: (10 each)
(a) Iqbal’s criticism of Nietzsche’s philosophy
(b) Shah Waliullah’s criticism of Taqlid
(c) Al Ghazali’s views on religious sciences

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Philosophy Past Papers 2020

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:53:51 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2020
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Define philosophy. What is its relationship with religion? (20)

Q. No. 3. ‘Doubt’ is the key point of Cartesian Method. Illuminate. (20)

Q. No. 4. Bergson rejects any kind of ‘teleological’ explanation of evolution. Give your own opinion. (20)

Q. No. 5. Illustrate main characteristics of subjective idealism of Berkeley. (20)

Q. No. 6. Main idea of Kant’s ethics is ‘duty for the sake of duty’. Is it justified? Give your own statement. (20)

Q. No. 7. Write an essay on Ibn-e-Sina’s theory of knowledge. (20)

Q. No. 8. Write short notes on any TWO of the following: (10 each)
(a) Psychological and ethical egoism
(b) Transcendentalism
(c) Derrida

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Philosophy Past Papers 2019

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:51:23 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2019
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Discuss Berkely’s view of reality in detail. (20)

Q. No. 3. What is philosophy? Discuss its relation to science. (20)

Q. No. 4. Introduce any two of the following: (10 each) a. Kant b. Bergson c. John Dewey (20)

Q. No. 5. Discuss Popper’s logical method, its merits and demerits. (20)

Q. No. 6. Define and explain any FOUR of the following: (5 each)
a. Idealism b. Rationalism c. Realism

d. Empiricism e. Pragmatism f. Utilitarianism (20)

Q. No. 7. Discuss the Idea of the Good as an Ethical theory. (20)

Q. No. 8. Write Short notes any two of the following: (10 each)
a. Plato’s political views
b. Ghazali’s criticism of the Philosophers
c. Hume’s skepticism

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Philosophy Past Papers 2018

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:42:57 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2018
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Define Philosophy and explain its main branches. (20)

Q. No. 3. Discuss key points of Popper’s Fallibilism. (20)

Q. No. 4. Work out the weaknesses and strengths of Deductive method. (20)

Q. No. 5. Discuss Berkeley’s critique of Locke’s representative realism. (20)

Q. No. 6. Critically evaluate Rawls’ notion of Original Position. (20)

Q. No. 7. In what sense Foucault may be treated as a post-modernist thinker. (20)

Q. No. 8. Write short notes on any TWO of the following: (10 each)
(a) Al-Farabi
(b) Al-Ghazali
(c) Ibn Rushid

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Philosophy Past Papers 2017

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:25:01 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2017
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Discuss the Skepticism of Hume in-depth; how has it affected his ideas regarding Cause and Self ? (20)

Q. No. 3. How did Ghazali refute the Philosophers’ argument about Eternity of the Universe? (20)

Q. No. 4. Elaborate the way Iqbal has reconciled Divine Power (Omnipotence) and Knowledge with human freedom. (20)

Q. No. 5. What do you understand by Dialectics? Critically evaluate Hegel’s Dialectical Method. (20)

Q. No. 6. Elucidate Heidegger’s Theory of Being with special reference to Dasien. (20)

Q. No. 7. What is Historical Materialism? Elaborate Karl Marx’s contribution in its development. (20)

Q. No. 8. Write comprehensive notes on any two of the following: (10 each)
(a) Three types of Knowledge by Spinoza.
(b) Kant’s Categorical Imperative.
(c) Stare’s Bad Faith.

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Philosophy Past Papers 2016

zarnishayat — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:13:01 +0000

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION - 2016
FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17
UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PHILOSOPHY

PART-II

Q. No. 2. Differentiate between Deductive and Inductive methods. (20)

Q. No. 3. What are the salient features of Kant’s Transcendentalism? (20)

Q. No. 4. Critically evaluate Utilitarianism with special reference to J. S. Mill. (20)

Q. No. 5. Discuss Iqbal’s concept of, ‘the Principle of Movement in the Structure of Islam’. (20)

Q. No. 6. Critically evaluate Representative Realism of John Locke. (20)

Q. No. 7. Discuss Pragmatism with special reference to William James. (20)

Q. No. 8. Write short notes on any TWO of the following: (10 each)
(a) Shah Walliullah as a Reformer
(b) Socratic Method
(c) Ethical Egoism

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