Which of the following interpersonal skills is helpful is maintaining close friendship with some one?

The answer is B. Close friendships are sustained by reliability and care, and offering help unprompted when someone is in trouble shows exactly that. It builds trust and emotional bond, which is what separates an acquaintance from a close friend.

• A (Borrowing things): Borrowing is a transaction, not a bond. Frequent borrowing without returning or reciprocating often strains friendships rather than strengthening them.
• C (Need of power): A need for power is a self-centred motive. It tends to make others feel controlled, which erodes intimacy. Interpersonal skill here is about influence through empathy, not dominance.
• D (Being happy in a party): Social cheerfulness helps in making acquaintances and networks, but it does not by itself create deep, lasting closeness. Party sociability is a surface skill.

Core concept: interpersonal effectiveness rests on empathy, trust and reciprocity. This links to the GS-IV ethics syllabus, where empathy and emotional intelligence are central to relationships at work and in public service.

Trap: candidates pick D because it looks like a social skill. The question asks about closeness, which depends on depth of support, not on how lively you are in a crowd.