Civil Service FAQ Employee Conduct and Ethics Questions and Answers Flashcards
6 cards from real Civil Service FAQ practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Civil Service FAQ Employee Conduct and Ethics Questions and Answers flashcards as text
Which federal law makes it a crime for a government employee to embezzle, steal, or knowingly convert government property for personal use?
Answer: 18 U.S.C. § 641
18 U.S.C. § 641 criminalizes theft, embezzlement, or conversion of government property or funds by federal employees or any person.
A supervisor in a federal agency awards a contract to a company owned by their sibling without disclosing the relationship. This is best described as:
Answer: Nepotism and a conflict of interest requiring recusal
Awarding a contract to a family member's business without disclosure and recusal constitutes nepotism and a prohibited conflict of interest under federal ethics rules.
Under the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, an employee must recuse themselves from a matter when:
Answer: They have a financial interest that could be affected by the outcome
Employees must recuse themselves from official matters in which they have a personal financial interest that could be affected, to avoid a conflict of interest.
What is the primary purpose of a civil servant filing a financial disclosure report?
Answer: To identify and manage potential conflicts between the employee's financial interests and official duties
Financial disclosure reports are filed so that ethics officials can identify potential conflicts of interest between an employee's personal finances and their official government responsibilities.
A civil service employee uses their government-issued laptop to run a small personal online business during lunch breaks. This conduct is:
Answer: Generally prohibited as misuse of government property for private gain
Using government-issued equipment for personal business activities is generally prohibited as misuse of government property, even during break periods, unless agency policy explicitly permits it.
Which of the following actions by a federal employee would most likely violate the prohibition on using public office for private gain?
Answer: Sending a personal endorsement email to potential clients using an official government email signature block
Using an official government email signature to personally endorse a private business exploits the employee's public office for private gain, violating federal ethics standards.