NYC General 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A city employee receives a gift from a vendor who has an active contract with the employee's agency. What should the employee do?
- Accept the gift as a token of goodwill
- Report the gift to the agency's ethics officer and refuse it (Correct answer)
- Keep the gift but disclose it to a coworker
- Return the gift only if it exceeds $100 in value
Correct answer: Report the gift to the agency's ethics officer and refuse it
NYC Conflicts of Interest Board rules generally prohibit city employees from accepting gifts from vendors doing business with their agency.
Question 2: Under NYC civil service law, what is the primary purpose of a probationary period for a new employee?
- To determine salary grade placement
- To assess the employee's performance before granting permanent status (Correct answer)
- To allow the employee to transfer to another agency
- To complete mandatory union enrollment
Correct answer: To assess the employee's performance before granting permanent status
The probationary period allows the appointing agency to evaluate a new employee's fitness before conferring permanent civil service status.
Question 3: Which NYC agency is responsible for investigating complaints of employment discrimination against city employees?
- Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS)
- NYC Commission on Human Rights (Correct answer)
- Office of Labor Relations
- NYC Civil Service Commission
Correct answer: NYC Commission on Human Rights
The NYC Commission on Human Rights enforces the NYC Human Rights Law, which prohibits employment discrimination by city agencies.
Question 4: A supervisor instructs a subordinate to falsify a public record. The subordinate should:
- Comply because the supervisor has authority
- Refuse and report the instruction through proper channels (Correct answer)
- Comply but keep a personal record of the instruction
- Ask another coworker to handle the task instead
Correct answer: Refuse and report the instruction through proper channels
Falsifying a public record is illegal; employees must refuse unlawful orders and may report misconduct to the Inspector General or other oversight body.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes a 'classified' civil service position in New York?
- A position involving handling of confidential government documents
- A position subject to competitive examination and merit-based selection (Correct answer)
- A position restricted to city residents only
- A position filled by mayoral appointment without examination
Correct answer: A position subject to competitive examination and merit-based selection
In New York, 'classified' positions are those within the civil service system subject to merit and fitness requirements, as opposed to 'unclassified' positions.
Question 6: When preparing an official written report, a city employee should above all ensure the report is:
- As lengthy as possible to cover all details
- Accurate, clear, and based on verified facts (Correct answer)
- Written using technical jargon to demonstrate expertise
- Submitted within one week regardless of content
Correct answer: Accurate, clear, and based on verified facts
Official reports must be factually accurate and clearly written so decision-makers can rely on them.
Question 7: A coworker consistently arrives 30 minutes late, affecting the team's workload. As a non-supervisory employee, what is the most appropriate first step?
- Document the behavior and immediately file a formal grievance
- Discuss the impact of the tardiness with the coworker privately (Correct answer)
- Ignore the behavior to avoid workplace conflict
- Report the coworker to the agency's Commissioner
Correct answer: Discuss the impact of the tardiness with the coworker privately
Addressing the issue directly and privately with the coworker is generally the appropriate first step before escalating to formal channels.
NYC General 2
A city employee receives a gift from a vendor who has an active contract with the employee's agency.
What should the employee do?