Civil Service Exam Vocabulary · Module 2
Ethics, integrity and professional conduct
Ten words about honesty and good conduct in public office: candor, capricious, collusion, discretionary, efficacy, egregious, incorruptible, integrity, prudent and transparent.
✓ Last checked: November 2026 · meanings checked against Merriam-Webster
I earned my Career Service Professional eligibility in 2012 and have spent more than 15 years in government service. These are study notes, not official exam material: for the exam schedule, rules and coverage, always check the Civil Service Commission.
candor noun
The quality of being open, honest and direct in what you say.
Example: The new clerk admitted her mistake in the cashbook with a candor that her supervisor respected.
Same meaning: frankness, honesty, openness
Opposite: deceit, evasiveness, secrecy
Exam tip: Also spelled "candour" in British English. The adjective is "candid": a candid answer.
capricious adjective
Changing suddenly and without a good reason; unpredictable.
Example: Employees complained that the schedule changed in a capricious way, sometimes twice in one week.
Same meaning: erratic, fickle, unpredictable
Opposite: consistent, steady, dependable
Exam tip: Often paired with "arbitrary" from Module 1: an arbitrary and capricious decision has no basis in law or reason.
collusion noun
A secret agreement between people to do something dishonest or illegal, often to cheat others.
Example: The bids were thrown out after the committee found signs of collusion among the suppliers.
Same meaning: conspiracy, connivance, complicity
Opposite: competition, independence
Exam tip: The verb is "collude": the bidders colluded to fix the price.
discretionary adjective
Left to the judgment of the person in charge, not fixed by a strict rule.
Example: The head of office has discretionary authority to approve a leave of up to three days.
Same meaning: optional, elective, judgment-based
Opposite: mandatory, compulsory, required
Exam tip: A discretionary act may be done or not; a ministerial act must be done the way the law says.
efficacy noun
The power to produce the result that was intended.
Example: The office measured the efficacy of its text-message reminders by counting on-time payments.
Same meaning: effectiveness, potency, success
Opposite: ineffectiveness, futility, uselessness
Exam tip: Do not confuse with "efficiency", which is about doing a task without wasting time or money.
egregious adjective
Very bad and very obvious; shocking.
Example: Paying a supplier twice for the same delivery was an egregious error that the audit could not ignore.
Same meaning: flagrant, glaring, outrageous
Opposite: minor, trivial, slight
Exam tip: Today "egregious" is almost always negative: an egregious mistake, an egregious violation.
incorruptible adjective
Too honest to be bribed or persuaded to do something wrong.
Example: The town remembers her as an incorruptible assessor who never accepted gifts from property owners.
Same meaning: honest, upright, principled
Opposite: corrupt, venal, bribable
Exam tip: "Venal" (open to bribery) is a common exam antonym. Do not mix it up with "venial" (minor, forgivable).
integrity noun
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; also, the state of being whole and complete.
Example: His integrity was never questioned in twenty years of handling public funds.
Same meaning: honesty, probity, rectitude
Opposite: dishonesty, corruption, deceit
Exam tip: The second meaning appears in technical writing: "data integrity" means the records are complete and unchanged.
prudent adjective
Careful and wise, especially in thinking about what may happen in the future.
Example: It was prudent to keep a cash reserve before the rainy season, when collections usually drop.
Same meaning: careful, judicious, sensible
Opposite: reckless, rash, imprudent
Exam tip: Noun: prudence. Do not confuse it with "prudish", which means easily shocked.
transparent adjective
Open and easy to check, with nothing hidden; also, clear enough to see through.
Example: The council made the budget process more transparent by posting each approved ordinance online.
Same meaning: open, clear, accountable
Opposite: opaque, secretive, hidden
Exam tip: Noun: transparency. In government, it means people can see how decisions are made and money is spent.
Practice
Tap your answer. A green ✓ means you got it right; a red ✗ means try to learn the right one, shown in green.
Choose the word closest in meaning to CANDOR.
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C. frankness Candor means honest, open speech, so frankness is the closest.
Choose the word opposite in meaning to DISCRETIONARY.
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C. mandatory A discretionary act is left to judgment; a mandatory act is required.
Complete the sentence: The two bidders were disqualified for ____ after they were found to have agreed on their prices in secret.
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C. collusion A secret agreement to cheat is collusion.
PRUDENT is to RECKLESS as TRANSPARENT is to ____.
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D. opaque The first pair are opposites, so the answer is the opposite of transparent: opaque.
Which word best completes the sentence? The program's ____ was proven when tax delinquency fell by half in one year.
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D. efficacy Efficacy is the power to get the intended result, here a lower delinquency rate.
Choose the word closest in meaning to CAPRICIOUS.
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B. fickle Capricious means changing suddenly without reason, like fickle.
Choose the word closest in meaning to EGREGIOUS.
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A. outrageous Egregious means very bad and obvious, outrageous.
Choose the word opposite in meaning to INCORRUPTIBLE.
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C. venal Incorruptible means cannot be bribed; venal means open to bribery.
Complete the sentence: A public servant's ____ means doing what is right even when no one is watching.
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A. integrity Integrity is honesty and strong moral principles.
CANDOR is to DECEIT as TRANSPARENT is to ____.
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D. opaque Candor and deceit are opposites; the opposite of transparent is opaque.
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