Passage Summary: There is a rule that officials shouldn't help themselves or even look like they are. The mayor broke this rule by giving a city contract to a relative who desperately needed the money for their business.

Conclusion: The mayor's action of awarding a contract to a relative's struggling business was improper.

Reasoning: Public officials should not use their office to benefit themselves or create the appearance of doing so, and the mayor awarded a contract to a relative whose business was in financial trouble.

Analysis: To justify the application of this guideline, we need to bridge the gap between 'benefiting oneself' and 'benefiting a relative.' The guideline focuses on self-interest and the appearance of impropriety, while the application focuses on a family member's financial gain. A successful principle will likely state that benefiting a family member is equivalent to benefiting oneself, or that such an act creates the prohibited 'appearance' of impropriety. Look for an answer that broadens the definition of self-benefit to include the interests of one's kin.