Deck 14: The Bureaucracy

Question 1

The _________ has final authority over the entire federal budget, and each agency and department must submit its proposed budget to this group for approval before it is included in the president's official proposed budget.

A) Congressional Budget Office
B) Federal Budget Board
C) Office of Inspector General
D) Office of Management and Budget
E) Securities and Exchange Commission

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What do you call a type of federal organization that uses funds specifically allocated to promote a public good or service?

A) independent agency
B) issue network
C) national endowment
D) public service corporation
E) public service commission

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which German sociologist described bureaucracies as highly rational organizations that enabled large numbers of people to get difficult jobs done efficiently?

A) Franz Oppenheimer
B) Jürgen Habermas
C) Karl Marx
D) Max Weber
E) Theodor W. Adorno

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The official published record of all executive branch rules, regulations, and orders is referred to as the

A) Administrative Register.
B) Congressional Record.
C) Executive Record.
D) Federal Register.
E) Official Record.

Question 5

A president's _________ is a set of key advisers who are responsible for the areas under their jurisdiction.

A) administration
B) board of directors
C) cabinet
D) commission
E) committee

Question 6

One important reason for the growth of the federal bureaucracy over time is

A) the declining power of political parties.
B) the expansion of U.S. lands and economy.
C) the dawning of industrialization in Europe.
D) the emergence of the civil rights movement.
E) the growth of space exploration.

Question 7

The _________ is responsible for investigating transportation-related accidents; despite its authority in these investigations and its members' knowledge of safe transportation practices, this group does not have the power to issue federal regulations.

A) Federal Market Commission
B) Office of Management and Budget
C) General Services Administration
D) Congressional Budget Office
E) National Transportation Safety Board

Question 8

Most cabinet members are _________, as they head departments and act as chief advisers to the president on the issues under their jurisdiction.

A) clerks
B) cabinet secretaries
C) White House staff
D) commission appointees
E) committee members

Question 9

The main job of the bureaucracy is to _________, which is seen as an extension of how the president executes laws.

A) enforce the laws
B) enforce the rules
C) enforce Supreme Court decisions
D) enforce criminal law
E) enforce political agendas

Question 10

The foundations of the bureaucracy, while not explicitly stated, can be found in _______ of the Constitution.

A) Article I
B) Article II
C) Article III
D) Article IV
E) the supremacy clause

Question 11

Of all the components of American government, the _________ is the most likely to have a direct impact on the lives of its citizens.

A) bureaucracy
B) House of Representatives
C) president
D) Senate
E) Supreme Court

Question 12

_________, gives the president broad powers to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed."

A) Article II, Section 1
B) Article II, Section 2
C) Article II, Section 3
D) Article II, Section 4
E) Article II, Section 5

Question 13

All bureaucratic agencies share all of the following components EXCEPT

A) extra-national powers.
B) mission.
C) hierarchical decision-making process.
D) expertise.
E) bureaucratic culture.

Question 14

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an example of a(n)

A) independent agency.
B) regulatory commission.
C) government corporation.
D) process agency.
E) cabinet department.

Question 15

Each federal agency has a(n) _________ that defines its role and responsibilities within the federal bureaucracy.

A) authorization
B) charter
C) law
D) mission
E) regulation

Question 16

When we indicate that an employee's implementation decisions in a bureaucracy are reviewed at ascending levels within the organization, this is describing which core component of bureaucracies?

A) expertise of bureaucrats
B) mission statement
C) hierarchy of authority
D) policy-making process
E) iron triangle

Question 17

Guidelines issued by federal agencies for administering federal programs and implementing federal law are referred to as

A) appropriations.
B) bills.
C) regulations.
D) signing statements.
E) executive orders.

Question 18

________ has the authority to create a cabinet-level department.

A) Congress
B) The president
C) The secretary of state
D) The Executive Office of the President
E) The Supreme Court

Question 19

_______ can be defined as a collection of executive branch departments, agencies, boards, and commissions that carry out the responsibilities of the federal government.

A) Congress
B) Federalism
C) Bureaucracy
D) Political parties
E) Interest groups

Question 20

Because it oversees Medicare and Medicaid, ________ must implement the new programs associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

A) the Secretary of State's Office
B) Congress
C) the Department of Health and Human Services
D) the Department of the Interior
E) the National Institutes of Health

Question 21

The first departments created by Congress include all of the following EXCEPT

A) the Justice Department.
B) the State Department.
C) the Treasury Department.
D) the War Department.
E) the Post Office.

Question 22

As a direct response to the energy crisis of the early 1970s, the Department of _________ was created in 1977 to promote fuel conservation as well as the development of alternatives to fossil fuels, including nuclear, ethanol, and solar power.

A) Alternative Fuels
B) Conservation
C) Energy
D) Power
E) Transportation

Question 23

In 1849, Congress created the _________, consolidating under its direction several organizations that regulated the sale and development of federal lands and the management of Indian affairs.

A) Bureau of Indian Affairs
B) Department of the Interior
C) Department of State
D) Department of Treasury
E) Commerce Department

Question 24

In 1870, the Office of the Attorney General, first set up in 1793, was transformed into the Department of _________ to handle the legal business of the nation.

A) the Attorney General
B) Interior
C) Justice
D) Legal Affairs
E) State

Question 25

Federal agencies serve as gateways for the federal government to respond to citizens' needs in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) product labeling.
B) air travel.
C) food inspection.
D) licensure.
E) the stock market.

Question 26

The system of employment under which the employees are chosen and promoted based on merit is known as the

A) civil system.
B) merit system.
C) political appointment system.
D) career civil servants system.
E) bureaucratic system.

Question 27

In setting up his administration, President Andrew Jackson established a __________, in which he only appointed employees who pledged loyalty to him.

A) merit system
B) victory system
C) Democratic union
D) patronage system
E) monopoly

Question 28

The Civil Service is designed to protect employees from

A) taxes.
B) job loss.
C) partisanship.
D) government oversight.
E) unemployment.

Question 29

The statement, "Every organization has a persistent, patterned way of thinking about the central tasks of human relationships within an organization," describes

A) bureaucratic expertise.
B) bureaucratic culture.
C) bureaucratic  policy.
D) bureaucratic mission.
E) bureaucratic purpose.

Question 30

In response to the assassination of President Garfield, Congress passed the _________, which established a merit- and performance-based system for federal employment.

A) Merit System Act
B) Pendleton Act
C) Bryce Act
D) Dawes Act
E) Patriot Act

Question 31

Federal employees who are hired through a merit-based system to implement federal programs and who are expected to be neutral in their political affiliations are known as

A) AmeriCorps.
B) political appointees.
C) career civil servants.
D) executive workers.
E) cabinet members.

Question 32

As evidenced by bureaucratic failures in handling risk and the resulting Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, an inherent drawback in bureaucratic culture is

A) lack of communication and expert direction.
B) lack of expertise within agencies.
C) deep-seated cronyism and patronage.
D) a universal narrow point of view.
E) a desire for good reputations among agencies.

Question 33

Federal employees appointed by the president with the explicit task of carrying out the president's political and partisan agenda are known as

A) political appointees.
B) merit system appointees.
C) Pendleton Act employees.
D) civil service employees.
E) career civil servants.

Question 34

The splitting of the departments of Commerce and Labor into two separate departments in 1903 was done due to

A) issues surrounding child safety and worker standards.
B) issues surrounding the Great Depression.
C) issues surrounding WWI.
D) issues surrounding the temperance movement.
E) issues surrounding desegregating the workforce.

Question 35

At the level of cabinet appointees, President Obama worked, with limited success, to

A) create a truly bipartisan advisory group.
B) appoint only underrepresented ethnic minorities.
C) appoint individuals embraced by the opposing party.
D) create greater diversity.
E) appoint only nonpartisan executives.

Question 36

Following a decade of interstate highway building, Congress created the Department of

A) Interior.
B) Transportation.
C) Highway Safety.
D) Interstate Commerce.
E) Intrastate Commerce.

Question 37

Fundamental to the core of the federal bureaucracy is the presumption that the people who hold bureaucratic positions have

A) authority.
B) connections.
C) expertise.
D) loyalty.
E) resources.

Question 38

The organization created by the Pendleton Act to administer entrance exams for the federal civil service and set standards for promotion based on merit is known as the

A) Foreign Service.
B) Federal Trade Commission.
C) Civil Service Commission.
D) U.S. Merit System.
E) Executive Service.

Question 39

Senior management personnel in the federal government appointed by the president are called

A) Senior Management Service.
B) Senior Civil Manager Service.
C) Senior Executive Service.
D) Senior Congressional Service.
E) Senior Adviser Service.

Question 40

Federal employees appointed by the president to oversee civil service employees are called

A) scheduled appointees.
B) Class A appointees.
C) merit appointees.
D) Schedule D appointees.
E) Schedule C appointees.

Question 41

In 1966, the _________ Act established a procedure by which ordinary citizens can request documents and reports from the federal government directly by paying a nominal fee, so long as the documents are not classified.

A) Freedom of Information
B) Government in the Sunshine
C) Hatch
D) Pendleton
E) Public Disclosure

Question 42

When a drug is submitted to the FDA for approval, the agency forms a panel to review the potential effects of the drug. This is an example of a bureaucratic agency engaging in the act of

A) efficiency.
B) oversight.
C) appropriation.
D) policy making.
E) transparency.

Question 43

The Office of Personnel Management oversees both ______ and ______ types of federal employees.

A) political; civil
B) civil; elected
C) elected; political
D) political; state
E) state; civil

Question 44

Due to the nature of bureaucracy, there is very little oversight from __________ about the performance of agencies.

A) the public
B) Congress
C) the cabinet
D) the Supreme Court
E) the president

Question 45

Typically, the courts intervene when there is a dispute between Congress and the executive branch over

A) the morality of a law.
B) the cost of a law.
C) the interpretation of a law.
D) the fairness of a law.
E) the practicality of a law.

Question 46

Explain how the Constitution provides a basis for bureaucratic power.

Question 47

A serious failure of bureaucracy took place in 2014 when ____________ were put on very long waiting lists to see doctors, thus delaying or denying their care and resulting in at least 40 deaths.

A) Latinos
B) African Americans
C) veterans
D) Obamacare patients
E) Medicaid patients

Question 48

Congressional committees can use their jurisdiction to request testimony from ______ and _______ to explain the way they implement programs.

A) agency; military officials
B) agency; cabinet officials
C) cabinet officials; federal judges
D) governors; agency officials
E) cabinet officials; governors

Question 49

To encourage cooperation between political appointees and civil servants, and to make sure that each was held accountable for decision making, President Carter proposed the _________ Act of 1978. This act created the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to oversee both categories of federal employees.

A) Administrative Procedures
B) Civil Service Reform
C) Government in the Sunshine
D) Hatch
E) Pendleton

Question 50

To encourage more candid disclosure of wrongdoing in federal agencies, Congress passed the __________ in 1989.

A) Securities and Exchange Commission
B) Whistleblower Protection Act
C) Administrative Relief Act
D) Pendleton Act
E) Public Disclosure Act

Question 51

Each federal agency has an _________ that is responsible for monitoring the activities of the agency's employees.

A) Office of Review
B) Office of Whistleblowing
C) Office of Integrity
D) Office of Inspector General
E) Office of Internal Security

Question 52

President Clinton was the first Democrat since the New Deal to suggest that some government services are better served by

A) government contractors.
B) unionized contractors.
C) civil servants.
D) private contractors.
E) foreign contractors.

Question 53

Define bureaucracy.

Question 54

Who bears the ultimate responsibility to voters for upholding the performance of the bureaucracy?

A) Supreme Court
B) federal district courts
C) Congress and the president
D) Attorney General's Office
E) watchdog agencies

Question 55

Employees who report mismanagement, corruption, or illegal activity within their agencies are referred to as

A) moles.
B) scabs.
C) spies.
D) traitors.
E) whistleblowers.

Question 56

In response to the mistrust of the federal government that grew out of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, in 1976, Congress enacted the _________ Act, which tried to increase transparency by requiring that government agencies hold open forums to allow the public to comment on their decisions, regulations, and performance.

A) Freedom of Information
B) Government in the Sunshine
C) Hatch
D) Pendleton
E) Public Disclosure

Question 57

An ongoing and widespread complaint about the bureaucracy is its

A) lack of regulations.
B) failure to seek input.
C) uneducated workforce.
D) slowness.
E) partisanship.

Question 58

Briefly discuss the four core components of the bureaucracy.

Question 59

The career nature of the civil service allows for built-in protections against

A) media pressure.
B) political pressure.
C) public pressure.
D) incompetency.
E) international affairs.

Question 60

The government can justify the slowness of the bureaucratic decision-making process on the grounds that it

A) lacks the authority to move quickly.
B) values transparency more than efficiency.
C) considers many points of view.
D) has hundreds of policies in queue.
E) gets slowed by partisan differences among the political parties.

Question 61

What is the civil service? How does it differ from political appointments?

Question 62

Explain the function of independent agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.

Question 63

Describe each of the core components of bureaucratic organizations, and explain why each is essential to a functioning bureaucracy.

Question 64

State the advantages and disadvantages of the hierarchical decision-making process.

Question 65

Provide a detailed discussion of how the Pendleton Act changed the nature of civil service employees.

Question 66

Review why expertise is fundamental to the core of the federal bureaucracy.

Question 67

Describe what regulatory agencies do.

Question 68

Which is more important to bureaucratic functioning: efficiency or transparency? Why?

Question 69

How did the merit-based civil service improve the job performance of federal employees?

Question 70

Discuss the impact of increasing diversity in the federal workforce.

Question 71

Explain the role of the Senior Executive Service.

Question 72

Explain the growth of the use of private-sector contract workers.

Question 73

Explain ways Congress can check the bureaucracy.

Question 74

Discuss the challenges involved in implementing environmental regulations.

Question 75

Discuss the cabinet-level departments and the roles of the cabinet secretaries.

Question 76

Describe what it means to be a whistleblower.

Question 77

Discuss the reasons for the major growth of the bureaucracy. In your opinion, is it too big? Why or why not?

Question 78

Explain the costs and benefits of the privatization of federal services.

Question 79

Discuss the oversight roles of the legislative and judicial branches of government regarding the bureaucracy.

Question 80

Trace the expansion of executive branch departments.