Question 1

Whatever government does or does not do can be seen as public policy.

Accepted Answer

Public policy encompasses all of the actions, decisions, and non-decisions of government bodies and officials. It includes both actions taken and deliberate inactions or decisions not to act.

Question 2

The maximization of private gain does not necessarily maximize social benefit. This principle is explained in "The Tragedy of the Commons."

Accepted Answer

"The Tragedy of the Commons" illustrates how individuals acting independently according to their own self-interest can ultimately deplete a shared resource, even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen, thus showing that maximizing private gain does not necessarily lead to the maximization of social benefit.

Question 3

The author of the first introductory textbook in public administration, in 1926, was
A) David Lillienthal.
B) Robert Merton.
C) Leonard White.
D) Solomon Asch

Accepted Answer

Leonard White is credited with writing the first introductory textbook in public administration in 1926, which was a significant contribution to the field and helped establish public administration as a distinct academic discipline.

Question 4

When public administration is said to be the "king's largesse," this is an example of
A) the divine right of kings.
B) a big-city political machine that dispenses benefits, favors, aid and assistance
C) the regulatory role of public administration.
D) the duties of the public administrator.

Accepted Answer

The term "king's largesse" refers to the distribution of benefits, favors, and aid, similar to how a big-city political machine operates by dispensing resources to gain support and maintain power.

Question 5

Government regulation means that government creates:
A) Policies to control the social and economic activities of the citizenry
B) Policies to control the economic and social activities of private business organizations
C) Policies to control the economic and social activities of public agencies
D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

Government regulation encompasses creating policies to control the social and economic activities of the citizenry, private business organizations, and public agencies.

Question 6

Public administration is about implementing the public interest.

Accepted Answer

Public administration involves the implementation and management of government policies and programs to serve the public interest, ensuring that societal needs are met through the provision of public services.

Question 7

In the nineteenth century the "progressive movement" referred to a political and cultural movement that focused on reforming industrialized societies to provie for greater democratic participation and the application of science and specialized knowledge for improvement of lives of the citizens.

Accepted Answer

The Progressive Movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries aimed at addressing problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, and political corruption. It sought to introduce reforms to improve democracy, apply scientific methods to governance, and enhance the welfare of citizens.

Question 8

The philosophy of Libertarianism promotes the idea of a strong visible hand of government into the lives of the people.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The philosophy of Libertarianism promotes the idea...

Question 9

Your Instructor says that an example of public administration as idealism in action is the
A) notion of noblesse oblige.
B) concept of laissez-faire.
C) rugged individualism
D) gravitas.

Accepted Answer

The notion of noblesse oblige, which suggests that the privileged have an obligation to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged, aligns with the ideals of public administration in serving the public and addressing societal needs.

Question 10

This individual argued that was a need for a science of administration:
A) Leonard White
B) E. Pendleton Herring
C) Woodrow Wilson
D) Theodore Roosevelt

Accepted Answer

Woodrow Wilson argued for the development of a science of administration in his essay "The Study of Administration" published in 1887. He believed that government administration could be organized more like a business and that there should be a separate field of study for this purpose.

Question 11

The philosophical icon of the current Tea Party Movement and its libertarian worldview is:
A) Congressman Ron Paul
B) Ayn Rand
C) Leonard White.
D) Martin Luther King.

Accepted Answer

Ayn Rand is considered a philosophical icon for the Tea Party Movement and its libertarian worldview due to her advocacy for individual rights and limited government, principles that align closely with the movement's ideals.

Question 12

Based on his article "The Study of Administration" in the 1887 Political Science Quarterly, Leonard White is considered the founding father of public administration.

Accepted Answer

Woodrow Wilson is considered the founding father of public administration based on his article "The Study of Administration" published in the 1887 Political Science Quarterly.

Question 13

Public policy "decides," and public administration "does", thus they are integrally connected.

Accepted Answer

Public policy involves the creation of policies and laws that guide the behavior of citizens and organizations, while public administration is concerned with implementing these policies and laws, making them inherently connected as the formulation and execution aspects of governance.

Question 14

The presiding officer of a legislature such as the House of Representatives is known as:
A) Speaker of the House
B) Majority Whip
C) Chairman pro tem
D) Both a and c

Accepted Answer

The presiding officer of a legislature like the House of Representatives is known as the Speaker of the House.

Question 15

The government paying a contractor like Blackwater for services in a war zone would be an example of public administration.

Accepted Answer

Public administration involves the implementation of government policy and includes the management of public programs, which can encompass contracting private entities like Blackwater to provide services in support of government objectives, such as operations in a war zone.

Question 16

When some public administrators, have described public administration as being "Mickey Mouse," we are referring to the
A) merit system.
B) The "red tape" that can exist in public administration.
C) Biased hiring processes and values of nepotism
D) Influence of the Disney Corporation on the discipline of administration

Accepted Answer

The term "Mickey Mouse" when used in the context of public administration typically refers to the unnecessary complexity, inefficiency, or triviality of bureaucratic procedures, often characterized as "red tape." This description criticizes the cumbersome and sometimes nonsensical processes that can exist within public administration systems.

Question 17

The founding father of public administration who wrote the essay "The Study of Administration," which laid the foundation for science of public administration was
A) Thomas Jefferson
B) James Madison.
C) George Washington.
D) Woodrow Wilson.

Accepted Answer

Woodrow Wilson is considered the founding father of public administration due to his seminal essay "The Study of Administration," published in 1887, which laid the groundwork for the development of public administration as a distinct field of study.

Question 18

You have learned that public administration is a profession. Professions are characterized by specific criteria. To be defined as a profession, public administration must meet three criteria. Which of the following statements does NOT represent one of these criteria?
A) a body of academic and practical knowledge that is applied to the service of society
B) a standard of success theoretically measured by serving the needs of society rather than seeking purely personal gain
C) a system of control over professional practice that regulates the education of new members and maintains a code of ethics and appropriate sanctions
D) a system of government that dispenses the kings largesse

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D because it refers to a system of government rather than a characteristic of a profession. Professions are defined by their specialized knowledge, service to society, and self-regulation, not by being a system of government.

Question 19

The mystical "city upon a hill" reference that originated with John Winthrop in the 1630s and has been repeated in varied forms by Presidents Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama is an example of
A) the king's largesse.
B) idealism.
C) managerialism.
D) Mercantilism

Accepted Answer

The phrase "city upon a hill" symbolizes a vision of a society that others will aspire to emulate, reflecting idealism in the context of American exceptionalism and the belief in the United States as an example to the world.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT among key assumptions for the study of public administration, according to Leonard White?
A) Administration is a unitary process that can be studied uniformly at multiple levels of government.
B) The basis for study is management, not law.
C) Public administration is a separate study from the study of politics.
D) Administration is still art, but the ideal of transformation to science is both feasible and worthwhile.

Accepted Answer

Leonard White emphasized that public administration cannot be entirely separated from politics, as the two are inherently linked. This contradicts option C, which suggests that public administration is a separate study from politics, making it the incorrect assumption among the options provided.

Quiz 1: Defining Public Administration

Whatever government does or does not do can be seen as public policy.

The maximization of private gain does not necessarily maximize social benefit. This principle is explained in "The Tragedy of the Commons."

The author of the first introductory textbook in public administration, in 1926, was

When public administration is said to be the "king's largesse," this is an example of

Government regulation means that government creates:

Public administration is about implementing the public interest.

In the nineteenth century the "progressive movement" referred to a political and cultural movement that focused on reforming industrialized societies to provie for greater democratic participation and the application of science and specialized knowledge for improvement of lives of the citizens.

The philosophy of Libertarianism promotes the idea of a strong visible hand of government into the lives of the people.

Your Instructor says that an example of public administration as idealism in action is the

This individual argued that was a need for a science of administration:

The philosophical icon of the current Tea Party Movement and its libertarian worldview is:

Based on his article "The Study of Administration" in the 1887 Political Science Quarterly, Leonard White is considered the founding father of public administration.

Public policy "decides," and public administration "does", thus they are integrally connected.

The presiding officer of a legislature such as the House of Representatives is known as:

The government paying a contractor like Blackwater for services in a war zone would be an example of public administration.

When some public administrators, have described public administration as being "Mickey Mouse," we are referring to the

The founding father of public administration who wrote the essay "The Study of Administration," which laid the foundation for science of public administration was

You have learned that public administration is a profession. Professions are characterized by specific criteria. To be defined as a profession, public administration must meet three criteria. Which of the following statements does NOT represent one of these criteria?

The mystical "city upon a hill" reference that originated with John Winthrop in the 1630s and has been repeated in varied forms by Presidents Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama is an example of

Which of the following is NOT among key assumptions for the study of public administration, according to Leonard White?