Question 1

Early Americans were suspicious of the federal bureaucracy, in part because of their experience with England before the Revolutionary War.

Accepted Answer

Early Americans had experienced the heavy-handed bureaucracy of the British government before the Revolutionary War, which made them suspicious of a powerful federal bureaucracy.

Question 2

The problem of control has existed since America began as a republic in 1789.

Accepted Answer

The issue of control over government and its powers has been a constant concern in American history, from the debates over the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, to the struggles for civil rights and beyond.

Question 3

Political party leaders liked the spoils system because it gave people a strong reason to work on their behalf to gain power.

Accepted Answer

The spoils system, also known as patronage, rewarded loyal party supporters with government jobs and contracts, giving them a strong motivation to work hard for their party and help it gain and maintain power.

Question 4

Which one of the following is the best definition of the bureaucracy?

Accepted Answer

The bureaucracy is made up of the group of employees who have the responsibility of implementing government policy. This includes federal agencies and departments, as well as their respective employees who carry out specific tasks and responsibilities. The bureaucracy does not make policy, nor does it interpret it; rather, it implements and enforces it according to established procedures and regulations.

Question 5

Americans support smaller government in the abstract but do not support cuts to the large programs that would be necessary to shrink the federal budget and bureaucracy.

Accepted Answer

Many polls and surveys have shown that Americans generally prefer smaller government, but when asked about specific programs – such as Social Security, Medicare, and education – they are often reluctant to see them cut or reduced in scope. This creates a tension between the desire for a smaller government and the desire for continued government support for programs that benefit individuals and communities.

Question 6

The president's ability to appoint bureaucrats helps him or her control the bureaucracy.

Accepted Answer

The president's power to select and appoint top officials within the bureaucracy can be used to influence the policy preferences and implementation of the bureaucracy. This gives the president some degree of control over the bureaucracy.

Question 7

The main difference between fire alarm oversight and police patrol oversight is whether a legislator actively monitors a bureaucracy or simply responds to problems.

Accepted Answer

Fire alarm oversight is based on active monitoring of a bureaucracy to ensure that the system is working effectively, while police patrol oversight simply responds to problems as they arise, without actively monitoring the bureaucracy.

Question 8

Which one of the following is the most accurate statement regarding the bureaucracy?

Accepted Answer

Americans regularly encounter the work of the bureaucracy as part of their everyday lives. The bureaucracy is responsible for implementing and enforcing laws and regulations, such as those related to food safety, transportation safety, and environmental protection. They also oversee programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which impact the lives of millions of Americans.

Question 9

Why is the bureaucracy also known as the administrative state?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is the bureaucracy also known as...

Question 10

All federal employees are members of the civil service.

Accepted Answer

Not all federal employees are members of the civil service; for example, elected officials, judges, and military personnel are federal employees but not considered part of the civil service system.

Question 11

Civil servants are employees of the federal government who

Accepted Answer

Civil servants are hired on the basis of their qualifications, not political affiliations or connections. They are expected to be nonpartisan and serve the interests of the government and the public as a whole. While they cannot be fired easily, they can be disciplined or terminated for cause, such as misconduct or poor performance.

Question 12

Despite the Great Society programs directed at ending poverty, many antipoverty policies failed due to a lack of expertise on the complexities of how best to deal with the problem.

Accepted Answer

Many antipoverty policies implemented during the Great Society programs did not achieve their intended goals due to a lack of understanding of the complexity of poverty and the various factors that contribute to it.

Question 13

Bureaucratic drift stopped during the Progressive Era.

Accepted Answer

Bureaucratic drift did not stop during the Progressive Era; reforms aimed to make the bureaucracy more efficient and accountable, but issues of drift, where bureaucracy pursues its own interests rather than political directives, continued to be a concern.

Question 14

Under the Hatch Act, federal employees cannot engage in organized political activities, which include voting and contributing money to candidates.

Accepted Answer

Federal employees are allowed to vote and contribute money to candidates under the Hatch Act. However, they cannot engage in organized political activities while on duty, in a federal building, or while wearing a government uniform or insignia.

Question 15

When it comes to expertise in a policy area, most bureaucrats have less knowledge than the average member of Congress or political appointee.

Accepted Answer

Bureaucrats are often hired for their expertise in a specific policy area and are expected to have a deep understanding of the subject. They may have more technical knowledge and experience than the average member of Congress or political appointee, who may not have a background in the specific policy area they are working on.

Question 16

In most cases, bureaucrats have discretion in how they implement policies due to the lack of specific guidelines from Congress.

Accepted Answer

Bureaucrats often have some discretion in how they implement policies as Congress may provide broad policy goals and leave the details of implementation to agencies to decide.

Question 17

Any government employee who is selected by an elected official is known as

Accepted Answer

A political appointee is someone who is selected for a government position by an elected official, such as the President or a Governor. This is in contrast to civil servants, who are hired based on their qualifications through a competitive process and are not chosen based on political affiliations. Politicians and managers are not necessarily government employees who are selected by elected officials.

Question 18

In recent years, Republicans have managed to reduce the size of the federal government through reductions in the federal budget and the elimination of numerous federal programs.

Accepted Answer

Despite efforts and claims by some Republicans to reduce the size of the federal government, overall federal spending and the size of the government have continued to grow in recent years, with increases in defense spending, entitlement programs, and responses to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to this growth.

Question 19

One of the reasons regulations are controversial is because they require bureaucrats to choose between policy goals that are often incompatible.

Accepted Answer

Regulations often require bureaucrats to balance conflicting policy goals, causing controversy and debate about the best course of action to take.

Question 20

About 35 percent of all federal civil servants are fired annually due to poor job performance.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. According to the US Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's FY2019 data shows that the overall rate of removals, which includes both voluntary resignations and involuntary terminations, was 0.57 percent. This includes removals for reasons such as misconduct, poor performance, and reduction in force.

Quiz 12: The Bureaucracy