Deck 8: The Bureaucracy

Question 1

What president created the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)?

A) Gerald Ford
B) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
C) George W. Bush
D) Jimmy Carter

Answer 1

D

Question 2

EPA stands for

A) Ecosystem Protection Agency.
B) Environmental Protection Agency.
C) Environment and Plantation Administration.
D) Every Political Agency.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A large, complex organization in which employees work within specific levels of rank and authority to carry out the policies of that organization is called a(n)

A) bureaucracy.
B) autocracy.
C) democracy.
D) theocracy.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The federal government bureaucracy is not in charge of

A) providing services to the American public.
B) carrying out federal policies.
C) determining the constitutionality of the policies it carries out.
D) Any of the above

Question 5

The federal bureaucracy is a part of which branch of government?

A) Legislative
B) Executive
C) Judicial
D) Its own branch

Question 6

The _______ is made up of cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, independent executive agencies, and government corporations.

A) Federal judiciary
B) Federal legislature
C) Federal bureaucracy
D) None of the above

Question 7

Which branch(es) of government is/are responsible for establishing and eliminating sections of the bureaucracy?

A) Executive
B) Legislative
C) Judicial
D) Executive and legislative

Question 8

Cabinet departments are

A) government bodies that issue and enforce regulations on specified economic and social interests.
B) parts of the federal bureaucracy that charge fees for the services they provide to the American public.
C) major divisions within the executive branch, which each perform a specific function.
D) parts of the federal bureaucracy with specified functions that are independent from cabinet departments, do not regulate, and do not charge fees for their services.

Question 9

Independent regulatory commissions are

A) government bodies that issue and enforce regulations on specified economic and social interests.
B) parts of the federal bureaucracy that charge fees for the services they provide to the American public.
C) major divisions within the executive branch, which each perform a specific function.
D) parts of the federal bureaucracy with specified functions that are independent from cabinet departments, do not regulate, and do not charge fees for their services.

Question 10

Independent executive agencies are

A) government bodies that issue and enforce regulations on specified economic and social interests.
B) parts of the federal bureaucracy that charge fees for the services they provide to the American public.
C) major divisions within the executive branch, which each perform a specific function.
D) parts of the federal bureaucracy with specified functions that are independent from cabinet departments, do not regulate, and do not charge fees for their services.

Question 11

Government corporations are known as

A) government bodies that issue and enforce regulations on specified economic and social interests.
B) parts of the federal bureaucracy that charge fees for the services they provide to the American public.
C) major divisions within the executive branch, which each perform a specific function.
D) parts of the federal bureaucracy with specified functions that are independent from cabinet departments, do not regulate, and do not charge fees for their services.

Question 12

Which are the four longest standing departments in the federal bureaucracy?

A) State, Treasury, Defense, and Justice
B) State, Labor, Agriculture, and Defense
C) Labor, Justice, Defense, and Agriculture
D) State, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and Justice

Question 13

By 2019, there were _______ cabinet departments within the federal bureaucracy.

A) 9
B) 11
C) 13
D) 15

Question 14

When was the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice created?

A) 1866
B) 1910
C) 1957
D) 1976

Question 15

Whistleblowers can at times expose _______ occurring within the federal bureaucracy that would normally go unnoticed.

A) judicial wrongdoing
B) racial and ethnic discrimination
C) legislative backroom deals
D) interest group fund abuse

Question 16

The majority of employees in the bureaucracy are

A) appointed by the president.
B) appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
C) hired based on their political affiliations.
D) hired based on their qualifications.

Question 17

Which of the following does the Civil Rights Division work to protect from discrimination?

A) Racial and ethnic minorities
B) Disabled individuals
C) Members of nontraditional religions
D) All of the above

Question 18

Issues of discrimination in the United States are most likely to be investigated by the

A) State Department.
B) Department of Justice.
C) Department of Homeland Security.
D) Department of Defense.

Question 19

Issues concerning the United States and foreign relations are most likely to be handled by the

A) State Department.
B) Department of Justice.
C) Department of Homeland Security.
D) Department of Defense.

Question 20

Issues relating to the health of the economy in the United States are most likely to be addressed by the

A) Department of Labor.
B) Department of Agriculture.
C) Treasury Department.
D) Department of the Interior.

Question 21

Issues relating to employment and the welfare of workers are most likely to be handled by the

A) Department of Labor.
B) Department of Agriculture.
C) Treasury Department.
D) Department of the Interior.

Question 22

The _______ is the cabinet department most recently added to the federal bureaucracy.

A) Department of the Interior
B) Department of Homeland Security
C) Department of Education
D) Department of Veterans Affairs

Question 23

When does Congress create new independent regulatory commissions?

A) When Democrats want to create bigger government
B) Every time a new regulatory law is created
C) When it does not want to be in charge of a regulatory issue
D) When it finds that laws alone are not sufficient to handle important regulatory needs

Question 24

Which of the following falls under the purview of independent regulatory commissions?

A) Making rules
B) Enforcing rules by investigating violations
C) Adjudicating disputes over rule enforcement
D) All of the above

Question 25

In terms of partisan bureaucratic politics, independent regulatory commissions

A) must have a close balance of Democratic and Republican commissioners.
B) must have commissioners chosen from the main party in power.
C) may choose their own commissioners based on party affiliation.
D) None of the above

Question 26

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an example of a(n)

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

Question 27

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an example of a(n)

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

Question 28

As an independent executive agency, what type of activity is the Commission on Civil Rights most likely to engage in?

A) Creating civil rights laws
B) Enforcing civil rights laws by investigating violations
C) Adjudicating disputes over civil rights enforcement
D) Researching and examining the effects of policies and sociopolitical issues on civil rights

Question 29

The U.S. Post Office is an example of a(n)

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

Question 30

Why are government corporations controversial?

A) They are public-run, instead of private sector, businesses.
B) They are subsidized by the government and may often lose money rather than making a profit.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 31

In what way can government corporations be considered useful to the American public?

A) They help economically disadvantaged citizens by providing services at lower fees than the private sector.
B) They undermine the private sector.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 32

When was the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) created?

A) 1789
B) 1824
C) 1868
D) 1911

Question 33

Which Department was the Bureau of Indian Affairs originally under?

A) Department of War
B) Department of State
C) Department of Justice
D) Department of the Interior

Question 34

Which of the following is accurate in terms of the relationship between American Indians and the bureaucracy?

A) All four categories of bureaucracy are involved in the government's relationship with American Indians.
B) Only the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has contact with American Indians.
C) There is no longer a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the U. S. government only interacts with American Indian tribes through the State Department.
D) None of the above

Question 35

A system of hiring bureaucrats because they supported the winning political candidate, not because they had the skill, training, and experience for their jobs, is known as

A) patronage.
B) partisanship.
C) sponsorship.
D) bureaucracy.

Question 36

Which of the following is a federal law passed in 1883 that required bureaucrats to be hired and retained according to their demonstrated skill, not their political affiliation?

A) Naturalization Act
B) Cleveland Act
C) Pendleton Act
D) Hatch Act

Question 37

A patronage system within the federal bureaucracy was introduced by which president?

A) George Washington
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) Andrew Jackson
D) Andrew Johnson

Question 38

Which of the following is a federal law passed in 1939 and amended in 1993 that restricts federal employees' partisan political activities?

A) Naturalization Act
B) Cleveland Act
C) Pendleton Act
D) Hatch Act

Question 39

President _______ attempted to repeal the patronage system in the federal bureaucracy and ultimately lost his life as a consequence of expectations borne out of that system.

A) Abraham Lincoln
B) James Garfield
C) William McKinley
D) John F. Kennedy

Question 40

Federal bureaucrats who are not political appointees, but instead are hired according to their education and performance on an examination, are called

A) federal workers.
B) civil employees.
C) civil servants.
D) patrons.

Question 41

Why is the Hatch Act important?

A) It depoliticizes the federal bureaucracy by requiring that federal employees be hired based on expertise.
B) It depoliticizes the federal bureaucracy by forbidding federal employees from engaging in most political activities.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 42

Which of the following has traditionally led to a relative lack of diversity in both public and private jobs?

A) Inadequate minority job candidates
B) Discriminatory hiring practices
C) Lack of availability of positions
D) All of the above

Question 43

When was the Civil Rights Act amended to prohibit discriminatory hiring practices in federal, state, and local governments?

A) 1952
B) 1966
C) 1972
D) 1978

Question 44

Why was the use of numerical goals legal in the preferential hiring of women and minorities in the federal government?

A) It was not legal.
B) It was necessary to have quotas to make the employers hire these groups.
C) The goals were not binding quotas.
D) All of the above

Question 45

The fact that racial and ethnic minorities are not well represented in the upper levels of the federal bureaucracy demonstrates that

A) antidiscrimination and affirmative action policies have not been fully effective.
B) there are not enough qualified minorities in the workforce.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 46

In terms of the federal workforce, Blacks are

A) overrepresented at the bottom and underrepresented at the top.
B) underrepresented at the bottom and overrepresented at the top.
C) overrepresented at all levels.
D) underrepresented at all levels.

Question 47

The most underrepresented racial/ethnic minority group in the federal workforce is

A) Blacks.
B) Latinos.
C) Asians.
D) American Indians.

Question 48

Bureaucrats are

A) Unelected.
B) unaccountable to the public.
C) important policy makers.
D) All of the above

Question 49

The day-to-day process by which bureaucrats enforce laws and carry out policies is known as

A) rulemaking.
B) implementation.
C) administrative adjudication.
D) policymaking.

Question 50

The process by which bureaucrats issue regulations that have the force of law is known as

A) rulemaking.
B) implementation.
C) administrative adjudication.
D) policymaking.

Question 51

The quasi-judicial process by which a bureaucratic agency resolves a dispute between the agency and a private citizen is known as

A) rulemaking.
B) implementation.
C) administrative adjudication.
D) policymaking.

Question 52

The ways in which bureaucrats follow guidelines for the enforcement of immigration laws reflect the concept of

A) rulemaking.
B) implementation.
C) administrative adjudication.
D) policymaking.

Question 53

The Federal Register is the official collection of U.S. government documents published on a

A) daily basis.
B) weekly basis.
C) monthly basis.
D) yearly basis.

Question 54

When did the Administrative Procedures Act first require that all bureaucratic rules be published in the Federal Register at least 30 days prior to taking effect?

A) 1911
B) 1917
C) 1933
D) 1942

Question 55

Although bureaucrats are not elected by the people, is there any means by which citizens can work to influence the rules created within the bureaucracy?

A) Yes, they can threaten to remove bureaucrats from office for bad policymaking.
B) Yes, they can provide direct input on proposed rules after they are published in the Federal Register.
C) No, there is no avenue for public influence on the bureaucracy.
D) No, only the president and Congress have any means of connecting with the bureaucracy.

Question 56

In 2019, which of the following engaged in rulemaking that would directly affect the lives of racial minorities and women?

A) Federal Aviation Administration
B) Environmental Protection Agency
C) Department of Housing and Urban Development
D) Federal Housing Finance Agency

Question 57

In the scope of administrative adjudication, who first hears disputes and offers solutions for the parties involved?

A) Administrative law judges
B) Special congressional subcommittees
C) The president
D) U. S. Supreme Court

Question 58

To which courts can administrative adjudication decisions be appealed?

A) Local judiciary
B) State judiciary
C) Federal judiciary
D) All of the above

Question 59

Some agencies attempt to avoid administrative adjudication by providing _______ to eliminate the need for additional government involvement.

A) mediation
B) immediate settlements
C) rule changes
D) cease-and-desist letters

Question 60

A conception of bureaucracy in which policymaking is dominated by congressional committees, interest groups, and bureaucratic agencies is referred to as a(n)

A) issue network.
B) triangle of influence.
C) iron triangle.
D) triangle of power.

Question 61

Which of the following is accurate?

A) Bureaucrats maintain good relationships with congressional subcommittees to gain favor and funding.
B) Bureaucrats maintain good relationships with interest groups to increase public support for their policies.
C) Interest groups and congressional committee members working with bureaucrats are able to influence policy within agencies.
D) All of the above

Question 62

A conception of policymaking as dynamic and not controlled by any particular set of groups or institutions is called a(n)

A) issue network.
B) triangle of influence.
C) iron triangle.
D) triangle of power.

Question 63

Which of the following provides an example of the iron triangle concept of bureaucratic power?

A) Defense policy.
B) Immigration policy.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 64

Which of the following provides an example of the issue networks concept of bureaucratic power?

A) Defense policy.
B) Immigration policy.
C) Both of the above
D) Neither of the above

Question 65

Given the problematic nature of an elected bureaucracy in a representative democracy, which branch(es) of government work(s) to check the power of the bureaucracy?

A) Legislative
B) Executive
C) Judicial
D) All three branches

Question 66

Generally speaking, what is the relationship between career bureaucrats and higher-level political appointees?

A) Higher level appointees exert full control over the actions of career bureaucrats.
B) Career bureaucrats exert full control over their agencies without regard to the commands of appointees.
C) Career bureaucrats and higher-level appointees can come into conflict over policy for an agency and both exert power.
D) Higher level appointees and career bureaucrats work together to ensure there can be no outside influence on an agency.

Question 67

Of the following groups, which are not considered federal bureaucrats?

A) CIA operatives
B) U. S. border patrol agents
C) Congressional staffers
D) FEMA workers

Question 68

High-level bureaucrats the president places in different agencies to ensure compliance with his or her directives are known as

A) whistleblowers.
B) central clearance enforcers.
C) the Senior Executive Service.
D) agency reorganizers.

Question 69

Bureaucrats who publicly expose waste, fraud, or abuse in their agency are known as

A) whistleblowers.
B) central clearance enforcers.
C) the Senior Executive Service.
D) agency reorganizers.

Question 70

President _______ instituted the Senior Executive Service.

A) Harry Truman
B) Dwight Eisenhower
C) Richard Nixon
D) Jimmy Carter

Question 71

A requirement that all agency budget requests receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget before the president submits them to Congress is known as

A) congressional clearance.
B) central clearance.
C) presidential clearance.
D) judicial clearance.

Question 72

Which of the following is not related to methods used by the president to control the bureaucracy?

A) Whistleblowers
B) Central clearance
C) The Senior Executive Service
D) Agency reorganization

Question 73

Which of the following protects bureaucrats who call attention to major problems within their agencies?

A) The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
B) The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989
C) The Hatch Act
D) The Pendleton Act

Question 74

The legislative branch checks the power of the bureaucracy by way of

A) creating, altering, and eliminating agencies and positions.
B) funding decisions.
C) oversight of agencies.
D) All of the above

Question 75

The part of the legislative branch that is responsible for auditing how bureaucratic agencies spend money appropriated by Congress is called the

A) comptroller general.
B) legislative veto.
C) Government Accountability Office.
D) Office of Management and Budget.

Question 76

An act of one or both houses of Congress that overturned an administrative action was known as

A) comptroller general power.
B) legislative veto.
C) Government Accountability Office power.
D) Office of Management and Budget power.

Question 77

The head of the Government Accountability Office is known as the

A) comptroller general.
B) attorney general.
C) surgeon general.
D) Office of Management and Budget general.

Question 78

What is the current status of the legislative veto?

A) It is frequently used to check bureaucratic power.
B) It is rarely used given that Congress often cannot garner enough votes for it.
C) It is never used.
D) It was invalidated by the Supreme Court.

Question 79

How does the judicial branch check the power of the bureaucracy?

A) By forcing agencies into court over policies it does not like
B) By ruling that agency rules or actions brought before the court are unconstitutional or in violation of federal statutes
C) By providing oversight over agency actions
D) None of the above

Question 80

Which of the following is a reason for the creation of public interest groups such as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund?

A) The high cost of litigation has disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minorities in terms of seeking justice, especially against the bureaucracy.
B) Racial and ethnic minorities did not realize that other resources were available to them, and they chose to focus on race and ethnicity instead of class.
C) Racial and ethnic minorities are seeking special favors from the government by way of attacking the bureaucracy through the judicial system.
D) All of the above