Deck 9: The Federal Bureaucracy

Question 1

What is the most important unit within the executive office?

A)National Security Council
B)White House Office
C)Council of Economic Advisers
D)Office of Management and Budget
E)White House Communications Agency

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which one of the following is a government corporation?

A)Department of Health and Human Services
B)Small Business Administration
C)Internal Revenue Service
D)Federal Communications Commission
E)Amtrak

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Agencies are generally formed when

A)a governmental function is too broad to fit into a single department.
B)a governmental function is too limited to warrant department status.
C)the president wants direct control of a governmental function.
D)the president wants to separate himself from a governmental function.
E)Congress wants direct control of a governmental function.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Corporations are generally formed

A)to have broad power to establish regulatory policy and to increase revenue for the government.
B)to handle some of the functions required to keep the government running.
C)to perform basic governmental functions, much like the essential cabinet departments.
D)to provide staff assistance to the president, so that the president can devote time and attention to more pressing matters.
E)to provide a service that is free from excessive interference by the president and Congress but is still subject to general policies established by the legislature.

Question 5

What kind of agency gathers information and makes it available to the chief executive officer whenever it is needed?

A)Line agencies
B)Staff agencies
C)Government corporations
D)Field services
E)Civil service

Question 6

Governmental work responsible for specialized tasks conducted in offices scattered around the country and foreign countries are

A)located only in Washington.
B)departments.
C)bureaus.
D)field services.
E)intelligence agencies.

Question 7

The Executive Office of the President was created for what primary reason?

A)It was determined that the president needed help.
B)Congress wanted the executive branch to have more power than the legislative branch.
C)Congress wanted more input into executive affairs.
D)The president insisted it be created.
E)To provide for the national defense.

Question 8

What is the role of the inner cabinet in relation to the president?

A)advocacy
B)counseling
C)legal advise
D)information gathering
E)liaison with the Supreme Court

Question 9

What is one of the functions of the president's chief of staff?

A)review the budget and legislative proposals of all the federal departments and agencies
B)prepare the annual Economic Report of the President and recommend adjustments in government spending and taxation
C)advocate for a specific group of citizens and carry out policy and provide services for that sector of society
D)oversee the White House Office and control access to the chief executive
E)coordinate domestic, foreign, and military policies and advise the president

Question 10

The agency responsible for administering the civil service is the

A)Federal Reserve Board.
B)National Labor Relations Board.
C)General Services Administration.
D)Office of Personnel Management
E)Department of Labor.

Question 11

The largest working subunit of an executive department that performs specific functions is called a(n)

A)bureau.
B)cabinet.
C)agency.
D)department.
E)service.

Question 12

The institution charged with managing the nation's monetary policy, usually through setting of interest rates, is the

A)General Accounting Office.
B)Federal Reserve.
C)National Records Service.
D)Department of the Treasury.
E)Council of Economic Advisors.

Question 13

The East Wing refers to the

A)Lincoln bedroom.
B)war room.
C)First Lady's office.
D)vice president's office.
E)vice president's residence.

Question 14

How many executive or cabinet departments are there in the U.S.government?

A)6
B)15
C)25
D)38
E)104

Question 15

The inner cabinet consists of the secretaries of state, defense, treasury, and the

A)attorney general.
B)director of the FBI.
C)secretary of the Department of Energy.
D)secretary of the Department of Commerce.
E)Internal Revenue Service.

Question 16

Which agencies perform basic governmental functions?

A)State, Defense, Treasury, Justice
B)Agriculture, Transportation, Energy, Education
C)Homeland Security, Agriculture, Energy, Education
D)Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice
E)Justice, Defense, Interior, Health and Human Services

Question 17

Cabinet officers are responsible for

A)ensuring that congressional mandates are executed despite the president's wishes.
B)merely running their own agency.
C)implementing their own agenda despite congressional or presidential initiatives to the contrary.
D)implementing the president's program in a particular area while also attempting to influence the president's policies in that area.
E)increasing the size and influence of their department or agency.

Question 18

Line agencies are

A)those that only deal with the White House office.
B)those that carry out government policies and provide various types of services.
C)not responsible for carrying out policies nor services.
D)agencies that gather information and make it available to the chief executive officer.
E)those agencies that deal only with budgets or national defense issues.

Question 19

In what sense are independent regulatory commissions "independent"?

A)They are not paid by the federal government.
B)They take their orders only from federal judges.
C)Their members cannot be removed by the president merely because they disagree with his policies.
D)They report directly to the House and Senate leadership.
E)They report to the Supreme Court.

Question 20

Many of the independent regulatory commissions were created by Congress during the 1930s to

A)create jobs.
B)free Congress from the task of legislating complex aspects of the American economy.
C)free the executive from having to deal with bureaus of minor status.
D)to implement policies emanating from judicial rulings.
E)provide the president with additional agencies to oversee.

Question 21

The Classification Act of 1949 assigned many federal jobs to a tiered system based on job duties, title, and qualifications. This tiered system is usually referred to as the

A)General Schedule.
B)Government Classification Scheme.
C)Federal Oversight Framework.
D)Professional Order.
E)Selective Service System.

Question 22

Since the 1970s, which industries has Congress most deregulated?

A)the oil and energy industry
B)labor unions and workers' compensation
C)education
D)banking, transportation, and communications
E)space exploration

Question 23

Rules created by agencies rather than by Congress but which nevertheless carry the same force as congressional laws are normally referred to as

A)regulatory law.
B)regulatory capture.
C)independent authorization.
D)administrative law.
E)statutory laws.

Question 24

Which one of the following is an "iron triangle"?

A)Congress, the White House, and the media.
B)Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court.
C)a government agency, the White House, and Congress.
D)an interest group, political party, and government agency.
E)an interest group, government agency, and congressional committee.

Question 25

Independent regulatory commissions have been created by Congress to regulate a particular area of the nation's economy.

Question 26

A government employee who is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate is called a(n)

A)civil servant.
B)exempt employee.
C)presidential advisor.
D)political executive.
E)candidate.

Question 27

All of the following are parts of the Department of Homeland Security except

A)the Office of Management and Budget.
B)the Coast Guard.
C)the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
D)the Customs Service.
E)the Secret Service.

Question 28

When a bureaucracy's power is checked by the courts, the judiciary is exercising

A)judicial review.
B)legislative oversight.
C)impoundment legislation.
D)the Freedom of Information Act.
E)removal power.

Question 29

Line agencies are those that carry out government policies and provide various types of services.

Question 30

The Pendleton Act established the

A)merit system.
B)spoils system.
C)general schedule system.
D)Senior Executive Service.
E)Selective Service System.

Question 31

The U.S.Postal Service is an example of a government corporation.

Question 32

The Office of Management and Budget's responsibilities include all of the following EXCEPT

A)maintaining neutrality.
B)using its technological expertise to aid the interests of the nation.
C)taking control and asserting pressure in budgetary situations.
D)shaping and implementing the president's policies.
E)preparing the president's annual budget proposals.

Question 33

Today, most positions in the federal government are

A)political executives.
B)appointed by the president.
C)senior executive service.
D)covered by the spoils system.
E)covered by civil service.

Question 34

Which unit consists of the president, the vice president, the secretaries of state and defense, a member of the White House staff, and the director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness?

A)the National Security Council
B)the Council of Economic Advisers
C)the Office of Management and Budget
D)the White House Office
E)Department of Homeland Security

Question 35

Congress exerts control over the bureaucracy through

A)appropriations.
B)reorganization.
C)direct appointments.
D)direct removal.
E)judicial review.

Question 36

The Freedom of Information Act of 1966 illustrates the use of congressional power to

A)protect an individual's freedom of expression from censorship.
B)exercise controls over federal agencies.
C)make foreign policy information about America available in communist countries.
D)exercise controls over state government bureaucracies.
E)deregulate sectors of the private economy.

Question 37

The Department of the Interior is one of the four departments performing basic government functions.

Question 38

Who prepares the Economic Report of the President?

A)the Federal Trade Commission
B)the Federal Revenue Board
C)the Office on Management and Budget
D)the Council of Economic Advisors
E)Internal Revenue Service

Question 39

Common during the first few decades of the nation's history, the process of appointing friends and supporters to key political offices was referred to as the

A)merit system.
B)spoils system.
C)general schedule system.
D)Senior Executive Service.
E)Selective Service System.

Question 40

Overbilling of Medicare and Medicaid, selling of defective parts for military equipment, and kickbacks to doctors who prescribed unnecessary medications were all uncovered by

A)judicial review
B)legislative oversight
C)budget act controls
D)Freedom of Information Act of 1966
E)whistleblowers

Question 41

Created by Congress in 1914, the Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the nation.

Question 42

Government corporations are subject to greater control by Congress and the president than departments and agencies.

Question 43

Senatorial courtesy applies to all federal officials appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.

Question 44

Medical and personnel files of federal employees are available to public scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act of 1966.

Question 45

Identify some of the reasons the bureaucracy has grown.Given these reasons, what is the likelihood in the future the size of the bureaucracy can be reduced? Explain.

Question 46

Differentiate between the spoils system and the merit system for government jobs.What effect has this change had on the American political system?

Question 47

The number of civilian federal government employees has decreased since the late 1980s.

Question 48

Which is the most important source of bureaucratic power: size, expertise, the agency/committee/interest group triangle, or the delegation of power by Congress? Why? Explain and give examples to support your views.

Question 49

The Constitution specifically grants the president the power to remove members of the federal bureaucracy.

Question 50

In addition to the media, other outside groups can serve to limit the actions of the bureaucracy.

Question 51

The powers of the federal bureaucracy have grown immensely since the country's inception.Examine the governmental checks on the power of the bureaucracy and discuss whether or not this system is successful.

Question 52

Many of the independent commissions were created by Congress during the period of the New Deal.

Question 53

The president's secretary of defense chairs the National Security Council.

Question 54

The Council of Economic Adviser's job is to review the state of the economy and advise the president on ways to deal with problems in the economy.

Question 55

The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act is to discourage whistleblowing in situations where no illegality is involved.

Question 56

Political executives are covered by civil service.

Question 57

The Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigations became part of the Department of Homeland Security in Congress's reorganization of the executive branch in 2002.

Question 58

Because the president is the constitutional head of the executive branch, he is responsible for the bureaucracy.

Question 59

The president's cabinet is made up of the heads of fifteen executive departments and other top officials.

Question 60

The president's cabinet is divided into an inner and an outer cabinet.

Question 61

Under what circumstances is deregulation most likely to occur? What factors have stopped deregulation, and what trend is likely in the future? Explain.