Deck 11: Bureaucracy

Question 1

Since 1950,compared with the entire workforce,the number of federal employees has

A)increased sharply.
B)increased slightly.
C)gradually declined.
D)decreased sharply.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What is a government corporation?

A)Each department in the executive branch is legally registered as a corporation.
B)It is an agency that performs and charges for services usually provided by the private sector.
C)It is a private company,publicly traded,whose sole investor is the federal government.
D)It is a government agency that is charged by Congress to make a profit.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Proposed rules to implement a law

A)are open to comment by anyone who wishes to weigh in.
B)are open to comment only by members of Congress.
C)are open to comment only by other members of the federal bureaucracy.
D)are not open to comment by anyone.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

There are approximately ________ military personnel currently in the United States.

A)100,000
B)600,000
C)900,000
D)1.3 million

Question 5

What is the origin of most federal bureaus?

A)Congress passes laws creating and funding most federal bureaus.
B)The Cabinet secretaries create most federal bureaus out of administrative necessity
And convenience.
C)Most federal bureaus were explicitly described in Article II of the Constitution.
D)Most federal bureaus are created by executive order of the president.

Question 6

Civil servants were given legal protection against being fired without a show of cause in order to

A)conform to the Supreme Court's decision in Immigration and Naturalization
Service v.Chadha.
B)force the bureaucracy to respond more to political pressures from parties,interest groups,and elected officials.
C)safeguard the bureaucracy from political interference while upgrading performance.
D)enhance the public's trust in bureaucracy.

Question 7

Approximately ________ percent of the nation's employed workforce are employees of
State or local government.

A)1
B)5
C)15
D)33

Question 8

The Civil Service Act of 1883 attempted to pattern government hiring after practices found in

A)business.
B)the Catholic Church.
C)Congress.
D)local government.

Question 9

At its peak in ________,the federal bureaucracy had ________ employees,not including
Military personnel.

A)1936; 6 million
B)1968; 3 million
C)1996; 8 million
D)2005; 10 million

Question 10

Compared to private-sector workers,members of the full-time civilian federal workforce are

A)less educated and more racially and ethnically diverse.
B)less educated and less racially and ethnically diverse.
C)more educated and more racially and ethnically diverse.
D)more educated and less racially and ethnically diverse.

Question 11

An independent agency is an executive branch organization that

A)is part of a Cabinet-level department.
B)charges fees to consumers but carries out governmental responsibilities.
C)is established by Congress but not part of a Cabinet-level department.
D)is established by the president without congressional approval.

Question 12

Which of the following is a government corporation?

A)National Park Service
B)Amtrak
C)Federal Bureau of Investigation
D)Department of Agriculture

Question 13

Which of the following would be an example of how federal bureaucrats make rules while engaging
In implementation?

A)The Supreme Court ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency has no authority to regulate auto emissions under the Clean Air Act.
B)The Environmental Protection Agency requiring that,under the Clean Air Act,the average fuel economy for new vehicles must be at least 35.5 miles per gallon.
C)The Chamber of Commerce filing a lawsuit claiming that Congress has no authority to pass the Clean Air Act.
D)The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works filing a report on the efficacy of the Clean Air Act.

Question 14

The Forest Service is an example of a(n)________ while the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)is an example of a(n)________.

A)bureau-level agency; independent agency
B)independent agency; bureau-level agency
C)Cabinet-level department; bureau-level agency
D)bureau-level agency; Cabinet-level department

Question 15

________ is the process through which bureaucrats attempt to translate laws into specific rules and actions.

A)Adjudication
B)Regulation
C)Deregulation
D)Implementation

Question 16

Line agencies are

A)departments,bureaus,or independent agencies whose primary mission is to regulate economic activity.
B)government agencies that perform a market-oriented public service and raise revenues to fund their activities.
C)agencies that are not part of any cabinet department and not subject to congressional oversight.
D)bureau-level agencies that deal directly with the public.

Question 17

Which of the following is an independent agency?

A)U.S.Postal Service
B)Department of Agriculture
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)Forest Service

Question 18

The number of state and local government employees has

A)remained relatively unchanged since 1950.
B)declined since 1950.
C)increased since 1950.
D)always been less than the number of federal government employees.

Question 19

Before the Civil Service Act of 1883,how were government appointments handled?

A)Appointments were made on the basis of merit.
B)Appointments were made on the basis of seniority.
C)Appointments were made to political supporters as part of a spoils system.
D)Appointments were made by leaders of Congress.

Question 20

Which of the following executive agencies was created by Congress in 2010?

A)Federal Reserve Board
B)Department of Housing and Urban Development
C)Council of Economic Advisers
D)Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Question 21

The National Park Service is

A)part of the Department of the Interior.
B)part of the Department of Agriculture.
C)an independent agency.
D)a government corporation.

Question 22

The Department of Health and Human Services

A)administers Medicaid.
B)controls the implementation of all federal healthcare policy with the exception
Of Medicare.
C)is under the direct administrative control of the National Institutes of Health.
D)administers Social Security.

Question 23

The greatest number of federal government professionals working abroad are under the
Authority of the Department of

A)State.
B)Defense.
C)Commerce.
D)Homeland Security.

Question 24

The Freedom of Information Act is designed to

A)lead to quicker filing of habeas corpus petitions.
B)make more national security documents available to the public.
C)prevent inefficiency and waste in government management.
D)expand the freedom of speech granted to government employees.

Question 25

The Financial Stability Oversight Council was created by

A)President Roosevelt in 1939 to reduce unemployment and increase public-sector job opportunities.
B)President Obama and Congress in 2010 to identify system-wide risks to the financial sector.
C)Congress in 1965 to counter the influence of the growing influence of the Office of Management and Budget.
D)President Reagan in 1980 to study the causes of inflation and make policy recommendations to reduce it.

Question 26

Which of the following is an example of a revenue agency?

A)Federal Reserve System
B)Agricultural Extension Service
C)U.S.Customs Service
D)Securities and Exchange Commission

Question 27

Which of the following is the best description of an iron triangle?

A)the stable relationship between a bureaucratic agency,a clientele group,and a
Legislative committee
B)the inability to reform federal rules without help from the House of Representatives,
The Senate,and the president
C)the domination of a few large companies in the regulation of iron mining and smelting
D)the breakdown in the separation of powers between Congress,the federal judiciary,
And the president

Question 28

The Obama administration's campaign to make government more transparent

A)was jeopardized by Edward Snowden's leak of sensitive national security documents
In 2013.
B)resulted in the termination of the National Security Agency's global surveillance operations.
C)resulted in the passage of the Freedom of Information Act.
D)resulted in the repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act.

Question 29

The ________ oversees border safety and security (including immigration and customs);
Emergency preparedness; science-related concerns pertaining to chemical,biological,and
Nuclear threats; and information and intelligence analysis and assessment.

A)U.S.Marine Corps
B)secretary of defense
C)U.S.Army
D)Department of Homeland Security

Question 30

One of the primary purposes of the Federal Reserve System (the Fed)is to

A)guard against national gasoline shortages by maintaining large stores of oil at the country's military bases.
B)guard against state governments defaulting on their debt obligations by limiting budget expenditures.
C)guard against the federal government defaulting on its debt obligations by limiting budget expenditures.
D)guard against bank failures during a sudden economic scare by making sure that banks
Do not overextend themselves.

Question 31

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is composed of

A)the five military service chiefs (Army,Navy,Air Force,Marine Corps,and National Guard).
B)the secretaries of each Cabinet-level department.
C)the Speaker of the House,the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Vice President.
D)the state governors who belong to the president's party.

Question 32

________ is the primary mission of the State Department.

A)Military protection
B)Diplomacy
C)International aid
D)National security

Question 33

A bureau charged with putting restrictions and obligations on individuals or corporations in the private sector is called a ________ agency.

A)redistributive
B)regulatory
C)fiscal
D)clientele

Question 34

The responsibility for making fiscal policy lies with ________,and the administration of fiscal
Policy occurs primarily in the ________.

A)the president; Federal Reserve Board
B)the president; Treasury Department
C)Congress; Treasury Department
D)Congress; Department of Commerce

Question 35

The national security documents leaked by Edward Snowden in 2013 revealed that the

A)NSA was collecting private data,such as phone calls,email messages,and web browser history,on millions of Americans and foreign nationals.
B)Bush administration misrepresented intelligence information about nuclear weapons in order to justify the 2003 Iraq War.
C)September 11,2001,attacks could have been prevented with better information sharing between the FBI,CIA,and NSC.
D)CIA was violating international law by using "enhanced interrogation techniques" against suspected terrorists.

Question 36

The national debt is approximately

A)$210 million.
B)$21 billion.
C)$210 billion.
D)$21 trillion.

Question 37

Which government agencies designed a $700-billion bailout package and convinced Congress
That a rapid response was needed to avert a worldwide depression in 2008?

A)the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve System
B)the Department of Commerce and the Office of Management and Budget
C)the Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers
D)the Department of Commerce and the Council of Economic Advisers

Question 38

The National Security Archive is a

A)private organization that makes extensive use of Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain information about the activities of national security agencies.
B)bureau-level agency in the Department of Homeland Security that classifies the security clearance requirements of all government documents.
C)part of the National Security Agency that classifies the security clearance requirements of all government documents.
D)private organization that the federal government contracts to provide backup copies for all national security documents.

Question 39

Which one of these has the authority to set interest rates and lending activities for the nation's
Most important banks?

A)the Federal Reserve System
B)the Secretary of the Treasury
C)the Internal Revenue Service
D)the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Question 40

The use of taxing and spending powers to shape the economy is part of ________ policy.

A)fiscal
B)monetary
C)distributive
D)redistributive

Question 41

The concept of oversight refers to the effort made by

A)Congress to make executive agencies accountable for their actions.
B)the president to make Congress accountable for its actions.
C)the courts to make the legislative and executive branches responsible for their actions.
D)the states to make the federal government responsible for its actions.

Question 42

If the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a regularly scheduled hearing to receive updates on the implementation of health care laws by the Department of Health and Human Services,it would be an example of

A)"health and well-being" oversight.
B)"privatization" oversight.
C)"police patrol" oversight.
D)"fire alarm" oversight.

Question 43

If the federal government decided to hire Google to provide email services to all its employees
Rather than maintaining its own,in-house email services,it would be an example of

A)Google-lization.
B)corporatization.
C)privatization.
D)bureaucratization.

Question 44

When the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee launched a 2016 inquiry into a sudden 500-percent price hike on EpiPens (which are used to treat severe allergic reactions),
It was an example of

A)"health and well-being" oversight.
B)"privatization" oversight.
C)"police patrol" oversight.
D)"fire alarm" oversight.

Question 45

Which of the following is an agency created by Congress to assist in overseeing the
Federal bureaucracy?

A)the Congressional Budget Office
B)the Congressional Office on Legislative Affairs
C)the Office of Management and Budget
D)the Congressional Oversight Office

Question 46

The largest employer in the country and the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world is

A)Amazon.
B)Walmart.
C)Apple.
D)the U.S.federal government.

Question 47

The phrase "double government" refers to

A)the idea that bureaucrats may continue to pursue policies of their own preference outside of political or democratic control.
B)the fact that private companies provide many of the same services that government agencies do.
C)the notion that government requires twice as much time and twice as much money as private companies to accomplish the same goals.
D)the system in which both state governments and the federal government perform the same duties.

Question 48

During the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W.Bush,________ federal agencies
Or programs were terminated.

A)0
B)10
C)156
D)849

Question 49

Devolution describes a process through which

A)Congress gives up some of its power to the executive branch.
B)the federal government is downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments.
C)state and local governments are downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to the federal government.
D)the federal government is downsized by completely cutting wasteful programs.

Question 50

Although they are often unpopular with the public and there are many complaints that government is too large,bureaucracies perform important functions for government.Describe the three main functions of bureaucracy and provide some examples of each.How has the size of the federal bureaucracy changed over the last 50 years?

Question 51

________ occurs when the federal government passes authority to administer a program to
State or local governments.

A)Deregulation
B)Devolution
C)Privatization
D)Implementation

Question 52

Describe the organizational structure and composition of the federal bureaucracy.Specifically,what are the differences between departments,agencies,and bureaus and what are the lines of authority within the executive branch? How representative is the federal bureaucracy of the American public,how is it staffed,and how has this changed since the nineteenth century?

Question 53

Which president's approach to the managerial presidency featured a deep belief in the importance
Of scientific expertise in government service?

A)Barack Obama
B)George W.Bush
C)Ronald Reagan
D)Bill Clinton

Question 54

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 was significant because it

A)ended the "spoils system."
B)was the first major revamping of the federal civil service since its creation in 1883.
C)reinstated the "spoils system."
D)cut the federal workforce by 20 percent.

Question 55

In his attempt to manage the federal bureaucracy,the president can use all of the following tools EXCEPT

A)appointing top officials to lead government agencies.
B)replacing low level civil service employees with people loyal to the president.
C)altering an agency's budget.
D)changing an agency's organizational scheme.

Question 56

The MOST visible indication of oversight is the

A)use of a unanimous Supreme Court opinion by the lower federal courts to generate public support for a particular policy.
B)use of the nullification power by the states to declare an act of the federal government unconstitutional.
C)use of public hearings before congressional committees and subcommittees.
D)size of the total national debt.

Question 57

Privatization is a way to

A)shrink the federal budget by selling government services or property in the private sector.
B)reduce government costs by relocating government programs to private groups or corporations.
C)reduce big government by doing without some of the programs it once provided.
D)increase the government's role by purchasing private companies.

Question 58

Which of the following statements best describes how recent administrations have approached
The issue of bureaucratic reform?

A)Republican administrations have aimed to make the existing bureaucracy work more effectively while Democratic administrations have sought to reduce bureaucracy by contracting out government work to private companies.
B)Democratic administrations have aimed to make the existing bureaucracy work more effectively while Republican administrations have sought to reduce bureaucracy by contracting out government work to private companies.
C)Both Democratic and Republican administrations have rejected the idea of reducing bureaucracy and have aimed to make existing bureaucracy work more effectively.
D)Both Democratic and Republican administrations have given up on trying to make the existing bureaucracy function more effectively and instead sought to reduce bureaucracy by contracting out government work to private companies.

Question 59

In 1937,the Committee on Administrative Management claimed that "the president needs help" because

A)President Roosevelt had serious health problems related to polio and could not fulfill all of the constitutional responsibilities of the presidency.
B)President Roosevelt needed to devote all of his energy to guiding the American military's efforts in World War II and he could not effectively manage the federal bureaucracy.
C)the "spoils system" had filled the executive branch with Republicans who were refusing to enact key parts of President Roosevelt's agenda.
D)the national government had grown rapidly during the preceding 25 years,but the structures and procedures necessary to manage the burgeoning executive branch had not yet been established.

Question 60

One drawback of devolution is that

A)there are potentially large variations in the provision of services and benefits across states.
B)there is no potential for variation in the provision of services and benefits across states.
C)Congress is removed completely from the United States' foreign policy process.
D)states have a much harder time implementing programs than the federal government does.

Question 61

Describe the challenge of bureaucratic accountability.What is oversight,what are the different kinds of oversight and how does congressional action shape bureaucratic responsibility? What are some possible ways in which the president can gain more control of the bureaucracy?

Question 62

The different agencies of the executive branch can be grouped according to the different kinds of services they provide.Describe the three main categories of agencies.What kinds of services do they provide? Provide some examples of each.

Question 63

Describe and evaluate the three key strategies politicians have used to promote reform in the federal bureaucracy.What are some of the challenges associated with each different approach? Explain.