Deck 13: The Bureaucracy

Question 1

The two bodies that employ by far the largest number of federal civilian employees are

A) the Executive Office of the President and the judiciary.
B) the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.
C) the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Food and Drug Administration.
D) the Department of Energy and the Federal Reserve System.
E) the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Defense.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The number of federal government employees has

A) increased significantly in the last several decades.
B) remained relatively stable for the last several decades.
C) decreased substantially in the last ten years.
D) grown to exceed the number of local government employees.
E) grown to exceed the number of state government employees.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to Max Weber, a bureaucracy should be all of the following except

A) an apolitical organization.
B) an organization made up of unspecialized staff to avoid delays in policy implementation.
C) an organization where decisions are based on logic and analysis.
D) an organization that makes promotions on the basis of merit, not politics.
E) an organization that applies similar decisions to similar situations.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Bureaucracy is the name given to

A) a large organization, structured hierarchically, that carries out specific functions.
B) any organization that has major problems when attempting to accomplish its goals.
C) a group of people who work to enforce policies in a way that prevents quick results.
D) any large branch of a government that has power to interpret laws.
E) government organizations, but not to corporate or university organizations.

Question 5

Parts of government that are directly accountable to the president are called

A) line organizations.
B) independent regulatory agencies.
C) Weberian bureaucratic units.
D) monopolistic bureaucratic units.
E) government corporations.

Question 6

One of the important differences between public bureaucracies and private corporations is that government bureaucracies

A) are not organized to make a profit, whereas private corporations are.
B) have a single set of leaders, whereas private corporations do not.
C) are much larger than private corporations.
D) are not intended to serve the citizenry as private corporations are.
E) present an opportunity for career advancement, whereas private corporations do not.

Question 7

The monopolistic model of bureaucracy states that

A) bureaucracies have no competitors and are therefore inefficient.
B) decision making should be a rational process.
C) advancement should be based on merit.
D) bureaucracies seek expanded budgets and increased size.
E) bureaucracies should apply similar decisions to similar situations.

Question 8

The idea that bureaucracies will try to increase their budgets and expand their power is common in

A) the Weberian view of bureaucracy.
B) the acquisitive view of bureaucracy.
C) the monopolistic view of bureaucracy.
D) the New Deal view of bureaucracy.
E) All of the above.

Question 9

The concept of a bureaucracy

A) isn't unique to government.
B) applies to large corporations and universities.
C) applies to the U.S. military
D) applies to any large organization that requires a division of labor.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 10

The Endangered Species Act is

A) supported by citizens who believe in wildlife preservation.
B) cited by some as an example of infringement on the rights of landowners.
C) an example of the tension between the desire for small government and the desire for benefits large government can provide.
D) an example of a law with bureaucratic implications.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 11

The major cabinet departments of government were created

A) through congressional legislation.
B) when the Constitution was initially ratified.
C) by constitutional amendments.
D) by executive order.
E) Both A and C.

Question 12

All of the following statement are true about cabinet departments except

A) there are fifteen cabinet departments.
B) new cabinet departments are created by the president.
C) cabinet departments perform government functions such as printing money and training troops.
D) the most recent department to be created was the Department of Homeland Security.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 13

Government employment grew rapidly until

A) the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan.
B) the Great Depression.
C) the 2000 election of George W. Bush.
D) World War I.
E) the Civil War.

Question 14

The percentage of the total U.S. workforce that is employed by local, state, and federal governments is

A) 10 percent.
B) 25 percent.
C) 16 percent.
D) 50 percent.
E) 6 percent.

Question 15

Which part of the federal government employs most of the government's staff?

A) judiciary
B) legislative branch
C) federal courts
D) executive branch
E) Internal Revenue Service

Question 16

Any one of the fifteen major parts of the executive branch would be a(n)

A) independent regulatory agency.
B) independent executive agency.
C) cabinet department.
D) government corporation.
E) None of the above.

Question 17

The acquisitive model of bureaucracy holds that

A) decision making should be a rational process.
B) advancement should be based on merit.
C) leaders of bureaucracies seek expanded budgets and larger staffs.
D) bureaucracies should apply similar decisions to similar situations.
E) bureaucracies should hold hearings before taking action.

Question 18

Congress's power to levy an income tax

A) only came about in 1913.
B) was built into the Constitution in 1787.
C) was granted by the Sixteenth Amendment.
D) was granted by the Twentieth Amendment.
E) Both A and C.

Question 19

Which of the following statements are true about federal spending?

A) The Social Security Administration administers Social Security and Medicare benefits.
B) The U.S. Postal Service employees comprise 50 percent of the federal workforce.
C) The U.S. Postal Service has been self-supporting for decades.
D) About 50 percent of all government spending goes to the elderly each year.
E) Veteran's services make up about 5 percent of annual federal spending.

Question 20

According to the Weberian model of bureaucracy, bureaucrats

A) are specialists who resolve problems.
B) are lured by the need to gain power.
C) are inefficient because of a lack of competition.
D) try to maximize the size of their budgets.
E) None of the above.

Question 21

Which of the following is true of political appointees?

A) The president makes political appointments to most of the top jobs in the federal bureaucracy.
B) Ambassadors to foreign countries are political appointees.
C) Their powers are often exaggerated.
D) Most have little background for their positions and may be mere figureheads
E) All of the above are true.

Question 22

Independent regulatory agencies

A) are administered independently of all three branches.
B) make rules that have the force of law.
C) provide enforcement of the rules they have passed.
D) decide disputes over the rules they have made.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 23

The merit system refers to

A) the selection, retention, and promotion of government employees on the basis of examinations.
B) a system of checks on Congress intended to prevent discrimination.
C) a process of selecting policies based on their value.
D) a system that was used for hiring bureaucrats under Andrew Jackson.
E) using work experience in lieu of educational qualifications when applying for federal positions.

Question 24

The Pendleton Act

A) extended federal civil service protections to the states.
B) reorganized the federal government and exempted a substantial number of government employees from civil service protections.
C) increased the number of government employees selected by the spoils system.
D) established the principle of employment on the basis of open competitive examinations.
E) established a merit system during the Civil War.

Question 25

The spoils system is sometimes called

A) nepotism.
B) political capital.
C) patronage.
D) the civil service.
E) the Pendleton system.

Question 26

All of the following statements about the civil service are true except

A) civil service positions are filled based on networking and political connections.
B) civil service jobs are filled based on political party affiliation.
C) reform of the civil service first began under President Jimmy Carter in 1978.
D) since 1993, civil service employees are allowed to participate in voter registration drives.
E) today, civil service employees may make donations to political campaigns.

Question 27

Independent executive agencies are

A) the most recent cabinet departments.
B) responsible for regulating major aspects of the economy.
C) federal agencies that are not part of cabinet departments, but report directly to the president.
D) responsible directly to Congress.
E) staffed entirely by political appointees.

Question 28

The spoils system of bureaucratic appointments was first implemented by

A) President John Adams.
B) President Franklin Roosevelt.
C) President Bill Clinton.
D) President Richard Nixon.
E) President Andrew Jackson.

Question 29

Which of the following is not one of the four major types of structures within the executive branch?

A) independent regulatory agencies
B) cabinet departments
C) privatized bureaucracies
D) government corporations
E) independent executive agencies

Question 30

The FDIC can take over a private bank by

A) purchasing the bank directly from its owner.
B) purchasing preferred stock in the bank to keep the bank afloat while a new owner is found.
C) stacking government employees on the bank's board of directors.
D) taking the bank's profits and giving them to depositors.
E) closing the bank and opening a shopping mall in that location.

Question 31

Amtrak, the U.S. Postal Service, and the FDIC are examples of

A) cabinet departments.
B) independent executive agencies.
C) independent regulatory agencies.
D) government corporations
E) private corporations.

Question 32

All of the following statements about political appointees are true except

A) they have been called the "aristocracy" of the federal government.
B) they are sometimes appointed as a reward for campaign contributions or other political favors.
C) they will probably occupy their position for a brief time compared to career civil servants.
D) career civil servants sometimes ignore their wishes.
E) their major source of authority is the ease with which they can fire civil servants.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is true about government corporations?

A) Profits from government corporations are distributed as dividends.
B) Government corporations must pay taxes on profits.
C) Government corporations do not employee many people.
D) You can invest in both a private corporation and a government corporation.
E) Government corporations do not usually have any stockholders.

Question 34

An independent regulatory agency exists ____________ and is responsible for creating rules and regulations _______________.

A) within a major cabinet department; within a specific policy area
B) within a major cabinet department; across a variety of policy areas
C) outside of a major cabinet department; within a specific policy area
D) outside of a major cabinet department; across a variety of policy areas
E) Both B and D.

Question 35

The Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are all examples of

A) cabinet departments.
B) independent regulatory agencies.
C) government corporations
D) independent executive agencies.
E) corporations subject to regulation.

Question 36

The Hatch Act, adopted by Congress in 1939, was created to

A) encourage federal employees to run for state but not federal government.
B) prohibit federal employees from switching political parties.
C) prohibit federal employees from active involvement in political campaigns.
D) increase federal employee participation in running voter registration drives.
E) establish a patronage system during the Great Depression.

Question 37

The Social Security Administration, Small Business Administration, and the Smithsonian Institution are examples of

A) cabinet departments.
B) independent executive agencies.
C) independent regulatory agencies.
D) government corporations.
E) corporations subject to regulation.

Question 38

In 2008, the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP)

A) was used to create the government-sponsored enterprises, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
B) provided bailouts to homeowners who were upside down in their home loans.
C) was the first time the government intervened in a business failure in American history.
D) provided a bailout to banks, automobile companies, and the AIG insurance company.
E) helped small businesses expand during the economic downturn.

Question 39

The Federal Employees Political Activities Act of 1993 allows federal employees to

A) run in non-partisan elections.
B) participate in voter registration drives.
C) make campaign contributions.
D) campaign for candidates in partisan elections.
E) All of the above.

Question 40

When the industry that is being regulated gains control over the agency that is supposed to regulate it, the process is called

A) cooption.
B) capture.
C) complacency.
D) collusion.
E) pork.

Question 41

All of the following are true of the Freedom of Information Act except

A) requests for information can come from news organizations as well as from individuals.
B) reporters have gotten information that has uncovered waste, scandals, and incompetence.
C) since the 9/11 terrorists attacks the government has been even more open about giving out information so that people will know of terrorist threats.
D) information on Internet sites, in public libraries, and from the reading rooms in various federal government departments have been removed since the 9/11 terrorists acts.
E) the removal of information by state and local governments may be challenged in court once the threat of terrorism has decreased.

Question 42

The Government in the Sunshine Act required that

A) all federal agencies run by committees conduct their business regularly in public session.
B) all federal agencies terminate after five years unless Congress grants the agency an extension.
C) all federal agencies hold at least half of their public meeting outside of Washington, DC.
D) at least 40 percent of upper-level positions within an agency be filled by females or ethnic minorities.
E) all federal agency meetings on personnel problems or court proceedings be held in public session.

Question 43

Which of the following is true?

A) A release of classified information that may endanger American soldiers is called whistleblowing.
B) A release of classified information that may endanger American soldiers is called a leak.
C) A release of information that calls attention to inefficiency or illegal action is called whistleblowing.
D) The Obama administration has charged fewer people with leaking government secrets than most previous presidencies.
E) Options B and C are true.

Question 44

The Freedom of Information Act

A) requires government agencies to notify the media if they are exceeding their budget for the fiscal year.
B) requires federal agencies to disclose information on file about an individual to that individual upon his or her request.
C) provides for a statute of limitations on the Government in the Sunshine Act.
D) requires executive agencies to release information to congressional oversight committees.
E) was repealed after 9/11.

Question 45

Iron triangles are made up of

A) economic interests, citizen activists, and government interest groups.
B) lobbyists, interest groups, and court cases used to promote government action to help the interest of these groups.
C) interest groups, legislators, and members of the bureaucracy working to promote and protect their mutual interests.
D) political parties, interest groups, and voters who want their candidates to win.
E) citizens who have contacted members of Congress, presidential advisors, and members of the federal bureaucracy.

Question 46

A group of individuals including legislators and their staffs, bureaucrats, interest group leaders, and experts, all advocating for a policy position, is

A) a bureaucratic council.
B) an iron triangle.
C) an issue network.
D) a policy network.
E) an issue pole.

Question 47

All of the following statements are true about Sunset legislation except

A) all federal legislation must incorporate Sunset provisions of ten years.
B) legislation with Sunset provisions must be reauthorized at the end of the designated period or the program created by the legislation will end.
C) Sunset provisions were first recommended during the creation of President Roosevelt's New Deal agencies.
D) many state governments have adopted Sunset provisions in legislation.
E) Sunset provisions allow Congress and state legislatures to revisit legislation at a later date to determine if the legislation needs revision or should be abandoned.

Question 48

An iron triangle includes all of the following except

A) public opinion.
B) bureaucratic agencies.
C) interest groups.
D) congressional legislators.
E) Both A and C.

Question 49

The concept of privatization refers to

A) the replacement of government services with services provided by private firms.
B) federal loan guarantees for small businesses.
C) the hiring practices of the civil service.
D) the replacement of federal government services with state or local government services.
E) reducing the number of levels in the federal hierarchy.

Question 50

Congressional control over the bureaucracy

A) can result in congressional hearings.
B) includes the ability to force bureaucrats to testify before Congress.
C) includes its power to refuse funding to administrative agencies.
D) is met with skepticism by many pundits.
E) All of the above.

Question 51

Controversy arose during the Bush administration when _____________ refused to issue regulations to implement _____________.

A) the Department of Education; No Child Left Behind
B) the Environmental Protection Agency; the Clean Air Act
C) the Department of Labor; card check legislation
D) the U.S. Postal Service; fiscal sustainability
E) None of the above.

Question 52

Bureaucratic agencies often decide for themselves how to carry out the wishes of Congress because

A) legislation is often too vague to effectively guide the bureaucracy.
B) presidents want to use the bureaucracy to circumvent Congress.
C) they are enabled to do so by the legislation itself.
D) Both A and B.
E) Both A and C.

Question 53

After a bureaucratic regulation is proposed

A) it is published in the Federal Register.
B) a sixty-day waiting period occurs to allow Congress to overturn the regulation.
C) the regulation can be challenged in court by directly interested parties.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 54

Many contend that the Internet has

A) improved the efficiency of government agencies.
B) reduced the cost of government.
C) scattered government information in too many places.
D) Both A and B.
E) All of the above.

Question 55

The federal government must release at your request any information it has about you or other subjects due to

A) the Freedom of Information Act.
B) the Bureaucratic Transparency Act.
C) the Bureaucratic Freedom Act.
D) the Informational Transparency Act.
E) None of the above.

Question 56

All of the following are true of national ID cards except

A) the American public has never accepted the concept of a national ID card.
B) many other countries in the world require citizens to obtain a national ID card.
C) the lack of ID is a burden on the world's poorest people.
D) national ID cards are not privacy concerns because they cannot collect data.
E) a national ID card might be a convenient way to avoid having to carry different types of identification such as a driver's license and a Social Security card.

Question 57

Enabling legislation

A) provides appropriations to federal agencies.
B) is proposed by departments wishing to increase their budgets.
C) is enacted by the president.
D) provides authorization for new federal agencies.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 58

The Whistleblower Protection Act

A) allows whistleblowers to take time off from their jobs if they are concerned with actions of their supervisors.
B) allows the government to prosecute whistleblowers whose accusations have been unfounded.
C) penalizes federal bureaucrats who participate in political activities.
D) prohibits reprisals against whistleblowers by their superiors.
E) for the first time established a relatively swift method for firing civil servants.

Question 59

Privatization of government services has been most successful

A) when the economy is strong.
B) when the economy is weak.
C) at the local level.
D) at the federal level.
E) Both A and D.

Question 60

Through negotiated rulemaking, federal agencies have begun encouraging businesses and public interest groups to become directly involved in

A) taking responsibility for their own self-regulation.
B) drafting the regulations that affect them.
C) lobbying Congress to relax regulations.
D) lobbying the president concerning bureaucratic reorganization.
E) administering regulations.

Question 61

Discuss the ways in which the bureaucracy has grown and shrunk over the history of the United States.

Question 62

Describe three of the four following organizations of the executive branch: cabinet departments, independent executive agencies, independent regulatory agencies, or government corporations.

Question 63

Describe the manner(s) in which Congress attempts to control the bureaucracy.

Question 64

Explain the concepts of iron triangles and issue networks. What could be done to change the iron triangles?

Question 65

Describe the evolution of the civil service with particular emphasis on legislation that implemented reforms in government employment policies.

Question 66

Describe the different models of bureaucracy.

Question 67

Explain both sides of the issue of the privatization of government. Provide examples of ways privatization might make government more efficient and some of the unintended consequences of privatization.

Question 68

Discuss the ways in which the political participation and affiliation of federal employees has changed under the spoils system, the Hatch Act, and the 1993 Federal Employees Political Activities Act.

Question 69

Define the idea of an independent regulatory agency and discuss what these agencies do and why.

Question 70

Describe the difference between Sunshine laws and Sunset provisions.