Deck 13: The Executive Branch

Question 1

Among the first cabinet departments created was the Department of

A) Agriculture.
B) Interior.
C) State.
D) Justice.
E) Transportation.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following phrases best characterizes government bureaucracy in the United States in comparison with that of other Western democracies?

A) fragmented organization and divided control at the top
B) few legislative regulations over governmental bureaucracies
C) orderly and coherent bureaucratic structure
D) high positions in the bureaucracy awarded to career civil servants
E) none of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT one of the administrative units of the federal bureaucracy?

A) departments
B) agencies
C) foundations
D) congressional committees
E) bureaus

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true about the Constitution and federal bureaucracy?

A)The Constitution neither specifies the number and kinds of departments to be established nor describes other bureaucratic agencies.
B) The Constitution is clear that the number of federal departments must be created in proportion to the overall population of the United States.
C) The Constitution is clear that the number of federal departments must be created relative to the different populations of the several states.
D) The framers did not intend to leave questions about the bureaucracy to the discretion of the executive and legislative branches of government.
E) none of the above

Question 5

Which of the following could be described as a hybrid between a public and private organization?

A) government corporations
B) federal agencies
C) independent executive agencies
D) independent regulatory commissions
E) quasi-governmental organizations

Question 6

Americans tend to

A) look favorably on the executive branch bureaucracy.
B) be mistrustful of the bureaucracy.
C) award high prestige to government bureaucrats.
D) believe the public sector can do better than the private sector.
E) lead bureaucratic decision making.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) American civil servants do not enjoy the high status of the civil servants in Western European nations.
B) The status of American civil servants varies significantly over time.
C) Compared to Western European nations, American civil servants enjoy high status.
D) The American bureaucracy, like the private sector, is viewed very positively by most Americans.
E) none of the above

Question 8

The federal bureaucracy has____ boss(es) according to your text?

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) many
E) zero

Question 9

Which of the following is a reason why civil service is not as valued in the United States as it is in other countries?

A) Civil servants enjoy much less prestige in the United States than in other countries.
B) The federal civil service is not very diverse.
C) The civil service exams for federal positions are extremely difficult.
D) Unlike other democracies, the highest policymaking positions require an extensive education background to be hired.
E) In the United States, there is very little legislative oversight, so civil servants have less guidance about how to do their jobs.

Question 10

According to the authors of Struggle for Democracy, many of the most talented people in our society tend to stay away from working for government because civil

A) service exams are too hard.
B) servants have so little prestige.
C) servants are required to have advanced degrees.
D) servants receive few benefits.
E) servants receive inadequate pay for their jobs.

Question 11

The American bureaucracy

A) is characterized by clear lines of control, responsibility, and accountability.
B) faces fewer statutory restrictions and less legislative control than bureaucracies in other democratic countries.
C) does not take the standard pyramidal form, as it does in other democratic countries.
D) is more completely dominated by executive influence than is true of bureaucracies in other democratic nations.
E) is staffed mostly by patronage, not merit-based positions.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) No new executive departments have been formed since 1936.
B) The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation were formed in the 1980s.
C) Most departments are formed either to signal a new national commitment or cement political alliances.
D) Most executive departments are formed in response to major foreign policy crises.
E) none of the above

Question 13

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Americans tend to be more cynical about government bureaucracy than are the French, British, and Germans.
B) American governmental bureaucracy has more leeway than its European counterparts.
C) High positions in the American bureaucracy have more job security than European counterparts.
D) American governmental bureaucracies have only one boss, something that is uncommon in European bureaucracies.
E) none of the above

Question 14

Divided control of the federal bureaucracy between Congress and the president has what effect?

A) The executive branch responds almost solely to the president.
B) The courts dominate the executive branch.
C) The executive branch continues to grow rapidly and almost uncontrollably.
D) The executive branch is haphazardly organized.
E) The executive branch is clearly centralized.

Question 15

American's opinions toward the bureaucracy are best described as

A) viewing the bureaucracy in a primarily favorable light.
B) viewing the bureaucracy with mistrust.
C) granting high prestige to government bureaucrats.
D) believing the public sector can do better than the private sector.
E) knowing that federal bureaucrats make the best decisions in a complex environment.

Question 16

Federal departments are headed by

A) cabinet-level secretaries.
B) members of the White House Office.
C) counselors.
D) Ministers.
E) congressional committee chairs.

Question 17

What two bosses do federal bureaucratic agencies have?

A) the courts and Congress
B) the president and the courts
C) the president and Congress
D) the president and the media
E) Congress and the media

Question 18

Which of the following could be described as reporting directly to the president rather than to a department- or cabinet-level secretary?

A)government corporations
B) federal agencies
C) independent executive agencies
D) independent regulatory commissions
E) policy bureaus

Question 19

Which of the following could be described as being responsible for regulating sectors of the economy in which it is judged that the free market does not work properly to protect the public interest?

A) government corporations
B) federal agencies
C) independent executive agencies
D) independent regulatory commissions
E) quasi-governmental organizations

Question 20

The highest policymaking positions in the U.S. executive branch

A)are closed to civil servants.
B) require merit exams.
C) are filled with people with elite educations.
D) are filled with long-term appointees.
E) are elected.

Question 21

Which of the following statements best describes bureaucrats?

A)Bureaucrats engage in a wide range of activities that are relevant to the quality of democracy in the United States and affect how laws and regulations work.
B) Bureaucrats are inefficient and lack proper skills to work effectively.
C) Most bureaucrats are hired based on their political party affiliation.
D) Bureaucrats tend to be resistant to leadership by Congress and the president.
E) none of the above

Question 22

Bureaucrats are involved in which of the following activities?

A) passing laws, following rules, and adjudicating disputes
B) providing a system of checks and balances, passing law, and following rules
C) dividing, conquering, and ruling
D) executing the law, making rules, and adjudicating disputes
E) appointing, passing budgets, and making rules

Question 23

Which of the following is an example of an independent regulatory commission?

A) U.S. Postal Service
B) Securities and Exchange Commission
C) American Battlefield Commission
D) National Health Commission
E) National Science Foundation

Question 24

When a federal agency issues a rule, it

A) becomes the law and cannot be changed except through a constitutional amendment.
B) has the force of law but it can be revised or rescinded by Congress.
C) can be vetoed by the president, if done within 12 days.
D) is usually not subject to judicial review.
E) all of the above

Question 25

What are the three kinds of activities that bureaucrats are involved in?

A)executing the law, regulating, and adjudicating disputes
B) managing all personnel for the federal government, regulating, and adjudicating disputes
C) regulating, adjudicating disputes, and monitoring the press
D) managing all personnel for the federal government, regulating, and executing the law
E) managing the bureaucracy, managing the personnel for the federal government, and regulating

Question 26

Which of the following is meant to help make independent regulatory commissioners "independent"?

A) They are not directly controlled by the President.
B) They have overlapping terms.
C) They are not directly controlled by Congress.
D) They have long terms.
E) all of the above

Question 27

Figure 13.3 shows that

A) most executive departments were created in the nineteenth century
B) most executive departments were created in the first half of the twentieth century.
C) most executive departments were created in the latter half of the twentieth century.
D) the Department of Veteran's Affairs was created most recently.
E) the Department of Agriculture was created first.

Question 28

Government corporations are

A) headed by cabinet-level secretaries, appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, who carry out the essential governmental functions.
B) created to compete with private enterprise in order to reduce rates and stimulate productivity.
C) responsible for regulating sectors of the economy where the free market does not work properly to protect the public interest.
D) usually created to perform some important economic activity that private investors are unwilling or unable to perform.
E) separated from the rest of government to protect them from political interference.

Question 29

Which of the following best describes the purpose of introducing cost-benefit analysis into the federal bureaucracy?

A) To reduce the number of rules created by federal agencies
B) To place restrictions on federal agencies' budgets
C) To decide which federal agencies were really necessary
D) To measure how effective federal agencies were
E) To give presidents more direct influence over bureaucratic decision-making

Question 30

Adjudication by executive bureaucracies refers to

A) congressionally sanctioned quasi-judicial proceedings that decide disputes.
B) the extensive discretion allowed bureaucracies by Congress to set rules and guidelines.
C) the process by which agencies can appeal to the courts to settle disputes with Congress.
D) judicial review of agency actions.
E) presidential oversight of agencies and division.

Question 31

Federal agency rules and regulations, as shown in Figure 13.4,

A) are what we'd expect from the theory of dual federalism.
B) have declined in recent years.
C) have remained constant since the 1960s.
D) reached their peak in the late 1970s.
E) were at their lowest in the 1980s.

Question 32

Independent regulatory commissions, like the Interstate Commerce Commission,

A) are usually staffed with presidential appointees.
B) are protected against direct presidential and congressional control.
C) have no power to set regulations.
D) operate much like private corporations in that they can sell stock and borrow money.
E) were most needed before the New Deal.

Question 33

Government corporations, like the Postal Service are

A) known to be terribly inefficient.
B) created to regulate private industry.
C) created to perform economic activity that private investors are unwilling or unable to perform.
D) operated much like private corporations except they cannot sell stock or borrow money.
E) were most needed before the New Deal.

Question 34

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Subunits of executive departments are always autonomous and have their own bases of power.
B) Subunits of executive agencies are always closely controlled by department leadership.
C) Independent regulatory commissions, like the Post Office, are subunits of departments.
D) Government corporations, like the Post Office, are organized much like private companies.
E) none of the above

Question 35

The FBI is located within the

A) Justice Department.
B) Central Intelligence Agency.
C) White House Office.
D) Executive Office of the President.
E) Drug Enforcement Agency.

Question 36

Cost-benefit analysis for all rules was introduced by which president to stem the tide of executive branch rule-making?

A)Ronald Reagan
B) Jimmy Carter
C) Bill Clinton
D) Richard Nixon
E) Lyndon Johnson

Question 37

Independent Regulatory Agencies

A) are run by commissioners.
B) are outside the department structure of the federal bureaucracy
C) regulate aspects of the economy.
D) are supposed to promote the public interest.
E) all of the above

Question 38

Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

A) are allowed to write specific rules and regulations that carry the force of law.
B) are usually given very specific rules and regulations by Congress to execute.
C) make rules and regulations that do not have the force of law.
D) have no say in the actual rule-making by the government.
E) are rarely subject to congressional oversight.

Question 39

More often than not, executive branch bureaucracies

A) are given very specific goals and procedures by Congress.
B) can determine their own budgets.
C) operate like private corporations in that they can sell stock and borrow money.
D) are given a great deal of discretion in executing laws.
E) appoint their own leaders.

Question 40

A method of evaluating rules and regulations by weighing their potential costs against the potential benefits to society is known as

A) cost-reduction examination.
B) cost-benefit analysis.
C) bureaucratic oversight.
D) bureaucratic methodology.
E) presidential leadership over the bureaucracy.

Question 41

The system of career civil service means that

A) many private sector jobs are supported by government money.
B) patronage does not exist anymore.
C) many government employees are hired and fired when new presidents enter office.
D) many government employees are protected from being removed when a new president or Congress takes office.
E) Congress no longer has to approve departmental budgets.

Question 42

About what percent of federal employees today are general civil servants?

A) 10 percent
B) 23 percent
C) 37 percent
D) 60 percent
E) 78 percent

Question 43

The power to conduct quasi-judicial proceedings in which disputes are involved is attributable to which of the following?

A) Department of Education
B) NASA
C) National Labor Relations Board
D) Department of Commerce
E) the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Question 44

Women and racial groups are ____________ in the very lowest civil service grades and are ____________ in the highest.

A) overrepresented and underrepresented
B) underrepresented and overrepresented
C) overrepresented and overrepresented
D) underrepresented and underrepresented
E) none of the above

Question 45

Another word for patronage is

A) merit.
B) civility.
C) spoils.
D) discretion.
E) responsiveness.

Question 46

The Office of Personnel Management does each of the follow EXCEPT

A)administers the civil service laws
B)advertises positions,
C) writes examinations
D) acts as a clearinghouse for agencies that are looking for workers
E) oversees and streamlines the federal workforce

Question 47

What kind of positions give presidents more control over the direction of policy in the bureaucracy?

A)Patronage positions
B) Merit-based positions
C) Private positions
D) Ombudsman positions
E) Foundational appointments

Question 48

Congress allows special merit systems for some agencies

A) when the president is of the same political party that controls Congress.
B) as one way of retaining the spoils system.
C) because of the need by some agencies for workers with particular kinds of training and experience.
D) but less than one percent of all federal employees would be covered by this exemption.
E) to track and more easily fire bureaucrats.

Question 49

Which of the following presidents appointed the highest number of women and racial groups to the executive branch?

A) George W. Bush
B) Carter
C) Clinton
D) Ford
E) Reagan

Question 50

Which of these statements is NOT correct concerning civil servants in the United States?

A) They are just like other Americans demographically.
B) The makeup of particular departments and agencies can be highly unrepresentative of the general population.
C) They are far more reflective of the general population than in other democratic nations.
D) They gained their jobs through political connections.
E) all of the above

Question 51

Election winners typically benefit under which type of system??A) civil service system
B) hierarchical federal bureaucratic system
C) state-centered, decentralized system
D) spoils system
E) a presidential system

Question 52

The Pendleton Act of 1883

A) created the Interstate Commerce Commission.
B) made the executive branch responsible for regulating certain markets in railroads and telegraphs.
C) created a competitive system of civil service appointments based on merit.
D) completely ended the system of patronage within the federal bureaucracy.
E) revised the patronage system to require political appointees to take competency exams.

Question 53

The Office of Personnel Management is primary charged with

A)administering civil service laws and acting as a clearinghouse for agencies that are looking for workers.
B) administering examinations for patronage appointments.
C) overseeing and streamlining the federal workforce.
D) reviewing agency performance and determining which civil servants should be terminanted.
E) none of the above

Question 54

Which of the following statements is true about the similarity between civil servants to the general public?

A)Civil servants approximate the educational and regional origins of other Americans.
B) Women and minorities are well represented at all levels of the civil service.
C) Civil servants are no more liberal or conservative than the rest of the population.
D) Civil servants' pay is commensurate to equivalent employees in the private sector.
E) Their job security is no better or worse than similar positions in the private sector.

Question 55

Which of the following is TRUE about civil servants?

A) Women and minorities are well represented.
B) Civil Servants tend to be somewhat more Democratic and slightly more liberal than the average American.
C) Women and minorities are over-represented in the very lowest civil service grades.
D) Women and minorities are under-represented in the highest civil service grades.
E) all of the above

Question 56

The senior executive service

A)was established to ensure that presidents could appoint who they wanted to top bureaucratic positions.
B) gave rise to the spoils system.
C) is comprised of mainly patronage positions.
D) was originally created to have highly skilled people serve as a bridge between political appointees and the rest of the civil service.
E) none of the above

Question 57

The Pendleton Act is also known as

A) the Office of Management and Budget act of 1968
B) the Civil Service Act of 1883
C) the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
D) the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
E) the Taft-Hartley Act

Question 58

Among other things, ___________is known for appointing the highest number of women and racial groups to executive branch positions.

A) George W. Bush
B) Carter
C) Clinton
D) Ford
E) George H. W. Bush

Question 59

Which of the following acts is also known as the Pendleton Act?

A) the OMB
B) the Civil Service Act (1883)
C) the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)
D) the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
E) the Federal Trade and Commissions Act (1914)

Question 60

One of the reasons why we consider bureaucrats policymakers is because they

A)are unelected officials of the federal government.
B) make important decisions that have consequences for many other people, groups, and organizations.
C) are members of the executive branch.
D) take direction from Congress in oversight hearings.
E) none of the above

Question 61

Which of the following presidents, out of frustration, thought of the federal bureaucracy as an "alien institution"?

A) George W. Bush
B) Carter
C) Clinton
D) Nixon
E) Reagan

Question 62

Figure 13.5 illustrates how

A) public opinion has a substantial direct impact on the bureaucracy.
B) popular control of the bureaucracy is mostly effective.
C) the public can indirectly influence the bureaucracy by sending clear signals on election day.
D) elected institutions, such as Congress and the presidency, send clear signals to the bureaucracy and consistently influence it on behalf of the public.
E) elected institutions, such as Congress and the presidency, exercise an important influence on bureaucracy behavior.

Question 63

The legal authority for a federal agency to spend money from the US Treasury is known as a(n)

A) ear mark.
B) appropriation.
C) affiliation.
D) budgetary procedure.
E) legislative veto.

Question 64

Which of these is a way that presidents can exercise their authority over the bureaucracy?

A) The existence of a crisis or widely shared national commitment.
B) A popular president may be influential.
C) The president can use his power of appointment.
D) The president can use his power as chief budget officer of the federal government.
E) all of the above

Question 65

Why are presidents so frustrated by the bureaucracy?

A) The president is the only one with control over the actions of the bureaucrats because Congress will not accept a share of the responsibility.
B) Bureaucratic agencies are so dependent on the president that the leadership tasks may become overwhelming.
C) Tricky question, professor. Presidents are NOT frustrated by the bureaucracy.
D) The sheer size and complexity of the executive branch makes it difficult to be aware of bureaucratic actions.
E) bureaucrats are not typically influenced by interests groups, which limits presidents' indirect effects.

Question 66

All in all, public opinion usually influences the bureaucracy

A) directly through public hearings.
B) directly through responsiveness to government programs.
C) indirectly through interest groups.
D) indirectly through Congress and the president.
E) indirectly through the courts.

Question 67

Presidents use patronage in each of the following ways EXCEPT

A)to build support for their programs.
B) to fill important posts with people who bring expertise and experience.
C) to reward their campaign workers and contributors.
D) to firm up their political coalition by appealing to important party factions and interest groups.
E) to select the most talented individuals for the most complex of bureaucratic tasks.

Question 68

Which federal agency has the power to block proposed legislation coming from any executive branch agency if it deems it contrary to the president's program?

A) Office of Management and Budget
B) Council of Economic Advisors
C) OPEC
D) Commerce Department
E) Bureau of the Budget

Question 69

Who promised to make government "look more like America" with his political appointments?

A) Nixon
B) Ford
C) Carter
D) Reagan
E) Clinton

Question 70

Most presidents have found that the executive branch bureaucracy

A) does not respond to presidential directives as much as hoped.
B) never responds immediately to presidential directives during crisis situations.
C) is highly responsive to their directives.
D) is well insulated from interest groups.
E) is responsive to new appointees, but not budget cuts.

Question 71

Political appointees to the executive branch bureaucracy are

A) typically members of the congressional majority party.
B) usually representative of the district they represent.
C) the president's closest advisors.
D) not very representative of the American people.
E) typically overqualified for their positions.

Question 72

Which recent president is noted for his overt use of conservative ideology in his patronage appointments?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) Jimmy Carter
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Bill Clinton
E) George H. W. Bush

Question 73

Which president became so frustrated with the federal bureaucracy that he created a group of "plumbers" to conduct surveillance for him?

A) Lyndon Johnson
B) Richard Nixon
C) Jimmy Carter
D) Ronald Reagan
E) George W. Bush

Question 74

Oversight is a process that

A) conducts investigations into daily activities of primarily top-level political appointees.
B) conveys the views of the members of Congress to bureaucrats.
C) looks into activities of judicial staff and court justices.
D) requires the president to testify during congressional hearings.
E) explores interest group preferences on public policy.

Question 75

On average, top political appointees stay in office about

A) 6 months.
B) 12 months.
C) 22 months.
D) 48 months.
E) 72 months.

Question 76

Who establishes the mission of bureaucratic agencies and creates the details of their organization?

A) the President
B) the White House Office
C) Congress
D) the U.S. Ombudsman
E) the courts

Question 77

Women and minorities are well represented in the federal bureaucracy,

A) even in the Cabinet.
B) especially in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
C) except for the top leadership positions.
D) but nowhere near in accordance with their proportion in the general population.
E) except in low-ranking positions.

Question 78

Compared with those of Britain and France, the government bureaucracy in the United States is

A) far more representative of the general population.
B) far more elitist.
C) more intrusive in people's lives.
D) dominated by graduates of the nation's top universities.
E) less representative of minorities.

Question 79

As a whole, the people who work in the federal bureaucracy

A) are mostly white males.
B) are much more highly educated than the rest of the population.
C) include far more women than in the general population.
D) are as racially diverse as the rest of the population.
E) have held political office.

Question 80

Usually, when the president nominates someone to fill a top administrative post the Senate

A) blocks the nomination, forcing the president to nominate a new individual.
B) forces him to name, on average, three individuals before they give their consent.
C) confirms the nominee.
D) asks the Supreme Court for its opinion.
E) sends the decision to the House of Representatives.