Deck 12: The Bureaucracy

Question 1

Early Americans were suspicious of the federal bureaucracy, in part because of their experience with England before the Revolutionary War.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The problem of control has existed since America began as a republic in 1789.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Political party leaders liked the spoils system because it gave people a strong reason to work on their behalf to gain power.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which one of the following is the best definition of the bureaucracy?

A)the group of employees who are responsible for implementing government policy
B)the part of the federal government responsible for making government policy
C)the political appointees who help the president administer the day-to-day operation of government
D)the part of the federal government responsible for interpreting government policy

Question 5

Americans support smaller government in the abstract but do not support cuts to the large programs that would be necessary to shrink the federal budget and bureaucracy.

Question 6

The president's ability to appoint bureaucrats helps him or her control the bureaucracy.

Question 7

The main difference between fire alarm oversight and police patrol oversight is whether a legislator actively monitors a bureaucracy or simply responds to problems.

Question 8

Which one of the following is the most accurate statement regarding the bureaucracy?

A)Americans rarely deal with the bureaucracy.
B)The bureaucracy handles programs such as Social Security but has no say over things like food safety.
C)Regulation of cell phones is outside of the reach of the bureaucracy.
D)Americans regularly encounter the work of the bureaucracy as part of their everyday lives.

Question 9

Why is the bureaucracy also known as the administrative state?

A)It is the part of government that most Americans know something about.
B)It is primarily staffed by permanent employees known as civil servants.
C)Its primary responsibility is putting government policies into practice on a daily basis.
D)Its primary responsibility is creating government policies.

Question 10

All federal employees are members of the civil service.

Question 11

Civil servants are employees of the federal government who

A)are appointed to their positions by their member of Congress.
B)serve at the pleasure of the president.
C)are hired on the basis of their qualifications.
D)cannot be fired except in circumstances of criminal activity.

Question 12

Despite the Great Society programs directed at ending poverty, many antipoverty policies failed due to a lack of expertise on the complexities of how best to deal with the problem.

Question 13

Bureaucratic drift stopped during the Progressive Era.

Question 14

Under the Hatch Act, federal employees cannot engage in organized political activities, which include voting and contributing money to candidates.

Question 15

When it comes to expertise in a policy area, most bureaucrats have less knowledge than the average member of Congress or political appointee.

Question 16

In most cases, bureaucrats have discretion in how they implement policies due to the lack of specific guidelines from Congress.

Question 17

Any government employee who is selected by an elected official is known as

A)a political appointee.
B)a civil servant.
C)a politician.
D)a manager.

Question 18

In recent years, Republicans have managed to reduce the size of the federal government through reductions in the federal budget and the elimination of numerous federal programs.

Question 19

One of the reasons regulations are controversial is because they require bureaucrats to choose between policy goals that are often incompatible.

Question 20

About 35 percent of all federal civil servants are fired annually due to poor job performance.

Question 21

When was the spoils system first used on a large scale to reward campaign supporters?

A)after the election of George Washington
B)after the election of Andrew Jackson
C)after the election of Woodrow Wilson
D)after the election of Lyndon Johnson

Question 22

The use of standard operating procedures in bureaucracies comes from

A)the complexity of many tasks and the desire by elected officials to limit bureaucratic discretion.
B)the desire by elected officials to give bureaucrats more power over the way laws are implemented.
C)a lack of expertise in the bureaucracy.
D)disagreements between members of Congress and the president that leave bureaucrats uncertain.

Question 23

Which one of the following statements is accurate about the bureaucracy?

A)Bureaucrats typically do not engage in conflictual activities.
B)Bureaucrats typically do the same task over and over.
C)Bureaucrats routinely engage in conflictual activities.
D)Bureaucrats typically avoid political activities.

Question 24

Government rules that influence the behavior of individuals and groups are known as

A)platforms.
B)procurements.
C)regulations.
D)incentives.

Question 25

Which one of the following was NOT a task performed by the federal bureaucracy in early American history?

A)delivery of mail
B)regulation of food and water
C)providing for national defense
D)taxes on exports

Question 26

Which one of the following was a significant change in the bureaucracy during the Progressive Era?

A)increased government intervention in social policy, especially in areas related to education
B)increased reliance on the spoils system for federal and state jobs
C)a move away from using political criteria for choosing most federal employees
D)decreased government intervention in the economy

Question 27

Why was the federal government small in early American history?

A)It was a function of the ineptitude of the government under the Articles of Confederation.
B)Americans disliked having government officials who were not elected.
C)No one wanted to live in Washington, D.C.
D)The Constitution explicitly limited powers of the federal bureaucracy.

Question 28

The knowledge, personnel, and institutions needed for implementing policy is called

A)the bureaucracy.
B)state capacity.
C)regulatory competence.
D)rule making.

Question 29

When was the Progressive Era in the United States?

A)1865-1877
B)1890-1920
C)1954-1964
D)1974-1993

Question 30

From the early 1800s until the Civil War, ________ in the size of government occurred largely because of ________.

A)growth; fundamental changes in what government did
B)growth; the increased size of the United States
C)stability; fundamental changes in what government did
D)stability; the increased size of the United States

Question 31

Before a new regulation can take effect, it must be

A)approved by the president.
B)approved by Congress.
C)published in the Federal Register.
D)subject to judicial review.

Question 32

Regulations are developed according to the

A)search and seizure procedure.
B)notice and comment procedure.
C)guidelines established by the Supreme Court.
D)guidelines established by the White House chief of staff.

Question 33

The federal bureaucracy did NOT have substantial growth during the

A)1840s.
B)late 1890s.
C)1930s.
D)1960s.

Question 34

________ was NOT part of the bureaucracy in early American history.

A)The Department of the Treasury
B)The Department of War
C)The Department of Education
D)The Department of State

Question 35

While the spoils system ________, its principal drawback was that ________.

A)strengthened political parties; it made government responsible to the mass public
B)strengthened political parties; appointees often lacked experience
C)helped make government responsible to the mass public; appointees often lacked experience
D)helped make government responsible to the mass public; it strengthened political parties

Question 36

________is NOT part of the public process for citizens to respond to proposed regulations.

A)Reading the proposed regulation in the Federal Register
B)The notice and comment procedure
C)Lobbying members of Congress to get the regulation revised
D)Asking a federal judge to stop the proposed regulation before it goes into effect

Question 37

Where do bureaucrats get their authority to create regulations?

A)Congress
B)president
C)Supreme Court
D)Constitution

Question 38

Elected officials are challenged in maintaining control over the bureaucracy due to

A)the officials' lack of expertise relative to the bureaucrats.
B)the conflict that arises between the president and Congress in trying to control the bureaucracy.
C)the emphasis on neutral competence among civil servants.
D)the weak tools for controlling the bureaucracy that are available to Congress and the president.

Question 39

The ________ occurs when an individual or a group acts on behalf of another.

A)control game
B)discretionary game
C)principal-agent game
D)regulatory capture game

Question 40

Any unnecessarily complex set of procedures in the bureaucracy is called

A)a regulation.
B)rule making.
C)red tape.
D)an unavoidable problem.

Question 41

Which one of the following was a significant expansion of government action into a new policy area during the Great Society?

A)the first attempts at regulating food and drugs
B)the establishment of Social Security
C)government involvement in guaranteeing civil rights
D)expanded regulation of financial reporting requirements for corporations

Question 42

The largest cabinet departments are typically involved in

A)security and defense.
B)education and welfare.
C)labor and commerce.
D)diplomacy.

Question 43

Which one of the following events occurred during the presidency of George W.Bush?

A)less prescription drug benefits for seniors
B)increased federal control over local school districts
C)less financial reporting requirements for corporations
D)passage of the Affordable Care Act

Question 44

What accounts for the overwhelming majority of federal spending?

A)education, interest on the debt, and foreign aid
B)defense, health care, and Social Security
C)diplomacy, unemployment, and infrastructure
D)crime prevention, agriculture, and environmental protection

Question 45

Which one of the following groups of employees is the largest part of the federal workforce?

A)professional jobs
B)service jobs
C)farming, fishing, and forestry jobs
D)installation, maintenance, and repair jobs

Question 46

Why does the president have limited control over the Federal Reserve compared to executive departments like the Department of Treasury?

A)Appointees serve for 14 years-longer than the president serves.
B)It is a body that is controlled exclusively by Congress.
C)There is no process for removing appointees to that body.
D)Appointees serve lifetime terms.

Question 47

What change characterized the Reagan Revolution's impact on the bureaucracy?

A)an increase in social programs and a decrease in military spending
B)the elimination of many government programs
C)an increase in federal intervention in the health care sector
D)the elimination of few programs and a federal budget that steadily increased

Question 48

Which one of the following policies was included in Lyndon Johnson's Great Society?

A)bilingual education
B)the establishment of Social Security
C)free public education for all
D)child labor laws

Question 49

How has the federal budget changed since the 1970s?

A)It has decreased.
B)It has increased through the 1980s and decreased since.
C)It has stayed generally the same.
D)It has increased.

Question 50

What was the principal bureaucratic change that occurred during the New Deal?

A)The range of policy areas in which the government intervened expanded.
B)An independent bureaucracy was created.
C)The number and size of government agencies decreased.
D)Limits on the growth of government were established.

Question 51

The Executive Office of the President does NOT include the

A)Department of Defense.
B)Library of Congress.
C)Federal Reserve System.
D)U.S.Postal Service.

Question 52

Most Americans

A)want the size of government to be cut back significantly.
B)want less spending on entitlements.
C)want to cut the defense budget.
D)want smaller government in the abstract but do not support the significant budget cuts that would be required to achieve it.

Question 53

The federal civil service was created by

A)the Reagan Revolution.
B)Andrew Jackson's reforms.
C)the New Deal.
D)the Pendleton Act.

Question 54

The New Deal reforms included a large transfer of power to ________ and ________.

A)Congress; the president
B)bureaucrats; the president
C)bureaucrats; state governors
D)Congress; state governors

Question 55

How did the New Deal change the role of the federal government in the lives of individuals?

A)It created a legal system that allowed for citizens to appeal decisions government made in their lives.
B)It moved from broad-based regulations to delivering a wide range of benefits to individuals directly.
C)It gave more control of policies to individual members of Congress.
D)It gave more power to state and local officials.

Question 56

________ is the largest cabinet department.

A)The Department of Defense
B)The Department of Education
C)The Executive Office of the President
D)The Department of Homeland Security

Question 57

Which one of the following was NOT created during the Progressive Era?

A)Social Security
B)Sherman Antitrust Act
C)Pure Food and Drug Act
D)several environmental conservation efforts

Question 58

The Federal Reserve is an example of

A)a cabinet department.
B)an independent agency.
C)an interest group.
D)a congressional subcommittee.

Question 59

The Office of Management and Budget is primarily responsible for

A)overseeing procurement of services for the federal government.
B)monitoring the flow of money throughout the economy.
C)helping the president monitor federal budget expenditures and proposals.
D)investigating the bureaucracy on behalf of Congress.

Question 60

Why is it that some tasks are handled by independent agencies even when they might conceivably fall under the scope of an executive department?

A)Members of Congress may create an independent agency because presidents have less control over them than executive agencies.
B)Members of Congress prefer independent agencies to executive departments because they have more control over the people who run them.
C)Independent agencies usually have more policy experts than executive departments.
D)Members of Congress do not recognize the potential policy overlap between the independent agency and the executive department until after they have established it.

Question 61

When members of Congress gather information about the bureaucracy by holding hearings and questioning bureaucrats, they are engaged in

A)oversight.
B)stacking the deck.
C)policing.
D)investigating.

Question 62

After three years of satisfactory performance, civil servants

A)are eligible for early retirement.
B)cannot be fired for any reason.
C)cannot be fired except "for cause."
D)qualify for a bonus on average of $10,000.

Question 63

Which one of the following activities is prohibited for civil service employees?

A)working for a candidate
B)discussing politics with friends and family
C)donating money to a political organization
D)donating money to a candidate

Question 64

What is the principal-agent game? Be sure to provide an illustration.

Question 65

Which one of the following describes a situation in which bureaucrats implement policies that are more consistent with their preferences than those of elected officials?

A)stacking the deck
B)rule making
C)a principal-agent game
D)bureaucratic drift

Question 66

What is state capacity?

Question 67

Even though political appointees are allowed to engage in some political activities, the Hatch Act still poses which one of the following difficulties for them?

A)It does not apply to their opponents in Congress.
B)Congress and the courts have never clarified exactly which activities are prohibited, so they have to use educated guesswork.
C)Presidents can put pressure on them to engage in political activities because of the Hatch Act exemption.
D)Their jobs often mix government service with political action, and it is difficult to keep them separate.

Question 68

Which one of the following is a benefit of civil service employment requirements?

A)It creates clear conditions under which we can reduce the size of the federal government by removing entrenched employees.
B)It makes it easy to remove poor performers from their jobs.
C)It means that the best and brightest in their fields are more likely to work for the government instead of the private sector.
D)It makes it difficult for elected officials to hire and fire employees for political purposes.

Question 69

Which one of the following describes a situation in which legislators monitor a bureaucratic organization only after someone complains or a problem of implementation has been brought to their attention?

A)advance warning
B)fire alarm oversight
C)police patrol oversight
D)bureaucratic drift

Question 70

What is red tape?

Question 71

Most political appointees in the bureaucracy are appointed

A)as a reward for political service.
B)because someone has to fill the job, so it might as well be the president's friends.
C)because of their expertise in the area.
D)to help the president exercise control over the executive branch.

Question 72

Although elected officials have a variety of strategies for preventing bureaucratic drift, a key limitation is that

A)they work in executive departments but not independent agencies.
B)they usually do not have enough information to decide on the appropriate tactic.
C)bureaucrats may just ignore them and do what they want anyway.
D)most require the president and Congress to agree on their use.

Question 73

Which one of the following describes a situation in which legislators pay close attention to a bureaucracy with consistent fact-finding trips, interviews, audits, and calls?

A)advance warning
B)fire alarm oversight
C)notice and comment
D)police patrol oversight

Question 74

Melissa is a bureaucrat for the Department of Education.During her free time she volunteers for a political campaign and actively speaks out on behalf of a candidate.Melissa may be violating

A)the Pendleton Civil Service Act.
B)the Hatch Act.
C)the Lobbying and Campaigning Act.
D)the Pure Food and Drug Act.

Question 75

A main consequence of civil service regulations is

A)a decrease in the importance of expertise in selecting employees.
B)the creation of clear and easy rules for dismissing employees.
C)significant job security for civil servants.
D)that the political affiliations of appointees are highlighted more so than in the past.

Question 76

The Senior Executive Service (SES) comprises

A)high-level civil servants who are exempt from civil service restrictions.
B)the group of high-level political appointees who advise the president.
C)civil servants with enough seniority to be promoted to a political spot.
D)the members of the president's cabinet and their close advisers.

Question 77

Civil service requirements exist

A)in order to strengthen political parties.
B)in order to separate politics from policy.
C)in order to make it easier to fire employees for poor performance.
D)in order to promote more loyalty to the president.

Question 78

Although the Hatch Act exempts ________ from restrictions on political activity, they still cannot ________.

A)political appointees; run for office unless they resign from their position
B)political appointees; use government resources for political purposes
C)civil servants; use government resources for political purposes
D)elected officials; donate money to other officials

Question 79

Why are bureaucrats attentive to pressures from elected officials?

Question 80

How did Andrew Jackson impact the federal bureaucracy in the United States?