AMERICAN GOV – CHAPTER 13 – The Bureaucracy – Flashcards
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E. None of the above is true.
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The Plan B drug is A. a new generic drug alternative to Viagra. B. a suicide pill available only in Holland. C. a steroid implicated in the major league baseball scandal. D. a slang term for a stronger version of rohypnol recently appearing in American clubs. E. None of the above is true.
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A. rejected applications to make Plan B available without prescription.
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During its 2009-2012 term, the Obama administration A. rejected applications to make Plan B available without prescription. B. criminalized the use of Plan B within the United States. C. delayed a ruling on Teva Pharmaceuticals' request until after the 2012 election. D. ordered the FDA to launch an investigation into the availability of Plan B for college athletes. E. approved the use of Plan B for all women without prescription.
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D. bureaucracy.
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A large, complex organization in which employees have specific job responsibilities and work within a hierarchy of authority is a(n) A. office. B. business. C. government. D. bureaucracy. E. organization.
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E. All of the above are true.
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Organizations can be chiefly defined by their A. clearly defined leader. B. fixed division of labor. C. organizational culture. D. rules of governance. E. All of the above are true.
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A. still play a central role.
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In the governments of modern societies, bureaucracies A. still play a central role. B. are undergoing a slow decline in their importance and usefulness. C. continue to see their budgets generally expand, even in the face of public criticism. D. disproportionately consist of women. E. Options C and D are true.
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C. centralization and communication.
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The success of the British with respect to defending their ships from U-boats was based on A. independent decision making and diffusion of authority. B. decentralization. C. centralization and communication. D. decentralization and rigorous procedure. E. flexibility and creativity.
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B. has one of the smallest governments among Western democracies.
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As measured by comparing United States government expenditures as a proportion of all economic activity, the United States A. has one of the largest governments among Western democracies. B. has one of the smallest governments among Western democracies. C. ranks about average in size among Western democracies. D. ranked as one of the smallest governments until 2008, then grew to one of the largest within two years. E. has one of the largest public sectors, but one of the smallest private sectors.
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A. a laissez-faire approach does not always result in competitive markets.
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Government regulation of business grew in response to the realization that A. a laissez-faire approach does not always result in competitive markets. B. business cannot be trusted to seek profits. C. members of the public deserve a say in everything that affects them. D. American competitiveness requires a government role in business. E. government study of business practices will increase government efficiency.
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C. they offer more welfare and social services.
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One of the reasons why bureaucracies are much larger in other countries is that A. they have fewer rights and liberties. B. they have pure federal systems. C. they offer more welfare and social services. D. they are more militaristic. E. they are not bound by written constitutions.
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B. the Civil War.
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The government began to take steps to provide income security in the wake of A. the Industrial Revolution. B. the Civil War. C. the Great Depression. D. World War II. E. recession.
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B. 1930s.
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Social Security was instituted by the government in the A. 1860s. B. 1930s. C. 1960s. D. 1980s. E. 1990s.
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E. Options A and D are true.
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In response to the constant cry for reduction in the size of the bureaucracy, the government typically A. reduces the number of bureaucrats. B. renames programs. C. reorganizes programs so as to conceal their strength and numbers. D. turns over jobs to nonprofit organizations or private contractors. E. Options A and D are true.
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E. 9/11 attacks.
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The Department of Homeland Security was formed in response to the A. Pearl Harbor bombing of 1941. B. urban riots of the 1960s. C. student protests of the 1970s. D. Oklahoma City bombing in 1994. E. 9/11 attacks.
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E. Ronald Reagan
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Which president aimed to abolish the Department of Education? A. Bill Clinton B. Jimmy Carter C. John F. Kennedy D. Gerald Ford E. Ronald Reagan
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E. enlarge
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For the most part George W. Bush worked to _________ the size of government. A. significantly reduce B. reduce somewhat C. prevent any increases in D. have no impact on E. enlarge
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B. Barack Obama
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__________ created new bureaucracies to administer new programs for health care and oversight of the financial services industry. A. Jimmy Carter B. Barack Obama C. George W. Bush D. Ronald Reagan E. None of the above is true.
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E. Finland
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Which of the following EU countries did not fall into catastrophic levels of debt by the early 2010s? A. Greece B. Ireland C. Portugal D. Spain E. Finland
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D. euro.
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The common currency for most European Union countries is called the A. football. B. western. C. anglo. D. euro. E. francmark.
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E. departments; secretaries
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The biggest units of the executive branch are termed _________ and are headed by __________. A. bureaus; vice presidents B. departments; trustees C. agencies; aldermen D. bureaus; trustees E. departments; secretaries
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A. independent agency.
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The CIA is a good example of a federal A. independent agency. B. regulatory commission. C. government corporation. D. cabinet department. E. None of the above is true.
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B. to prevent tie votes.
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Regulatory commissions are usually run with an odd number of commissioners A. to facilitate rotation in office. B. to prevent tie votes. C. by longstanding tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. D. to prevent any area of the country from being overrepresented. E. after the passage of the 1961 Bureaucratic Improvement Act.
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C. by congressional law.
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New cabinet departments or agencies can be created A. by executive order of the president. B. by a regulation from a preexisting cabinet department. C. by congressional law. D. Options A and C are true. E. Options A and B are true.
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D. government agencies that provide services that could be provided by the private sector.
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Government corporations are best described as A. businesses that have gone bankrupt and have been taken over by the government. B. agencies that privately see to the personal needs of high-level bureaucrats. C. business enterprises that the government has seized because of failure to pay taxes. D. government agencies that provide services that could be provided by the private sector. E. government partnerships with private industry.
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E. private industry cannot profitably provide the service.
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Government corporations are most likely to be created when a service is for the public good and A. the government can make a profit from engaging in it. B. healthy competition exists between government and the private sector. C. there is the danger of corporate monopoly if the government fails to act. D. large numbers of government employees are already trained in the service. E. private industry cannot profitably provide the service.
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D. government corporations.
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The U.S. Postal Service and Amtrak are examples of A. off-line spending. B. congressional intrusion into bureaucratic agencies. C. consumer service departments. D. government corporations. E. independent agencies.
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C. fifteen
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There are currently _________ cabinet departments. A. five B. nine C. fifteen D. twenty-five E. thirty-six
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A. security.
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The larger governmental departments tend to focus on the nation's A. security. B. welfare. C. education. D. commerce. E. agriculture.
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A. 2
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The national bureaucracy is staffed by nearly 2. 8 million civilian employees, who account for less than __________ percent of the U.S. work force. A. 2 B. 5 C. 10 D. 25 E. 50
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C. mentally unbalanced job seeker.
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The civil service was created after President Garfield was assassinated by a(n) A. rogue CIA operative. B. anarchist. C. mentally unbalanced job seeker. D. Confederate loyalist. E. protester.
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E. reduce patronage by creating a civil service.
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The purpose of the Pendleton Act of 1883 was to A. provide public funding for presidential campaigns. B. create the Central Intelligence Agency. C. create government corporations. D. establish the Justice Department. E. reduce patronage by creating a civil service.
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D. reduce the amount of politics in awarding government jobs.
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The civil service system was created to A. ensure equal partisanship in filling government jobs. B. allow greater congressional control of the bureaucracy. C. increase presidential control over the bureaucracy. D. reduce the amount of politics in awarding government jobs. E. discourage incompetent job applicants from seeking government employment.
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A. merit-based, nonpolitical employment and promotion.
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The central feature of the civil service system is A. merit-based, nonpolitical employment and promotion. B. the fitting of job openings to agencies' needs. C. the development of elaborate job classifications. D. the separation of political and nonpolitical positions. E. a nonpunitive, competitive promotion system.
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B. Veterans Affairs
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Which of the following departments has the highest number of civilian employees? A. Education B. Veterans Affairs C. Agriculture D. Justice E. State
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C. less than 1 percent
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A president can appoint only three thousand people to jobs in their administration, which represents __________ of all executive branch employees. A. the vast majority B. 5 percent C. less than 1 percent D. about 20 percent E. 10 percent
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D. U.S. Senate confirmation.
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Presidential appointees in the executive branch fill the top policymaking positions in government, and some 1000 of them require A. U.S. House of Representatives confirmation. B. U.S. Supreme Court confirmation. C. state legislative confirmation. D. U.S. Senate confirmation. E. None of the above is true.
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B. businesses, universities, and government itself.
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Most political appointees come from A. the president's campaign staff. B. businesses, universities, and government itself. C. political party workers. D. careers that allowed them to be involved with the new president in other endeavors. E. the pool of government interns.
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A. pluralist pressures may pull the agency in a direction other than that favored by the president.
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The bureaucracy may not be fully responsive to a president's wishes because A. pluralist pressures may pull the agency in a direction other than that favored by the president. B. the agency head may dislike the president. C. the president may make unreasonable demands on the agency. D. the role of government is to protect the people from the power used by elected officials. E. Congress funds most agencies.
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A. pay and benefits compare favorably to the private sector, especially for lower skill jobs.
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One appealing strength of government sector work is that A. pay and benefits compare favorably to the private sector, especially for lower skill jobs. B. employees can never be fired. C. patronage will increase one's salary and benefits. D. union membership is not required. E. None of the above is true.
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D. Options A, B, and C are true.
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Committees can "punish" an agency by A. cutting its budget. B. altering a key program. C. holding up the confirmation of nominees. D. Options A, B, and C are true. E. None of the above is true.
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E. Options A and B are true.
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Presidents can exert considerable influence over agency policymaking by A. appointing administrators sympathetic to their policy goals. B. requiring agencies to submit draft regulations to a White House office. C. announcing surprise audits of agency budgets. D. putting pressure on agency heads to fire civil servants who defy the president's wishes. E. Options A and B are true.
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A. a congressional grant of authority.
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The legal powers of bureaucratic agencies derive from A. a congressional grant of authority. B. tradition. C. a constitutional mandate. D. delegation from the president. E. implied powers.
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A. regulations.
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Rules that guide the operation of government programs are termed A. regulations. B. mandates C. ordinances. D. advisories. E. dicta.
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A. the broadest range of
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Congress has a tendency to grant _________ discretion to those agencies involved in domestic and global security. A. the broadest range of B. very little C. no D. statutory, but not administrative E. administrative, but not statutory
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C. no more than three hours.
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After an ExpressJet flight kept 47 passengers on board an aircraft overnight in Rochester, New York, the Department of Transportation announced a new set of rules limiting tarmac waits to A. no more than seven hours. B. one hour. C. no more than three hours. D. thirty minutes. E. None of the above is true.
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D. Options A and B are true.
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The airline industry claimed that the new Department of Transportation rules limiting passenger tarmac waits on a plan would A. create longer delays. B. waste time while ground crews searched for luggage of passengers who deplaned. C. force airlines to hire more personnel. D. Options A and B are true. E. All of the above are true.
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E. worked well, reducing tarmac strandings from 664 to just 16 instances.
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The 2009 regulations by the Department of Transportation on the airline industry A. resulted in cost spikes for airline passengers and was repealed within a year. B. led to increased flight delays and missed connections throughout 2010. C. had the unintended consequence of increasing the average tarmac wait. D. led to a wave of airline mergers in the following six months. E. worked well, reducing tarmac strandings from 664 to just 16 instances.
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D. Options A, B, and C are true.
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The ideal, rational decision-making process A. does not reflect how decisions are made in the real world. B. calls for careful analysis of all possible solutions. C. requires administrators to rank values and objectives. D. Options A, B, and C are true. E. None of the above is true.
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D. Options A, B, and C are true.
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The rational-comprehensive model of policymaking is unrealistic because A. it is difficult for policymakers to define precise values and goals. B. the selected policy will not always be the most effective means to the goal. C. comprehensive investigations into all solutions to any specific problem would be too time-consuming. D. Options A, B, and C are true. E. None of the above is true.
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E. the "right" policy is politically unacceptable.
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Often, the theoretically correct, or rational, policy is not enacted because A. administrators lack the discretion to adopt rational policies. B. bureaucrats, as humans, behave irrationally. C. administrative rules hinder consideration of all options. D. the policy will result in too much job loss. E. the "right" policy is politically unacceptable.
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C. incrementalism
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According to Charles Lindblom, policymaking tends to be characterized by ________, with policies and programs changing bit by bit, step by step. A. gridlock B. the bureaucratic culture of the agency C. incrementalism D. funding increases E. the agency's appointed head
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C. school administrators don't have enough money to provide services to all qualifying students.
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In implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), school administrators frequently offer families fewer services than the law calls for because A. school administrators don't want to do the maximum for disabled children. B. school administrators want to increase their salaries. C. school administrators don't have enough money to provide services to all qualifying students. D. Options A and B are true. E. None of the above is true.
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A. "the book" consists of the laws they are obligated to enforce.
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Bureaucrats "go by the book" because A. "the book" consists of the laws they are obligated to enforce. B. they are afraid of being rebuked by Congress if they depart from "the book." C. they are unimaginative and "the book" provides ready-made answers. D. they operate only within their narrow specialization. E. they can hide behind it if their actions are unpopular.
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B. of a violation of child labor laws.
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Tommy McCoy, a bat-boy for a baseball team, came under some scrutiny because A. he was an illegal immigrant. B. of a violation of child labor laws. C. he did not pay taxes. D. his team did not wear protective head gear. E. of a violation of libel laws.
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C. CIA bureaucrats believed the CIA needed to do whatever it takes to protect the United States.
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When Leon Panetta became head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2009 he faced a difficult task in trying to change the agency mindset because A. CIA bureaucrats believed the agency could fight terrorism within the rule of law. B. CIA bureaucrats believed the agency should give up some of its power. C. CIA bureaucrats believed the CIA needed to do whatever it takes to protect the United States. D. Options A and B are true. E. None of the above is true.
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E. After policies are implemented, they must still undergo the development stage.
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Implementation of policies is often difficult because of all but which of the following reasons? A. The policy to be carried out is not always clearly stated. B. Policy directives to bureaucrats sometimes leave them with too much discretion. C. Implementation involves many different agencies and layers of government. D. Public policy problems can be extremely complex. E. After policies are implemented, they must still undergo the development stage.
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C. conservatives.
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In recent years the philosophy of deregulation has been especially championed by A. liberals. B. communitarians. C. conservatives. D. Options B and C are true. E. None of the above is true.
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C. thalidomide.
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The thorough and lengthy process the FDA uses to evaluate drugs was validated by the controversy involving A. Plan B. B. steroids. C. thalidomide. D. provastin. E. hypoglyceritol.
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A. began to issue regulations at a faster rate than George W. Bush's agencies.
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Upon taking office Barack Obama's regulatory agencies A. began to issue regulations at a faster rate than George W. Bush's agencies. B. actually issued fewer regulations than George W. Bush's agencies. C. issued about the same number of regulations as George W. Bush's agencies. D. issued far more regulations on health issues, while Bush offered more regulations concerning safety issues. E. None of the above is true.
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A. The Government Performance and Results Act
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Which act held agencies accountable for their performance? A. The Government Performance and Results Act B. The Agency Accountability Reform Act C. The Agency Review Act D. The Government Analysis Reform Act E. The Bureaucratic Control Act
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D. states were allowed to set their own standards for what constituted acceptable student performance.
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One significant difficulty with the initial No Child Left Behind law was that A. the initial grants offered to states were too low to motivate compliance. B. the federal government lacked bureaucratic manpower to analyze the data it demanded the states collect for it. C. the questionable constitutionality of the act slowed state agencies' desire to follow it. D. states were allowed to set their own standards for what constituted acceptable student performance. E. too many tasks necessary for implementing the law were outsourced to private for-profit education companies.
