question

Which one of the presidents listed below had low budget deficits during his presidency?

answer

Bill Clinton

question

According to Figure 13.3, what is the approximate amount of the national debt in 2010?

answer

13,500 billion dollars

question

Tax expenditures are ____.

answer

revenue losses from special exemptions, exclusions, or deductions

question

Today, the Social Security system pays approximately ____ million Americans

answer

fifty-six

question

The Social Security Act was passed in the year ___.

answer

1935

question

Which is the largest social policy of the federal government?

answer

social security

question

A budget deficit is when ____ exceed(s) revenues in a fiscal year.

answer

expenditures

question

The _____ Amendment permits Congress to levy income taxes.

answer

sixteenth

question

Which of the following budgetary process actors does the president oversee?

answer

Office of Management and Budget

question

By law, the president must submit a budget by the first Monday in ___.

answer

February

question

The nation began running a surplus in which of the following fiscal years?

answer

1998

question

In which of the following years was Medicare included in the Social Security system?

answer

1965

question

In which of the following years were prescription drug benefits added to Medicare?

answer

2003

question

Which of the following investors hold the majority of the federal government's public debt?

answer

foreign investors

question

Which of the following declared income tax to be unconstitutional?

answer

Pollock v. Farmer's Loan and Trust Co.

question

IN which of the following years was the Budget and Accounting Act passed?

answer

1933

question

In 2012, the average Social Security check for retired workers was ____.

answer

$1,217

question

Which of the following best describes the executive branch's role in the budget process before the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921?

answer

executive branch agencies sent budget requests to the secretary of the treasury

question

The rise of the national security state first began after which national security event?

answer

World War II

question

According to Figure 13.4, the largest growing federal expenditure category is ____.

answer

payments for individuals

question

A(n) ____ is an act of Congress that establishes or changes a government program.

answer

authorization bill

question

A(n) _____ is an act of Congress that funds programs established by authorization bills.

answer

appropriation bill

question

A(n) ____ is an act of Congress that binds Congress to a total expenditure level for all programs in a given year.

answer

budget resolution

question

Which of the following best supports Allan Meltzer and Scott Richard's argument that government grows in a democracy because of the equality of suffrage?

answer

economically disadvantaged voters will support the social security state

question

Which of the following illustrates American citizens' usual attitude toward the budget?

answer

americans want to decrease taxes, increase spending , and balance the budget

question

Which of the following is and example of spending from the federal capital budget?

answer

purchasing new medical research buildings

question

Which of the following is an example of capital gains?

answer

stock and real estate profits

question

The national debt is ___ of debt over time

answer

accumulation

question

Which of the following is a legislative act of Congress limiting how much the federal government may borrow?

answer

debt ceiling

question

A balanced budget occurs when the ____ and the surplus equal zero.

answer

deficit

question

What is the purpose of earmarks?

answer

directing taxes into funds with specific purposes

question

Political scientists use the term __ to describe the budget process.

answer

incrementalism

question

____ threatens the intergenerational contract for Social Security.

answer

increased life expectancy

question

Which of the following accounts for the largest social policy cost of the federal government?

answer

social security

question

Which of the following is an expenditure?

answer

government subsidy

question

Who pays income taxes?

answer

corporations and individuals

question

Why is Social Security set up as an uncontrollable expenditure?

answer

it requires reliable funding each year

question

What is the purpose of continuing resolutions?

answer

they allow agencies to spend at the level of the previous year

question

Which is an example of intragovernmental debt?

answer

borrowing insurance tax revenue from social security

question

According to Table 13.1, the largest tax expenditure is _____.

answer

exclusion of employer contributions to health care and insurance

question

Before 1943, ____ taxes yielded more revenues then individual income taxes,

answer

corporate

question

According to "You are the Policymaker: Balancing the Budget," what is the most costly expenditure projected by the OMB?

answer

mandatory domestic policy expenditures

question

Which of the following is an example of an excise tax?

answer

tax levies on the consumption of goods

question

According to "Young People & Politics: Education and the Federal Tax Code," parents with children can claim only one ____ for federal income tax.

answer

Lifetime Learning Credit

question

The deficit is calculated by subtracting total revenue from total ____.

answer

expenditures

question

Forty-two percent of people filing income tax returns in 2009 paid no income tax at all. Which tax is responsible?

answer

progressive tax

question

According to Figure 13.2,which of the following tax revenues dropped least between 2007 and 2012?

answer

individual income taxes

question

Which of the following is a tax expenditure given to students?

answer

American Opportunity Credit

question

According to Figure 13.5, national defense spending decreased immediately after which war ended?

answer

Cold War

question

According to Figure 13.7, which reports directly to the president?

answer

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

question

In 1985, President Reagan indexed taxes to the cost of living, in order to _____.

answer

keep inflation from impacting tax brackets

question

Current U.S. policy emphasis on ____ has been characterized as the "politics of scarcity."

answer

tax cuts

question

Which of the following relationships is an example of how democracy can distort budgeting?

answer

politicians spend public funds to win votes

question

Which of the following is the role of the Government Accountability Office (GAO)?

answer

to monitor what agencies do with their budgets

question

Which of the following is the role of the Budget Committees and the Congressional Budget Office?

answer

to advise Congress on consequences of its budget decisions

question

Why did Congress pass the Budget and Accounting Act in 1921?

answer

to alleviate concerns about retiring the debt from World War I

question

According to Figure 13.8, before agencies submit their formal budgets estimates to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the coming fiscal year, ______.

answer

OMB and the president must discuss the budgetary outlook and decide on executive policies

question

According to Figure 13.8, the new fiscal year occurs between ______.

answer

September and November of the current year

question

Why did the United States keep a large permanent military after World War II?

answer

the Cold War began at the end of World War II

question

Who benefits most from the military industrial complex?

answer

defense contractors

question

Whcih of the following is the biggest threat to Social Security?

answer

retirement of the baby boomers

question

Which of the following does the federal government do when it is unable to cover its expenditures?

answer

sell bonds

question

According to the data presented in Table 14.1, which of the following federal bureaucracies employs the most people?

answer

the department of defense

question

Max Weber identifies which of the following as a characteristic of bureaucracy?

answer

task specialization

question

the civil service system was introduced following passage of what law?

answer

the pendleton act

question

under the spoils system, who was awarded jobs in the federal bureaucracy?

answer

whose who helped candidates win election

question

_____ are rules created by government agencies that determine how laws are implemented.

answer

regulations

question

which of the following is a means of enforcing a bureaucratic regulation?

answer

sending inspectors to evaluate compliance

question

those who believe that regulations on business and industry are too numerous and too complex are most likely to favor the policy of _____.

answer

deregulation

question

the largest organizational unit in the federal bureaucracy is a(n) _____.

answer

department

question

___ refers to the authority of administrators in the federal bureaucracy to make choices concerning the best way to implement policies.

answer

discretion

question

according the the "You Are the Policymaker" box, ____ is the approach to regulation in which the government tells business how to meet certain goals, makes sure these directions are followed, and punishes those who do not follow the orders.

answer

command-and-control policy

question

which Cabinet department did Congress create shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks?

answer

the department of homeland security

question

cabinet secretaries are appointed by ____ and confirmed by _____.

answer

the president;the senate

question

which of the following grants bureaucracies the authority to issue regulations?

answer

congress

question

what is implementation?

answer

the process by which a law or policy is put into practice

question

the hatch act prohibits federal employees from engaging in what activity?

answer

running for elected office

question

who are the three main players in an iron triangle?

answer

bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees

question

a(n) ____ uses marketlike strategies such as rewards to manage public policy.

answer

incentive system

question

how does congress exercise control over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?

answer

by confirming appointees to key positions in federal agencies

question

which of the following is an example of a bureaucratic organization?

answer

the department of defense

question

which of these statements about the bureaucracy is most accurate?

answer

americans dislike bureaucracies

question

which of the following is an example of Max Weber's merit principle?

answer

hiring bureaucrats based on their ability to do the job

question

before 1883, how were government jobs awarded?

answer

jobs were awarded based on applicants' loyalty to the party in power

question

which of the following is a function of departments and agencies within the federal bureaucracy?

answer

implementing public policies

question

the first step in obtaining a civil service job is usually _____.

answer

taking a test

question

how does the president exercise control over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?

answer

by nominating federal appointees

question

why is privatization/outsourcing seen as an attractive option for the delivery of public services?

answer

private companies may deliver services more efficiently

question

what event served as a catalyst for the creation of the pendleton act?

answer

the assassination of james garfield in 1881

question

why do americans tend to think that red tape is more prevalent than it actually is?

answer

americans tend to notice the bureaucracy only when it is inefficient and not when it works well

question

which circumstance creates a challenge to the implementation of federal laws?

answer

when congress passes a law that contains ambiguity

question

what factor contributed to the growth of federal bureaucracy during the twentieth century?

answer

increased demands upon government during the great depression

question

which of the following is a drawback of privatization, or outsourcing?

answer

privatization may decrease government accountability

question

why was the spoils system ultimately abolished?

answer

due to growing concerns about a poorly functioning federal bureaucracy

question

when would congress be most likely to allow a federal agency significant discretion in rule-making?

answer

following the passage of a law dealing with specialist issues

question

why was the voting rights act successful?

answer

because the goals of the policy were clearly stated

question

which of the following is an example of an independent executive agency?

answer

the general services administration

question

according to figure 14.3, which of the following is an example of a government corporation?

answer

the u.s. postal service

question

in recent years, privatization and outsourcing has ______.

answer

increased at the federal level

question

how did the pendleton act reform the system of hiring and firing federal employees?

answer

it required hiring and firing decisions to be based on merit rather than partisan loyalty

question

what is the main purpose served by government corporations?

answer

providing services not fully trusted to the private sector

question

which of Max Weber's characteristics of bureaucracy is illustrated by a government agency in which the greatest authority resides with the agency head?

answer

hierarchical authority structure

question

according to the "Young People and Politics" box, which of the following people would be ineligible for federal financial aid to attend college?

answer

someone convicted of drug use in college

question

which of the following best describes the policies related to firing federal civil servants?

answer

it is often difficult and time consuming to fire a civil servant

question

what role is the environmental protection agency taking when it sets limits on air pollution from power plants?

answer

regulation

question

how do standard operating procedures influence bureaucratic decision making?

answer

they promote uniform application of rules

question

implementation of the voting rights act of 1965 was aided by ______.

answer

federal registrars dispatches to southern counties

question

congress and the president share which of the following powers over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?

answer

the power to influence budgets

question

how do departments differ from independent agencies?

answer

department heads are part of the president's cabinet; agency heads are not

question

how go government corporations differ form private companies?

answer

government corporations perform activities that private companies cannot

question

how are independent regulatory commissions similar to independent executive agencies?

answer

both operate outside of executive department control

question

which of the following statements best describes the president's influence over agency budgets?

answer

the president influences the initial budget proposal, but depends on congress for appropriations of federal money.

question

which of the following agencies is most removed from presidential and congressional control?

answer

the federal reserve system

question

as describes in the "You Are the Policymaker" feature box, which of the following is most consistent with the incentive system approach to regulatory policy?

answer

reducing federal subsidies to public schools whose students have excessive absenses

question

what was the purpose of the hatch act?

answer

to prohibit federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity

question

what is a goal common to both the pendleton act and the hatch act?

answer

reducing the influence of partisan politics on the federal bureaucracy

question

how are cabinet secretaries similar to independent agency administrators?

answer

both are appointed by the president

question

which of the following is a primary goal of privatization or outsourcing?

answer

to improve the efficiency of public service delivery

question

how do command and control policies differ from incentive systems?

answer

command and control policies typically focus n punishing those who violate the law, whereas incentive systems often include rewards

question

why do its proponents argue that deregulation is good public policy?

answer

eliminating costly regulations makes u.s. products more competitive in the world marketplace

question

which of the following was a consequence of the spoils, or patronage, system?

answer

the federal bureaucracy was staffed with people who lacked expertise

question

under what circumstance are bureaucrats most likely to exercise discretion?

answer

when an agency is implementing a law that contains ambiguity

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