question

In addition to the hierarchical authority structure, Max Weber argued that a bureaucracy involves all of the following EXCEPT a) task specialization b) an incentive system c) the merit principle d) extensive rules

answer

b) an incentive system

question

As a whole, the permanent bureaucracy is a) overwhelmingly African American, female, and not so well-paid b) a reflection of participatory politics, since most government workers are hired through the patronage system c) better pay than are similar jobs in the private sector d) more broadly representative of the American people than legislators, judges, or Presidential appointees e) nearly all white, male, and well-paid

answer

d) more broadly representative of the American people than legislators, judges, or Presidential appointees

question

The Weberian model views bureaucracies as a) efficient and necessary b) promoting good monopolies c) loosely organized and loosely run d) largely self-serving

answer

a) efficient and necessary

question

Which of the following is NOT true about "iron triangles"? a) They add a strong decentralizing and fragmenting element to the government's policymaking process b) They present tremendous difficulties for Congress and the President when they attempt to control the bureaucracy c) They are also known as sub governments d) They are indestructible

answer

d) They are indestructible

question

Which of the following would not be considered a street-level bureaucrat? a) a welfare worker b) a mail carrier who delivers mail exclusively in a high rise building c) an assistant secretary in the Department of Transportation d) a police officer e) a municipal court judge

answer

c) an assistant secretary in the Department of Transportation

question

Which of the following is NOT a method a President can use to control the bureaucracy? a) rewrite statues to make instructions clearer as to how policies are intended b) tinker with an agency's recommended budget c) appoint people to head an agency who share the President's goals and strategies d) issue executive orders or more informal requests

answer

a) rewrite statues to make instructions clearer as to how policies are intended

question

The use of government authority to control or change some practice in the private sector is known as a) public administration b) regulation c) socialism d) oversight e) executive review

answer

b) regulation

question

The plum book lists a) job openings in the prestigious Office of Personnel Management b) appeals filed with the Merit Systems Protection Board c) all civil service jobs above GS-12 d) top federal jobs available by Presidential appointment e) all federal contracts available for bid

answer

d) top federal jobs available by Presidential appointments

question

Which of the following statements about government regulation in America is accurate? a) The Constitution set up only six regulatory agencies; the others have been created within the past 100 years or so. b) Until 1887, the federal government made almost no regulatory policies and had no regulatory agencies. c) Regulatory agencies tended to be more popular in the early years of the nation's history, then grew more controversial during the late 19th century. d) The Federal Communications Commission was the first independent regulatory agency e) both A and C

answer

b) Until 1887, the federal government made almost no regulatory policies and had no regulatory agencies.

question

The real work of a Cabinet department is done a) by the entire Cabinet b) by the President's staff c) by the secretary d) in the bureaus e) by the undersecretaries

answer

d) in the bureaus

question

The Cabinet department that has the largest budget is the Department of a) the Treasury b) Health and Human Services c) Defense d) Commerce e) Education

answer

b) Health and Human Services

question

In 1887, Congress established the first regulatory agency, the _____, and charged it with regulating the railroads, their prices, and their services to farmers. a) Railroad Commission b) Department of Transportation c) Interstate Commerce Commission d) American Railway Union e) Federal Trade Commission

answer

c) Interstate Commerce Commission

question

The ____ employs about one-forth of all federal civilian workers, more than any other department or agency. a) Department of Justice b) Department of Labor c) Department of Health and Human Services d) Department of Defense e) Department of Education

answer

d) Department of Defense

question

Proposals to reorganize the government in order to solve the problem of bureaucratic fragmentation a) are supported and opposed for all of these reasons b) are opposed by Congressional committees, fearing they will be given greater responsibility to oversee later and more diverse agencies c) tend to be supported by Republican Presidents, who advocate governmental centralization d) are often opposed by agencies not wanting to be submerged within a broader bureaucratic unit e) are supported by interest groups, who feel they could better control the regulatory programs of a reorganized bureaucracy

answer

d) are often opposed by agencies not wanting to be submerged within a broader bureaucratic unit

question

A major problem for Presidents and Congress in controlling bureaucracies is the existence of a) the plum book b) Supreme Court rulings curbing the scope of their oversight c) "iron triangles" d) the incentive system e) standard operating procedures

answer

c) "iron triangles"

question

Subgovernments promote a) centralization of authority b) strong executive branch control of policymaking c) Presidential control of bureaucratic discretion d) decentralized and fragmented policymaking e) the control of the bureaucracy by Congress

answer

d) decentralized and fragmented policymaking

question

Those civil service employees who are in constant contact with the public (often a hostile one) and have considerable discretion known as a) street- level bureaucracies b) routinizers c) civil servants d) the Senior Executive Service e) General Schedule foot soldiers

answer

a) street- level bureaucracies

question

Which of the following is NOT an area in which an "iron triangle" has controlled federal policy? a) smoking and tobacco policy b) environmental policy c) nuclear power policy d) pesticide policy

answer

b) environmental policy

question

The Pendleton Act established the a) plum book b) federal Civil Service c) patronage system d) Office of Management and Budget e) Interstate Commerce Commission

answer

b) federal Civil Service

question

Which of the following is TRUE about the federal bureaucracy? a) The state and local governments have far more employees than the federal bureaucracy b) Most Americans are dissatisfied with their encounters with bureaucrats c) The size of the federal bureaucracy has grown dramatically over the past 20 years d) Most federal bureaucrats work in Washington, D.C. e) all of these

answer

a) The state and local governments have far more employees than the federal bureaucracy

question

Bureaus in the federal bureaucracy are also known as all of the following EXCEPT a) a department b) a service c) an office d) an administration

answer

a) a department

question

An "iron triangle" consists of a) a bureaucratic agency, an interest group, and a Congressional committee or subcommittee b) the President, the head of a relevant Congressional committee, and the head of any regulatory agency c) the metal stamp used to certify that the President has approved a new regulation and it now takes legal effect d) those favoring regulation X, those opposing regulation X, and the regulatory agency in charge of overseeing X e) re-resentatives of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government

answer

a) a bureaucratic agency, an interest group, and a Congressional committee or subcommittee

question

Which of the following statements about bureaucracies is FALSE? a) Bureaucracies are scarcely hinted at in the Constitution b) Bureaucratic power extends to every corner of American economic and social life c) Each bureaucratic agency is created by the President d) Nothing better illustrates the complexity of modern government than its massive bureaucracies

answer

c) Each bureaucratic agency is created by the President

question

The main job of federal bureaucrats is to a) compete with the private sector for monopoly power b) protect the interests of their constituencies c) implement and regulate government policies d) countervail the power of private corporations, especially monopolies e) advise the President and Cabinet on internal affairs

answer

c) implement and regulate government policies

question

The largest federal agency based on dollars spend is the a) State Department b) Department of Health and Human Services c) Department of Defense d) Department of Justice e) Social Security Administration

answer

e) Social Security Administration

question

Which of the following statements about bureaucracies and the scope of government is FALSE? a) The federal bureaucracy has actually shrunk in size relative to the population it serves b) When the President and Congress chose to deregulate certain areas of the economy or cut taxes, the bureaucracy prevented them from doing so c) The bureaucracy is now expected to play an active role in dealing with social and economic problems d) The federal bureaucracy has not grown over the past two generations

answer

b) When the President and Congress chose to deregulate certain areas of the economy or cut taxes, the bureaucracy prevented them from doing so

question

The diffusion of responsibility within the bureaucracy a) increases administrative discretion b) facilitates the use of inter-bureaucracy standard operating procedures c) allows for a diversity of opinion thus facilitating effective administration discretion d) helps diminish the use of administrative discretion e) makes the coordination of policies both time- consuming and difficult

answer

e) makes the coordination of polices both time-consuming and difficult

question

_______ is the authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem a) Executive power b) Standard operating procedure c) Administrators' disposition d) Deregulation e) Administrative discretion

answer

e) Administrative discretion

question

"Iron triangles" face challenges from a growing number of a) street-level bureaucrats b) sub governments c) plastics and softer metals d) issue networks e) administrative discretions

answer

d) issue networks

question

Which of the following statements about Congress and the bureaucracy is FALSE? a) Bureaucracies help provide services to constituents b) Congress has found it easy to control the bureaucracy c) Bureaucracies can help Congress find answers to policy problems d) Members of Congress often find a big bureaucracy congenial

answer

b) Congress has found it easy to control the bureaucracy

question

The nuclear power "iron triangle" a) has lost some of its clout, but remains active today b) never got off the ground in the United States c) remains the most powerful of all such groupings d) is the three cities in North Carolina where there is a concentration of nuclear research and development companies e) was swept away due to the rise of the environmental movement

answer

e) was swept away due to the rise of the environmental movement

question

Most of the government is composed of a) elected legislators b) politicians c) bureaucrats d) regulators e) lawyers

answer

c) bureaucrats

question

Patronage is a hiring and promoion system based on a) the merit principle b) knowing the right people c) civil service exams d) talent and skill e) the Pendleton Act

answer

b) knowing the right people

question

According to Hugh Heclo, the plum book system of recruiting federal employees tends to result in the appointment of a) people with access to the internet, but no necessarily the most qualified people b) talented experts with proven party loyalty c) administrators who do not stay long enough in their appointed position to be effective d) large numbers of women and minorities, just as it was intended to do e) senior civil servants to sensitive posts

answer

c) administrators who do not stay long enough in their appointed position to be effective

question

An "iron triangle" is also referred to as a) a reverse diagonal b) a government corporation c) an issue network d) a subgovernment e) the alphabet soup of American government

answer

d) a subgovernment

question

Which of the following is false? a) removing appointed officials may be politically embarrassing to the President b) Bureaucrats are often fired for using too much administrative discretion c) a government agency cannot expand just because it is performing a service effectively and efficiently d) pay raise in the bureaucracy tend to be small and across-the-board

answer

b) Bureaucrats are often fired for using too much administrative discretion

question

In the case of Munn v Illinois, decided in 1877, the United States Supreme Court a) outlawed the patronage system b) held that government had no right to regulate the business operations of a firm c) upheld the right of government to regulate the business operations of a firm d) ruled that the Civil Service System was constitutional e) ruled that states could not impose corporate income taxes

answer

c) upheld the right of government to regulate the business operations of a firm

question

The Hatch Act, passed in 1940, a) prohibited the president from firing the heads of independent executive agencies b) required the publication of the plum book c) prohibits federal Civil Service employees from active participation in partisan politics d) established the Civil Service e) established the patronage system for federal employment

answer

c) prohibits federal Civil Service employees from active participation in partisan politics

question

As a percentage of America's total work force, federal government employment has ____ since 1950. a) expanded slightly b) doubled c) remained the same d) tripled e) decreased

answer

e) decreased

question

Studies have found that most Americans a) actually like bureaucracies b) are indifferent about bureaucracies and bureaucrats c) dislike bureaucrats d) are satisfied with the help received from bureaucrats e) want the government bureaucracy dismantled

answer

d) are satisfied with the help received from bureaucrats

question

Which of the following is NOT a reason that policy implementation sometimes break down in the federal bureaucracy? a) fragmentation of responsibilities b) lack of standard operating procedures c) lack of clarity in the original policy decision d) faulty program design

answer

b) lack of standard operating procedures

question

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was successful for all of the following reasons EXCEPT a) it was universally supported b) its goal was clear c) the authority of implementors was plain d) its implementation was straightforward

answer

a) it was universally supported

question

Which of the following statements about independent regulatory commissions is FALSE? a) Regulatory commission members may not be drawn from the ranks of present or former employees of the regulated industry b) Regulatory commission members cannot be fired by the President c) Regulatory commission members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate d) Regulatory commissions consist of five to ten members

answer

a) regulatory commission members may not be drawn from the ranks or present or former employees of the regulated industry

question

Standar operating procedures become frustrating to citizens and obstacles to act when they a) are not specifically codified b) do not directly apply to a particular situation c) transfer personnel to different posts d) slow bureaucratic responses to citizen's needs e) are not closely followed

answer

b) do not directly apply to a particular situation

question

Which of the following statements about plum book appointees is FALSE? a) most presidents seek appointees with sympathy for similar policy positions b) plum book appointees are often instrumental in changing and reforming their agencies c) ambassadorship appointments often go to large campaign contributors d) Presidents often consider sex, religion, and race when making plum book appointments

answer

b) plus book appointees are often instrumental in changing and reforming their agencies

question

As a percentage of the total work force, federal government employment is a) rising b) declining c) stabilizing d) rapidly becoming greater than employment in the private sector e) greater than state and local government employment

answer

b) declining

question

Administrative discretion is greatest when a) a particular agency is the subject of media coverage b) rules are regulations are not written down c) when standard operating procedures are used d) an agency has elaborate rules and regulations e) rules do not fit a case

answer

e) rules do not fit a case

question

Each bureaucratic agency is created initially by a) constitutional provision b) Congress c) the President d) order of a federal court e) the bureaucracy itself

answer

b) Congress

question

The federal civil service was created by a) an executive ordre of President Arthur b) the Pendleton Act c) Article IV of the Constitution d) the merit principle e) the Office of Management and Budget

answer

b) the Pendleton Act

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