Question 1

Federal regulatory agencies have responsibility primarily in the area of

Accepted Answer

A)   economic policy.
B)   social welfare policy.
C)   foreign and defense policy.
D)   law enforcement policy.
E)   environmental policy.F) B) and D)
G) C) and D)

Question 2

Most federal employees are hired on the basis of

Accepted Answer

A)   merit criteria.
B)   patronage.
C)   previous job experience in the private sector.
D)   the personal preferences of immediate supervisors.
E)   a lottery system.F) C) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 3

The two main systems of bureaucratic employment are the patronage and merit systems.Describe their respective goals and the major problems associated with each system.

Accepted Answer

The patronage system was designed to mak...

Question 4

What is the "agency point of view"? Why is it important?

Accepted Answer

Bureaucrats look to their agency's inter...

Question 5

In promoting their agency's goals,bureaucrats rely on

Accepted Answer

A)   their expert knowledge.
B)   the backing of the president and Congress.
C)   the support of clientele groups.
D)   all of these: their expert knowledge; the backing of the president and Congress; and the support of clientele groups.
E)   None of these answers is correct.F) B) and C)
G) D) and E)

Question 6

As distinct from the patronage system,the merit system for managing the bureaucracy

Accepted Answer

A)   allows the president to appoint top officials of executive agencies, thus making the bureaucracy more responsive to election outcomes.
B)   provides for presidential leadership of the bureaucracy, thus giving it greater coordination and direction.
C)   provides for a neutral administration in the sense that civil servants are not partisan appointees, thus ensuring evenhanded work.
D)   provides that all programs will be evaluated regularly to determine whether they merit continued funding.
E)   All these answers are correct.F) B) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 7

The federal bureaucracy today is

Accepted Answer

A)   extremely wasteful and unresponsive to the public it serves.
B)   an ineffective institution in comparison with bureaucracies of democracies with unitary systems.
C)   more responsive to the public at large than to the particular interests that depend on its various programs.
D)   a mix of the patronage and merit systems.
E)   mostly dominated by patronage politics.F) B) and C)
G) B) and E)

Question 8

Compared to the president and Congress,the bureaucracy

Accepted Answer

A)   is held in higher esteem by the public.
B)   is authorized by a constitutional amendment rather than by the original Constitution.
C)   has a more direct impact on the daily lives of Americans.
D)   has changed very little during the nation's history.
E)   is more easily controlled by the voters.F) D) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 9

About three in every five managerial and professional positions in the federal bureaucracy are held by

Accepted Answer

A)   women.
B)   white males.
C)   African Americans.
D)   Latino Americans.
E)   Asian Americans.F) B) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 10

Which of the following is a principle of bureaucratic organization?

Accepted Answer

A)   hierarchical authority
B)   job specialization
C)   formalized rules
D)   hierarchical authority, job specialization, and formalized rules
E)   None of these answers is correct.F) A) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 11

Identify the major ways that the bureaucracy is held accountable by the president.

Accepted Answer

The president can hold the bureaucracy a...

Question 12

At the start of the annual budget cycle,the OMB assigns each agency a budget limit based on

Accepted Answer

A)   the president's directives.
B)   its own projections of what is affordable.
C)   the Justice Department's instructions.
D)   Congressional guidelines.
E)   the guidelines of the Commerce Department.F) B) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 13

Why does the head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) have less policy influence than the head of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ?

Accepted Answer

A)   because the SSA operates under fixed rules than cannot be altered based on circumstances
B)   because the SSA budget is much smaller than the FTC budget
C)   because the SSA is an independent agency and the FTC is a presidential commission
D)   because the SSA has fewer clientele groups than the FTC
E)   because the SSA affects a smaller portion of the population than FTC policiesF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 14

Congress oversees the bureaucracy by using

Accepted Answer

A)   sunset provisions.
B)   the Government Accounting Office.
C)   enabling provisions.
D)   all of these: sunset provisions, the Government Accounting Office, and enabling provisions.
E)   None of these answers is correct.F) A) and E)
G) C) and E)

Question 15

When an individual believes that he or she was improperly disadvantaged by a bureaucrat's decision and contests the decision,the dispute is usually handled by

Accepted Answer

A)   an administrative law judge.
B)   a congressional oversight committee.
C)   a federal appeals court.
D)   a departmental or agency adjudication office.
E)   the Supreme Court.F) A) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 16

The importance of clientele groups was especially clear in 1995 when House Speaker Newt Gingrich threatened to "zero out" funding for the

Accepted Answer

A)   Social Security System.
B)   Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
C)   Department of Agriculture.
D)   drug education program administered by Health and Human Services.
E)   U.S. Postal Service.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 17

Bureaucrats tend to follow

Accepted Answer

A)   the wishes of the president.
B)   the wishes of Congress.
C)   their own agency's point of view.
D)   the expectations of the general public.
E)   the wishes of federal judges.F) All of the above
G) A) and D)

Question 18

What is the federal bureaucracy's main function?

Accepted Answer

The bureaucracy's primary function is po...

Question 19

Whenever Congress has a perceived need for ongoing control of an economic activity,it has tended to create a

Accepted Answer

A)   regulatory agency.
B)   cabinet department.
C)   presidential commission.
D)   government corporation.
E)   blue ribbon panel.F) A) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 20

The Department of ________ was founded in 1889.

Accepted Answer

A)   Health and Human Services
B)   State
C)   Labor
D)   Homeland Security
E)   AgricultureF) A) and E)
G) A) and C)

Exam 13: The Federal Bureaucracy: Administering the Government

What is the federal bureaucracy's main function?

Correct AnswerverifiedThe bureaucracy's primary function is po...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following is a principle of bureaucratic organization?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

At the start of the annual budget cycle,the OMB assigns each agency a budget limit based on

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Federal regulatory agencies have responsibility primarily in the area of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the "agency point of view"? Why is it important?

Correct AnswerverifiedBureaucrats look to their agency's inter...View AnswerShow Answer

The importance of clientele groups was especially clear in 1995 when House Speaker Newt Gingrich threatened to "zero out" funding for the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Compared to the president and Congress,the bureaucracy

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Congress oversees the bureaucracy by using

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

As distinct from the patronage system,the merit system for managing the bureaucracy

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In promoting their agency's goals,bureaucrats rely on

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why does the head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) have less policy influence than the head of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Department of ________ was founded in 1889.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Most federal employees are hired on the basis of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The two main systems of bureaucratic employment are the patronage and merit systems.Describe their respective goals and the major problems associated with each system.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe patronage system was designed to mak...View AnswerShow Answer

About three in every five managerial and professional positions in the federal bureaucracy are held by

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Identify the major ways that the bureaucracy is held accountable by the president.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe president can hold the bureaucracy a...View AnswerShow Answer

Bureaucrats tend to follow

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The federal bureaucracy today is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When an individual believes that he or she was improperly disadvantaged by a bureaucrat's decision and contests the decision,the dispute is usually handled by

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Whenever Congress has a perceived need for ongoing control of an economic activity,it has tended to create a

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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The bureaucracy's primary function is po...
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Bureaucrats look to their agency's inter...
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The patronage system was designed to mak...
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The president can hold the bureaucracy a...
View Answer

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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