Question 1

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering a new regulation that would require all car owners to install new emissions reduction equipment after two years of ownership.Before they can make this regulation into a law they must make all records about the development of the regulation public and solicit public comments because of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the Administrative Procedures Act 
B)  the Pendleton Act 
C)  the Transparency in Government Act 
D)  the Admission Procedures Act 
E)  the Freedom of Information Act

Question 2

Amtrak,a company that provides passenger railway service,has been struggling financially and would like to stop service on its least profitable routes.Amtrak is usually relatively independent;it sets ticket fares and schedules,decides how to invest in new equipment,and is expected to generate enough revenue to cover expenses.However,the U.S.Congress stops them from cutting unprofitable service routes because,as a/an ____________________,part of Amtrak's purpose is to serve the entire country,even little-used rural passenger routes.

Accepted Answer

A)  public corporation 
B)  private corporation 
C)  cabinet department 
D)  government corporation 
E)  independent agency

Question 3

Corruption in the bureaucracy increased because of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the Pendleton Act 
B)  the spoils system 
C)  Mugwumps 
D)  Great Society programs 
E)  military expansion

Question 4

When Congress and the executive branch are controlled by the same party,laws tend to be more ____________________ because Congress trusts the executive branch to implement the laws more faithfully under ____________________ than ____________________ government.

Accepted Answer

A)  vague; divided; unified 
B)  specific; divided; singular 
C)  specific; plural; singular 
D)  vague; unified; divided 
E)  specific; unified; divided

Question 5

The Pendleton Act,in part,created a system of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  selective service 
B)  perennial spoils 
C)  selective admissions 
D)  civil service 
E)  private enterprise

Question 6

Which of the following is operated most like a private corporation?

Accepted Answer

A)  government bureaucracy 
B)  government agency 
C)  federal ministry 
D)  independent agency 
E)  government corporation

Question 7

The number of people employed by the federal government's civilian bureaucracy ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  has steadily increased since the 1950s 
B)  increased between 1950 and 1990 and has decreased since 
C)  has steadily decreased since 1950 
D)  fluctuates substantially depending on which party controls Congress 
E)  has remained remarkably steady since the 1950s

Question 8

In cases of bureaucratic capture,who is doing the capturing?

Accepted Answer

A)  a political party, which gains a political advantage by staffing agencies with bureaucrats who will adhere to their preferences 
B)  a powerful individual who is able to sway bureaucrats through bribes or other incentives 
C)  state governments, who gain autonomy by convincing agencies to prioritize state over federal policies 
D)  non-governmental organizations or industries, who gain favorable regulation when agencies are more beholden to them than to principals 
E)  government volunteers, who gain policy access by taking over the work of bureaucratic agents

Question 9

The three settings for bureaucratic agencies within the executive branch are ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  government bureaucracy, as an independent agency, or as an executive office of the president 
B)  within a department, government corporation, or government bureaucracy 
C)  within a department, as an independent agency, or as a government corporation 
D)  as an executive office of the president, government corporation, or independent agency 
E)  within a government agency, as an executive office of the president, or independent agency

Question 10

Which is an individual unit of the government responsible for carrying out tasks delegated to it by Congress or the president in accordance with the law?

Accepted Answer

A)  government bureaucracy 
B)  government agency 
C)  cabinet department 
D)  independent agency 
E)  government corporation

Question 11

Which is the general term for the agencies and offices devoted to carrying out the tasks of government consistent with the law?

Accepted Answer

A)  government bureaucracy 
B)  government agency 
C)  cabinet department 
D)  independent agency 
E)  government corporation

Question 12

The tension between U.S.representatives' shared interest in reducing government waste and their individual interests in preserving government programs that benefit their constituents often produces a/an ____________________ that prevents political action to improve bureaucratic efficiency.

Accepted Answer

A)  Prisoner's Dilemma 
B)  coordination problem 
C)  principal-agent problem 
D)  collective-action problem 
E)  unstable coalition

Question 13

President Obama,a Democrat,wants to increase the Environmental Protection Agency's power to regulate and penalize private businesses.The Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives and they believe that regulating private business is harmful and invasive.Republicans can most effectively undermine Obama's directive by ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  withholding agency authorization 
B)  withholding appropriations 
C)  increasing fire-alarm oversight 
D)  increasing police-patrol oversight 
E)  forming an iron triangle

Question 14

Which term describes money that the government provides to individuals or organizations to perform tasks in the public's interest?

Accepted Answer

A)  contract 
B)  grant 
C)  work order 
D)  asset 
E)  certificate

Question 15

President Bartlett creates an agency dedicated to ensuring that all U.S.trading partners must meet strict labor standards or face stiff tariffs.He staffs the agency with experts in trade and economics to ensure that the standards make sense and are followed strictly.However,he loses his bid for re-election.The incoming president believes that trade regulations are harmful,and cuts funding to the agency.This is an example of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  police-patrol oversight 
B)  fire-alarm oversight 
C)  bureaucratic drift 
D)  coalitional drift 
E)  bureaucratic capture

Question 16

What is the principal advantage of fire-alarm oversight over police-patrol oversight?

Accepted Answer

A)  relatively low costs for Congress to monitor agencies 
B)  increased contact between Congress and agencies 
C)  minimized reliance on interest groups and citizens 
D)  greater contact between Congress and the presidency 
E)  reduced risk of coalition drift

Question 17

While in office,President George W.Bush appointed an ambassador to France even though the appointee did not speak French.Should this be prevented by the Pendleton Act?

Accepted Answer

A)  No, because the Pendleton Act is primarily concerned with making it illegal to pay dues to a political party in return for a job. 
B)  No, because the Pendleton Act only protects some layers of the national bureaucracy. 
C)  No, because it should have been prevented by the Administrative Procedures Act. 
D)  Yes, because the Pendleton Act is designed to prevent bureaucratic corruption. 
E)  Yes, because the Pendleton Act is designed to keep elected officials from being able to give any jobs to their supporters.

Question 18

What is an "iron triangle?" What institutions are part of an iron triangle,and how do they interact? How does the structure of an iron triangle support effective governance? How do iron triangles promote inefficiencies and bad public policies?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is an "iron triangle?" What institutions...

Question 19

Which term describes a formal agreement in which the government hires a company or an organization to carry out certain tasks on its behalf?

Accepted Answer