Question 1

In his attempt to manage the federal bureaucracy, the president can use all of the following tools EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)  appointing top officials to lead government agencies.
B)  replacing low-level civil service employees with people loyal to the president.
C)  altering an agency's budget.
D)  changing an agency's organizational scheme. B

Question 2

The concept of oversight refers to the effort made by

Accepted Answer

A)  Congress to make executive agencies accountable for their actions.
B)  the president to make Congress accountable for its actions.
C)  the courts to make the legislative and executive branches responsible for their actions.
D)  the states to make the federal government responsible for its actions. A

Question 3

If the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a regularly scheduled hearing to receive updates on the implementation of health care laws by the Department of
Health and Human Services, it would be an example of ________ oversight.

Accepted Answer

A)  "health and well-being"
B)  "privatization"
C)  "police patrol"
D)  "fire alarm" C

Question 4

The phrase blended workforce refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  a recruitment and hiring policy implemented by the federal government in order to increase racial and ethnic diversity within the federal workforce.
B)  the federal government's policy of replacing 10 percent of all employees with automated technology by 2020.
C)  the fact that most federal employees now have appointments in two or more separate cabinet-level departments.
D)  the fact that contract employees now work side by side with government employees in most areas of government activity.

Question 5

Which of the following is an agency created by Congress to assist in overseeing the federal bureaucracy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Congressional Budget Office
B)  Congressional Office on Legislative Affairs
C)  Office of Management and Budget
D)  Congressional Oversight Office

Question 6

An iron triangle is the

Accepted Answer

A)  stable relationship between a bureaucratic agency, a clientele group, and a legislative committee.
B)  inability to reform federal rules without help from the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the president.
C)  domination of a few large companies in the regulation of iron mining and smelting.
D)  breakdown in the separation of powers between Congress, the federal judiciary, and the president.

Question 7

The phrase double government refers to the

Accepted Answer

A)  idea that bureaucrats may continue to pursue policies of their own preference outside of political or democratic control.
B)  fact that private companies provide many of the same services that government agencies do.
C)  notion that government requires twice as much time and twice as much money as private companies to accomplish the same goals.
D)  system in which both state governments and the federal government perform the same duties.

Question 8

The Freedom of Information Act is designed to

Accepted Answer

A)  lead to quicker filing of habeas corpus petitions.
B)  make more national security documents available to the public.
C)  prevent inefficiency and waste in government management.
D)  expand the freedom of speech granted to government employees.

Question 9

Which of the following executive agencies was created by Congress in the aftermath of the financial crisis that began in 2008?

Accepted Answer

A)  Federal Reserve Board
B)  Department of Housing and Urban Development
C)  Council of Economic Advisers
D)  Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Question 10

The mission of the National Performance Review was to

Accepted Answer

A)  reorganize the federal bureaucracy to make it more efficient, more accountable, and less wasteful.
B)  review each administrative agency every four years to determine whether it is necessary.
C)  analyze the job performance of federal employees.
D)  make recommendations to Congress on government reforms.

Question 11

Which of the following is an independent agency?

Accepted Answer

A)  U.S.Postal Service
B)  Department of Agriculture
C)  Environmental Protection Agency
D)  Forest Service

Question 12

The Financial Stability Oversight Council was created by

Accepted Answer

A)  President Roosevelt in 1939 to reduce unemployment and increase public-sector job opportunities.
B)  President Obama and Congress in 2010 to identify systemwide risks to the financial sector.
C)  Congress in 1965 to counter the growing influence of the Office of Management and Budget.
D)  President Reagan in 1980 to study the causes of inflation and make policy recommendations to reduce it.

Question 13

Environmental impact statements are

Accepted Answer

A)  amendments made to bills being debated in the House and Senate Environmental Protection committees.
B)  decrees issued by the president about climate change.
C)  policies written and implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency.
D)  reports demonstrating that a proposed rule or agency action will not have an unacceptably large negative impact on the human or physical environment.

Question 14

The different agencies of the executive branch can be grouped according to the different kinds of services they provide.Describe the three main categories of agencies.What kinds of services do they provide? Give some examples of each.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The different agencies of the executive branch...

Question 15

The ________ oversees the Coast Guard, the U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S.Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Accepted Answer

A)  U.S.Marine Corps
B)  secretary of defense
C)  U.S.Army
D)  Department of Homeland Security

Question 16

The Department of Health and Human Services

Accepted Answer

A)  administers the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program.
B)  has no influence over Medicare or Medicaid.
C)  is under the direct administrative control of the National Institutes of Health.
D)  administers Social Security.

Question 17

The ultimate repeal of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan demonstrates the fragility of government by

Accepted Answer

A)  congressional legislation, compared to government by judicial decisions.
B)  judicial decisions, compared to government by congressional legislation.
C)  bureaucratic rule making, compared to government by congressional legislation.
D)  congressional legislation, compared to government by bureaucratic rule making.

Question 18

Describe and evaluate the three key strategies politicians have used to promote reform in the federal bureaucracy.What are some of the challenges associated with each different approach? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe and evaluate the three key strategies...

Question 19

There are approximately ________ military personnel currently in the United States.

Accepted Answer

A)  100,000
B)  600,000
C)  900,000
D)  1.5 million

Question 20

Compared to private-sector workers, members of the full-time civilian federal workforce are ________ educated and ________ racially and ethnically diverse.

Accepted Answer

A)  less; more
B)  less; less
C)  more; more
D)  more; less

Exam 14: Bureaucracy in a Democracy