Question 1

In 1937, the Committee on Administrative Management claimed that "the president needs help" because

Accepted Answer

A) President Roosevelt had serious health problems related to polio and could not fulfill all of the constitutional responsibilities of the presidency. 
B) President Roosevelt needed to devote all of his energy to guiding the American military's efforts in World War II and he could not effectively manage the federal bureaucracy. 
C) the "spoils system" had filled the executive branch with Republicans who were refusing to enact key parts of President Roosevelt's agenda. 
D) the national government had grown rapidly during the preceding 25 years, but the structures and procedures necessary to manage the burgeoning executive branch had not yet been established.

Question 2

Why did the length of time required to develop an administrative rule grow from an average of 15 months to an average of more than 35 months over the last four decades?

Accepted Answer

A) The federal government is now required to allow the public to vote on all new rules during either a midterm congressional or presidential election. 
B) The federal government must now consult all 50 state governments before a rule can be implemented. 
C) The number of employees working in the federal government has grown dramatically, thereby increasing the number of people who must provide feedback on all new rules. 
D) There are now new procedures requiring more public notice, more public hearings, more cost-benefit analysis, and stronger legal obligations to prepare "environmental impact statements."

Question 3

The Civil Service Act of 1883 attempted to pattern government hiring after practices found in

Accepted Answer

A) business. 
B) the Catholic church. 
C) Congress. 
D) local government.

Question 4

When the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee launched a 2016 inquiry into a sudden 500-percent price hike in EpiPens (which are used to treat severe allergic reactions),
It was an example of ________ oversight.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Why are state governments more likely than the federal government to cut spending on programs that serve low-income residents?

Accepted Answer

A) State governments cannot run deficits as the federal government can, and state governments have more limited taxing capabilities than the federal government. 
B) The federal government cannot run deficits as state governments can, and the federal government has more limited taxing capabilities than state governments. 
C) The federal government must abide by the "general welfare" clause of the Constitution and provide minimal levels of support for low-income residents, while state governments do not. 
D) State governments only began enacting spending programs for low-income residents in the 1990s, while the federal government has been providing such services since the 1800s.

Question 6

Line agencies are

Accepted Answer

A) departments, bureaus, or independent agencies whose primary mission is to regulate economic activity. 
B) government agencies that perform a market-oriented public service and raise revenues to fund their activities. 
C) agencies that are not part of any cabinet department and not subject to congressional oversight. 
D) bureau-level agencies that deal directly with the public.

Question 7

President Ronald Reagan's inability to dismantle the Department of Education reflects the power of

Accepted Answer

A) the merit system. 
B) iron triangles. 
C) devolution. 
D) the mass media.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about congressional oversight of the bureaucracy is MOST accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) The number of oversight hearings has decreased over time as the bureaucracy has expanded. 
B) Although the number of oversight hearings has increased over time as the bureaucracy has expanded, the extent of oversight does depend somewhat on which party controls the White House. 
C) The number of oversight hearings has remained constant over time, despite the fact that bureaucracy has expanded. 
D) Oversight has been eliminated as a result of a 2012 Supreme Court decision.

Question 9

By 2000, the National Performance Review had succeeded in ________ the federal workforce by approximately ________ jobs.

Accepted Answer

A) cutting; 270,000 
B) cutting; 425,000 
C) increasing; 270,000 
D) increasing; 425,000

Question 10

The amount of national debt that can be issued by the Treasury is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A) sequestration. 
B) the fiscal gap. 
C) the treasury cap. 
D) the debt ceiling.

Question 11

Approximately ________ percent of the nation's employed workforce is an employee of a state or local government.

Accepted Answer

A) 1 
B) 4 
C) 14 
D) 34

Question 12

________ is the primary mission of the State Department.

Accepted Answer

A) Military protection 
B) Diplomacy 
C) International aid 
D) National security

Question 13

What is a government corporation?

Accepted Answer

A) Each department in the executive branch is legally registered as a corporation. 
B) It is an agency that performs and charges for services usually provided by the private sector. 
C) It is a private company, publicly traded, whose sole investor is the federal government. 
D) It is a government agency that is charged by Congress to make a profit.

Question 14

In 1988, Congress established the ________ to decide on military base closings, allowing Congress only an up or down vote on the group's proposals.

Accepted Answer

A) Department of Homeland Security 
B) National Security Council 
C) Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRA
C)  
D) Unified Combatant Commands

Question 15

Which government agencies designed a $700-billion bailout package and convinced Congress that a rapid response was needed to avert a worldwide depression in 2008?

Accepted Answer

A) the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve System 
B) the Department of Commerce and the Office of Management and Budget 
C) the Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers 
D) the Department of Commerce and the Council of Economic Advisers

Question 16

During the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W.Bush, ________ federal agencies or programs were terminated.

Accepted Answer

A) 0 
B) 10 
C) 156 
D) 849

Question 17

By the 1980s, the average length of time it took to develop and implement an administrative rule was approximately

Accepted Answer

A) two weeks. 
B) six months. 
C) 35 months. 
D) six years.

Question 18

Public bureaucracies are powerful because

Accepted Answer

A) they are not subject to control by the president or Congress. 
B) their actions cannot be overturned or challenged by courts. 
C) they have the power of both "the purse" and "the sword." 
D) legislatures, chief executives, and the people delegate vast power to them to make sure a particular job is done.

Question 19

The Department of Defense was

Accepted Answer

A) established in Article I of the Constitution. 
B) created in 1947 after concerns arose during World War II that the Departments of War and Navy were insufficiently integrated to fight effectively. 
C) created in 1865 after the Civil War ended and Union and Confederate soldiers needed to be integrated into a single armed forces. 
D) created in 1814 after British forces burned the capital in Washington.

Question 20

Which of the following statements best characterizes the government's spending on federal contracts in recent years?

Accepted Answer

A) The amount of spending on federal contracts has remained the same since 2000. 
B) The amount of spending on federal contracts has decreased steadily since 2000. 
C) The amount of spending on federal contracts has increased significantly overall since 2000, but for the first time in 13 years, spending on outside contractors declined in 2011. 
D) The amount spent on federal contracts declined between 2000 and 2005 but has dramatically increased since 2005.

Exam 14: Bureaucracy in a Democracy