Deck 12: The Federal Bureaucracy and the Public Policy Process

Question 1

How does Congress exercise control over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?

A)by issuing executive orders
B)by issuing reports through the Office of Management and Budget
C)by nominating appointees to key positions in federal agencies
D)by confirming appointees to key positions in federal agencies

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which law designates the steps that federal agencies must follow in issuing rules and regulations?

A)the Administrative Procedure Act
B)the Freedom of Information Act
C)the Hatch Act
D)the Pendleton Act

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The central clearance system serves what purpose?

A)ensuring that the actions of agencies and departments are in line with the president's goals
B)aiding Congress in investigating the actions of agencies and departments
C)reigning in uncontrollable spending
D)ensuring that presidential nominees to key positions in the executive branch are confirmed by the Senate

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The second-largest and fastest-rising source of federal revenue comes from __________ taxes.

A)sales
B)payroll
C)corporate income
D)excise

Question 5

The __________ is a form of organization that delivers goods and services at the lowest cost through specialization of jobs,close supervision of employees,and uniform regulations and procedures.

A)administration
B)bureaucracy
C)cabinet
D)civil service

Question 6

On the issue of global warming,the president has decided not to pursue a national-level policy,but rather to instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to study the issue.The knowledge produced by the EPA is an example of __________.

A)the issue attention cycle
B)a symbolic benefit of public policy
C)a material benefit of public policy
D)incremental policy

Question 7

What type of groups has been created because of Ralph Nader's citizen's movement?

A)Citizens for Responsive Government Groups (CRGGs)
B)Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs)
C)Citizens for Responsible Government Leagues (CRGLs)
D)Public Action Leagues (PALs)

Question 8

The process of making public policy is best described as __________.

A)logical
B)unpredictable
C)efficient
D)unreasonable

Question 9

Under the spoils system,who was awarded jobs in the federal bureaucracy?

A)those who did not affiliate with a political party
B)those who previously served in the military
C)those who previously held elected office
D)those who helped candidates win elections

Question 10

Presidential appointees in the federal bureaucracy __________.

A)may remain in office until there is a new party majority in Congress
B)generally leave their post at the end of the president's term in office
C)often remain in office despite political changes
D)serve fixed terms of office lasting two years

Question 11

The discretionary budget includes spending for __________.

A)Social Security
B)Medicare
C)health research
D)disaster relief

Question 12

On what basis are people hired to be part of the Senior Executive Service?

A)their party affiliation
B)their length of service in government
C)their experience in international diplomacy
D)their leadership and management skills

Question 13

The __________ is the independent regulatory agency that sets interest rates on Treasury notes.

A)Federal Reserve Board
B)Federal National Mortgage Association
C)Federal Trade Commission
D)Securities and Exchange Commission

Question 14

What are the four broad types of departments and agencies for which federal employees work?

A)federal departments,state departments,independent agencies,and independent regulatory commissions
B)departments,cabinets,independent agencies,and independent regulatory commissions
C)departments,administrations,independent agencies,and independent regulatory commissions
D)departments,independent stand-alone agencies,independent regulatory commissions,and government corporations

Question 15

The __________ was one of the first executive branch departments in the U.S.government.

A)Department of Agriculture
B)Department of the Interior
C)Commerce Department
D)Treasury Department

Question 16

__________ are rules created by government agencies that determine how laws are implemented.

A)Policies
B)Regulations
C)Standards
D)Statutes

Question 17

The largest organizational unit in the federal bureaucracy is a(n)__________.

A)agency
B)bureau
C)corporation
D)department

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a bureaucratic organization?

A)the Department of Defense
B)the U.S.House of Representatives
C)the U.S.Supreme Court
D)the Democratic Party

Question 19

The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in what activity?

A)exercising administrative discretion
B)running for elected office
C)refusing to implement laws passed by Congress
D)ignoring the directives of the president

Question 20

Senior officers of government are appointed by __________ and confirmed by __________.

A)the president;the Senate
B)the president;the House of Representatives
C)the president;the Supreme Court
D)the Senate;the president

Question 21

Which statement best describes what political scientists call a nondecision in the public policy process?

A)The policy problem was based on a false assumption.
B)The process stops before final action.
C)No policy problem is identified.
D)The process does not begin.

Question 22

Public policies typically reproduce what two types of solutions?

A)economic and social
B)national and international
C)material and symbolic
D)federal and state

Question 23

Which of the following is a function of departments and agencies within the federal bureaucracy?

A)issuing executive orders
B)issuing executive agreements
C)implementing public policies
D)reviewing court decisions

Question 24

One purpose of the Administrative Procedure Act is to __________.

A)ensure opportunities for public participation in the rule-making process
B)give federal agencies greater discretion in the rule-making process
C)streamline bureaucratic activities in the rule-making process
D)give the president greater control over the rule-making process

Question 25

In the area of veterans' affairs,what would be the components of an iron triangle?

A)the president,the Defense Department,the Department of Veterans Affairs
B)the Defense Department,the Department of Veterans Affairs,the Senate Veterans Committee
C)the Department of Veterans Affairs,the National Security Agency,the Senate Veterans Committee
D)the Department of Veterans Affairs,the Senate Veterans Committee,the Veterans of Foreign Wars

Question 26

Independent regulatory commissions are not completely independent,as indicated by the fact that __________.

A)their decisions can be overturned by Congress
B)commissioners can be removed from office at any time
C)their decisions are subject to judicial review
D)the president has input into their decisions

Question 27

The __________ is the list of issues that the federal government pays attention to.

A)policy agenda
B)Federal Register
C)legislative calendar
D)administrative calendar

Question 28

How does the president exercise control over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?

A)by confirming federal appointees
B)by nominating federal appointees
C)by signing executive agreements
D)by creating or abolishing agencies

Question 29

Congress and the president share which of the following powers over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?

A)the power to influence budgets
B)the power to issue executive orders
C)the power to hold oversight hearings
D)the power to use inspectors general

Question 30

__________ refers to efforts by Congress and the president to assure faithful execution of the laws.

A)Administrative discretion
B)Oversight
C)The civil service system
D)The public policy process

Question 31

Which of the following is an entitlement program?

A)student loans
B)Medicare
C)highway construction
D)health research

Question 32

What role is the Environmental Protection Agency taking when it sets limits on air pollution from power plants?

A)regulation
B)adjudication
C)intervention
D)oversight

Question 33

A woman is most likely to be employed in which of the following departments?

A)the Department of Housing and Urban Development
B)the Department of Defense
C)the Department of Energy
D)the Department of Transportation

Question 34

You are a federal employee who has recently learned that a newly hired staff member in your agency may have been chosen based on criteria other than qualifications for the position.What body should you take this information to?

A)the Department of Labor
B)the Merit Systems Protection Board
C)Congress
D)the Government Accountability Office

Question 35

Based on Downs's issue-attention cycle,what is one reason that policy issues fade from public attention?

A)The problem has no known solution.
B)Congress blocks action on the policy proposal.
C)People realize that solving the problem will be costly.
D)The policy is enacted,and people believe that nothing more can be done.

Question 36

Federal policies that reduce benefits for all groups,often by imposing regulations or taxes that govern everyone,rich or poor,are called __________ policies.

A)reverse distributive
B)redistributive
C)distributive
D)public

Question 37

The Serve America Act in 2009 expanded which of the following?

A)Teach for America
B)Youth Build
C)AmeriCorps
D)Habitat for Humanity

Question 38

How do independent regulatory commissions differ from independent stand-alone agencies?

A)Unlike independent agencies,regulatory commissions are headed by a single administrator.
B)Unlike independent agencies,regulatory commissions are part of the president's cabinet.
C)Unlike independent agencies,regulatory commissions do not report directly to the president.
D)Unlike independent agencies,regulatory commissions are allowed to charge for their services.

Question 39

What method was used to create the Department of Homeland Security?

A)An entirely new agency was created.
B)An independent agency was elevated to department-level status.
C)An existing department was broken up.
D)Already-existing agencies were merged into a new organization.

Question 40

What phenomenon is illustrated by a sudden spike in public concern about global warming followed by a gradual fading of the issue from the center of public and governmental attention?

A)the public policy process
B)the issue-attention cycle
C)incremental policy change
D)the power of iron triangles

Question 41

Which of the following is a widely recognized flaw in the federal bureaucracy?

A)duplication and overlap among programs
B)the small size of the executive branch
C)the high degree of turnover in government jobs
D)the lack of transparency in rule-making

Question 42

Why do some scholars consider issue networks as a form of elitism?

A)because they are small,well financed,and influential in shaping policy
B)because they focus on technical issues that the public cannot understand
C)because they require their members to have advanced educational degrees
D)because they focus on issues of concern to wealthy people

Question 43

How are cabinet secretaries similar to independent agency administrators?

A)Both are appointed by the president.
B)Neither can be fired by the president.
C)Both are part of the federal civil service system.
D)Both can be removed from office by Congress.

Question 44

Iron triangles have been replaced by issue networks for which of the following reasons?

A)The increase in corporate-sponsored interest groups made one corner of the iron triangle too powerful.
B)Because interest groups no longer have the kinds of influence they once had,public opinion as gleaned through polls has taken their place.
C)Issue networks consist of large numbers of individuals who are specialized in different fields and can provide Congress with needed information that the members of the iron triangle could not.
D)Increasing numbers of small,highly specialized groups have made one corner of the iron triangle harder to fill with a steady occupant.

Question 45

What was the purpose of the Hatch Act?

A)to prohibit federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity
B)to promote transparency in the federal bureaucracy
C)to prohibit awarding government jobs based on partisan loyalty
D)to authorize greater use of discretion in bureaucratic decision-making

Question 46

Which of the following is a redistributive policy?

A)an increase in defense spending to build more ships
B)an improvement program for national parks
C)an educational program for poor minority high school students
D)funding to build a new interstate highway

Question 47

Under what circumstance are bureaucrats most likely to exercise discretion?

A)when an agency is creating environmental regulations
B)when an agency is under congressional investigation
C)when an agency is implementing a law that contains ambiguity
D)when an agency is elevated to the status of a cabinet department

Question 48

What did the Framers assume about the executive branch of the federal government?

A)that it would be relatively small
B)that it would make use of a patronage or spoils system
C)that it would grow over time
D)that it would be largely overseen by Congress

Question 49

In Downs's issue-attention cycle,the last stage is __________,described as a "prolonged limbo-a twilight realm of lesser attention or spasmodic recurrences of interest."

A)rule-making
B)the solution stage
C)implementation
D)the post-problem stage

Question 50

What advantage do cabinet departments have over other organizations in the federal bureaucracy?

A)Cabinet departments may operate independently from the presidency.
B)Cabinet officers cannot be fired as easily as other bureaucrats.
C)Cabinet departments typically have larger budgets.
D)Cabinet departments are more isolated and protected from partisan politics.

Question 51

When would Congress be most likely to allow a federal agency significant discretion in rule-making?

A)following a congressional election
B)following a presidential election
C)following the passage of a law that required multiple compromises
D)following the passage of a law supported by both political parties

Question 52

How does an iron triangle work in creating change in public policy?

A)Members of Congress protect their constituencies and interest groups;constituencies reelect the congressional representatives and give money to interest groups;and interest groups support members of Congress and their constituencies.
B)Interest groups provide funds to members of Congress and their constituencies,who in turn pressure the president to push through policies the interest groups want,at which point constituencies will give their economic support to interest groups.
C)Members of Congress protect agencies and interest groups;agencies give special services to interest groups and congressional representatives' constituencies;and interest groups support members of Congress and agencies.
D)Agencies supply services to the public and,in return,the public supports agency activities,which puts pressure on Congress to pass laws in favor of the agencies.

Question 53

Which of the following groups might want to use the Freedom of Information Clearinghouse as a resource?

A)citizens who want to access Federal Bureau of Investigation files about themselves
B)researchers who want to investigate cases that have involved government secrets
C)government officials who want to find out what citizens would like to see accomplished
D)citizens who want to become more involved in public policy issues

Question 54

Which of the following public policy approaches might result from a view that hard work does not necessarily pay off?

A)support for privatization of Social Security
B)an increase in the interest on student loans
C)an expansion of job training programs
D)reductions in the food stamp program

Question 55

Why was the Senior Executive Service created?

A)to give the president flexibility and mobility in managing government
B)to give Congress greater control over agency budgets
C)to make federal bureaucrats more accountable to voters
D)to reduce the influence of interest groups on agency decision-making

Question 56

What is an advantage of incremental policy over punctuating policy?

A)Incremental policies are easier to create.
B)Incremental policies tend to involve greater participation of citizens.
C)Incremental policies distribute benefits more broadly.
D)Incremental policies typically require less government spending.

Question 57

How is police patrol oversight different from fire alarm oversight?

A)Police patrol oversight is conducted by Congress,whereas fire alarm oversight is conducted by the president.
B)Police patrol oversight involves oversight by the judicial branch,whereas fire alarm oversight does not.
C)Police patrol oversight involves more frequent monitoring than fire alarm oversight.
D)Police patrol oversight allows for greater administrative discretion than fire alarm oversight.

Question 58

Which of the following groups is likely to have the most influence over the construction of regulations during the rule-making stage of the policy process?

A)citizens
B)interest groups
C)Congress
D)the media

Question 59

The Gulf oil spill of 2010 highlighted what central problem in the relationship between government agencies and the industries they regulate?

A)The agency in charge of setting safety standards for oil and gas drilling also issued permits to the oil industry,which created a conflict of interest.
B)British Petroleum was contributing large amounts of money to the campaign of the congressional representatives in charge of setting safety standards for oil and gas drilling,which created a conflict of interest.
C)The political appointee who headed the agency in charge of issuing permits held stock in the oil and gas industry and used his influence to push the department in charge of safety standards to look the other way.
D)A member of the oil industry served on the independent regulatory commission that set safety standards for oil and gas drilling,which created a conflict of interest.

Question 60

The __________ enforces the laws by representing the nation in court cases and investigates crimes through the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A)Department of Homeland Security
B)Department of State
C)Department of Justice
D)Department of Defense

Question 61

Under __________,jobs in the federal bureaucracy are awarded on the basis of skills and expertise.

Question 62

Regulations are usually created by Congress.

Question 63

Bureaucrats often have considerable discretion in the implementation of federal laws.

Question 64

Government corporations are allowed to make money through the sale of goods and services.

Question 65

Because the bureaucracy is so complex and full of red tape,citizens do not have much recourse when they are dissatisfied with public policy other than voting to change their representatives.

Question 66

Under the Constitution,the __________ is responsible for faithfully executing the laws on behalf of the president,Congress,and the judiciary.

Question 67

__________ often uses the Government Accountability Office to investigate the policies and performance of agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy.

Question 68

Since World War II,corporate income taxes have fallen steadily.

Question 69

Ralph Nader's book Unsafe at Any Speed documented the failure of the bureaucracy to detect the 2009 Christmas Day bombing plot and increased citizen involvement in government oversight.

Question 70

The Framers gave __________ the power to create new departments and agencies.

Question 71

According to the __________ Act,federal agencies must solicit comments from all parties affected by proposed regulations before issuing new rules and regulations.

Question 72

When the Obama administration entered office in 2009,it reversed direction on many of the Bush administration's policies on issues such as global warming.

Question 73

Both Congress and the president are involved in appointing individuals to key positions in the federal bureaucracy.

Question 74

The term bureaucrat is a complimentary term used to describe a career government employee.

Question 75

Each independent stand-alone agency in the executive branch is headed by a cabinet secretary.

Question 76

The policy process does not vary greatly throughout the world other than in the level of influence citizens have on it.

Question 77

Uncontrollable spending increased from 1962 to 2012.

Question 78

The president and Congress share oversight of the federal bureaucracy.

Question 79

The Environmental Protection Agency,an independent stand-alone agency,is subject to less congressional and presidential oversight than the U.S.Department of Agriculture.

Question 80

The Constitution designates the White House chief of staff as the federal government's administrator in chief.