Deck 14: Executives and Bureaucracies

Question 1

Labeled as "hands-off" by critics, President Reagan notably took __________.

A)brisk walks and laborious hikes
B)afternoon naps and frequent vacations
C)road trips and long showers
D)afternoon tea and second desserts

Answer 1

B

Question 2

How did Israel's practice of directly electing prime ministers prove that combining parliamentary and presidentialism does not create a stable government?

A)Israelis voted for smaller parties to make up the legislature, resulting in a fractionated Knesset that could easily vote out the prime minister via a motion of confidence.
B)Israeli voters elected a prime minister from a minority party and chose only majority party members for the legislature.
C)The hybrid system was met with a lower voter turnout than in previous years.
D)After voting for a prime minister, many Israeli voters did not participate in the election of the legislature.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Choose a graph to best compare the age of voters and voter activity within the Unites States.

A)Bar graph
B)Line graph
C)Scatter plot
D)Pie chart

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Provide an example of what happens when a President takes on a more "hands-off" approach.

A)The president grows stressed and tired after devoting a great deal of time to their administration.
B)Senators must decide whether or not soldiers are sent into war if the president cannot make the decision on his own.
C)After receiving only general directions from the president, subordinates commit an illegal transaction of goods and transfer money overseas.
D)Subordinates of the administration receive both blame and praise for decisions made by the president.

Question 5

Who directly calls forth the leader of the largest party to take office with a cabinet and become the prime minister?

A)The voters
B)Parliament
C)The monarch
D)The House of Commons

Question 6

Distinguish the process that a parliamentary system uses to oust a chief executive from the one available in the United States presidential system.

A)Parliamentary systems rely on impeachment, presidential ones rely on constructive no confidence.
B)Parliamentary systems use constructive no confidence while presidential systems have the option of impeachment.
C)The prime minister can dissolve parliament and the president can resign from office.
D)Parliamentary systems can hold a vote of no confidence and presidential ones have the option of impeachment.

Question 7

As the executive sees increased power, the __________ suffer a decrease.

A)cabinet
B)voters
C)legislatures
D)military

Question 8

When it comes to electing officials, which factor matters the most to voters in both presidential and parliamentary elections?

A)Party affiliation
B)Political ideologies
C)Money invested in campaign
D)Personality

Question 9

What is considered the "trump card" for a democracy?

A)Electoral punishment
B)Impeachment
C)Electoral college
D)Checks and balances

Question 10

How many years does a president serve in France's semipresidential system?

A)eight
B)seven
C)four
D)five

Question 11

Describe how the election process in a parliamentary system slightly resembles presidential elections in the United States.

A)Party chiefs run as candidates for prime minister.
B)Citizens vote directly for the each new prime minister.
C)Citizens vote for a party member with the knowledge that the next prime minister will be the head of the largest party.
D)The prime minister is appointed for a four-year term and can be reappointed one time.

Question 12

Who receives the most attention in both parliamentary and presidential systems?

A)Head of state
B)Chief executive
C)The legislature
D)Voting citizens

Question 13

Explain the process by which the Chancellor of Germany can be ousted.

A)The chancellor is tried by the Bundestag, resulting in an impeachment.
B)The chancellor can be ousted by using "constructive no confidence," in which the Bundestag votes in a replacement cabinet.
C)The Bundestag holds a majority vote to oust the chancellor.
D)The chancellor can be ousted with "constructive no confidence," in which a replacement cabinet overthrows the current chancellor.

Question 14

Indicate which graph you would use if you wanted each data point to lead up to the following data point.

A)Bar graph
B)Scatter plot
C)Flow chart
D)Line graph

Question 15

How did President Reagan earn a second term in spite of his "hands-off" approach?

A)He promised to take on a more "hands-on" approach during his second term.
B)Citizens saw little to no flaws with his "hands-off" approach.
C)He switched to a more "hands-on" approach in the months leading up to the election.
D)He focused on his personality and ability to project a calm mood amongst citizens.

Question 16

Greenstein referred to Eisenhower's presidency as the __________ presidency.

A)"hands-off"
B)"hands-on"
C)"hidden-hand"
D)"open-hand"

Question 17

The only political system that could guarantee the cooperation between the legislative and executive branches is __________.

A)a monarchy
B)a dictatorship
C)a democracy
D)an oligarchy

Question 18

You should use a bar graph to __________.

A)demonstrate and plot change over time
B)compare the differences between several items at the same time
C)use more than one color for each item presented
D)only for data that trends upwards, never downwards

Question 19

Which country refers to its prime minister as a chancellor?

A)Italy
B)Germany
C)Britain
D)France

Question 20

The head of ministry is equivalent to the __________ in the United States.

A)chief of government
B)head of state
C)departmental secretary
D)premier

Question 21

One who is not interested in or participating in politics is __________.

A)anti-political
B)anarchical
C)anti-establishment
D)apolitical

Question 22

Describe how the United States expands its cabinet.

A)The president can create a new department at his or her will.
B)Congress must agree on the new department and provisions for its funds must be made.
C)In order for a new department to be developed, a former one must be deleted.
D)New departments are no longer developed.

Question 23

How does the addition of the Department of Energy exemplify the United States' tendency to rely on the marketplace to make its decisions?

A)The department was created when the United States became a leading industry of energy supply.
B)The department was created in response to the 1970s energy crisis, in which many nations had reached a shortage of energy supply.
C)The department was created in order to keep up with parliamentary systems that created their own ministries devoted to issues related to energy.
D)The department was created in response to the 1970's energy crisis, in which many nations had an abundance of energy supply.

Question 24

What is the role of cabinet members?

A)Cabinet members assist chief executives by designing and heading their own divisions of government.
B)Cabinet members work independently from chief executives by heading a major executive division of government.
C)Cabinets members assist chief executives by heading a major executive division of government.
D)Cabinet members work independently from chief executives by designing and heading their own divisions of government.

Question 25

How is the Roman Catholic Church bureaucratic in an ideal sense?

A)The Pope, in most cases, must carry out his term until death.
B)People donate large amounts of money to the Roman Catholic Church on an annual basis.
C)It was established during the Middle Ages, and therefore has a long history of tradition.
D)There is a chain of command in which the power starts with the Pope and moves down to the priest of the church.

Question 26

Would the United States government be classified as a bureaucracy if we eliminated the chain of command for the president?

A)No, because a bureaucracy cannot exist without some sort of hierarchy of authority.
B)Yes, because a bureaucracy naturally exists within any large organization.
C)Yes, because the chain of command cannot be eliminated.
D)Yes, because we would still have democracy, a key component to bureaucracy.

Question 27

If you have no bureaucracy, you have no __________.

A)democracy
B)chief executive
C)presidential system
D)government

Question 28

Each division of government in a parliamentary system is headed by a __________.

A)secretary
B)president
C)prime minister
D)minister

Question 29

Cabinets in the United States are comprised of __________ members.

A)20 or more
B)10 or less
C)a total of 15
D)a total of 20

Question 30

Describe a career civil servant.

A)A civil servant who is elected based on their knowledge of a specialized area
B)A professional civil servant who is not a political appointee, but answers to elected officials
C)A civil servant who provides consultation to elected officials and does not have to abide by certain laws as other civil servants do
D)A civil servant who works under an elected official with the intent of running for election one day

Question 31

The current U.S.cabinets employ between __________ and __________ percent of all federal civil servants.

A)80; 90
B)75; 80
C)85; 90
D)70; 80

Question 32

Explain what happened to Japan's economic state after World War II?

A)The economy crumbled and remained in disarray until the 1990s.
B)World War II did not affect Japan's economic state, which had been prosperous before the war.
C)The economy experienced an intense growth that lasted until the 1990s.
D)World War II boosted Japan's economy, which has been consistently growing ever since.

Question 33

In the case of both parliamentary and presidential systems, examine the reason democracies will not vanish, even though the executive seems to be receiving more and more power.

A)Checks and balances keep the chief executive from gaining too much power.
B)Chief executives will eventually have to face reelection, which depends greatly on the approval of voting citizens.
C)Both systems have methods by which to oust chief executives.
D)Subordinates carry out some of the workload of the chief executive.

Question 34

Why is it that few Americans can name three or more cabinet members?

A)Cabinet members are primarily responsible for asking Congress for money to fund their departments, meaning they aren't in the public eye as much.
B)Given the amount of departments within the United States, Americans only learn about those in which they are interested.
C)Because Americans do not directly elect cabinet members, they are unaware of who hold the positions.
D)Few cabinet members are actually well-known politicians.

Question 35

Which department emerged as a response to unemployed workers?

A)Department of Health and Human Services
B)Department of Homeland Security
C)Department of Labor
D)Department of Housing and Urban Development

Question 36

Explain which type of candidate parliamentary systems seek out to become ministers.

A)Those who have experience winning elections and serving on a parliamentary committee
B)Newcomers who can bring in a fresh perspective to the ministry
C)Individuals who possess a great knowledge of the specific ministry's area
D)Those who have political experience regardless of whether or not they have been elected in the past

Question 37

What are the differences between a "temporary government" and a "permanent government?"

A)Elected officials make up the "temporary government" while civil service make up the "permanent government."
B)Civil service makes up the "temporary government" while elected officials make up the "permanent government."
C)The "temporary government" is another name for bureaucracy while "permanent government" refers to civil service.
D)The "temporary government" refers to civil service while the "permanent government" is another name for bureaucracy.

Question 38

Examine how a chain of command betters a bureaucracy.

A)A chain of command creates a sense of uniformity and predictability within a government system.
B)A chain of command establishes tradition, which is very important to bureaucracy.
C)A chain of command is the only way for a government to operate and function properly.
D)A chain of command does not better a bureaucracy.

Question 39

A __________ is any large organization of appointed officials who implement laws and policies.

A)government
B)bureaucracy
C)democracy
D)cabinet

Question 40

Which country referred to its state nobility as the Junkers?

A)Germany
B)Prussia
C)France
D)Britain

Question 41

If your thesis and graph results do not match it means the data you collected is incorrect and you should start over until you find results that match your thesis.

Question 42

How do Americans typically view bureaucrats?

A)As overpaid workers who stir up trouble
B)As necessary components within the government
C)As individuals who hold no real power
D)As liaisons between the voting citizens and the elected officials

Question 43

In the American presidential system, Congress possesses the ability to increase the powers of the executive branch in extreme cases where the nation's safety is at risk.

Question 44

What evidence can you present in support of the reformation of Japan's bureaucracy?

A)Some believe that "no one is in charge" in Japan.
B)The vice minister has more power than the minister of a ministry.
C)Japanese civil servants retire at younger ages.
D)Bureaucratic supervision has led to a flat economy after decades of economic prosperity.

Question 45

If the pattern moves upward, it shows growth in a line graph, but demonstrates a decline in a bar graph.

Question 46

The efficiency with which goods or services are produced is __________.

A)Parkinson's Law
B)profitability
C)productivity
D)economic growth

Question 47

In what ways are French and Japanese bureaucracies similar?

A)Japan's vice ministers carry out much of the same tasks as France's permanent secretaries.
B)Both countries are heavily bureaucratized, with Japan having been modeled after France's civil servants.
C)Bureaucrats in Japan and France work in complete tandem with elected officials.
D)Japanese and French bureaucrats focus primarily on finances and the economy.

Question 48

As the primus inter pares, the prime minister cannot dismiss any ministers in his cabinet unless he or she appointed them.

Question 49

Which country became the least corrupt Latin American country by cutting back on its number of bureaucrats?

A)Argentina
B)Chile
C)Mexico
D)Peru

Question 50

How are health warnings on cigarettes an example of bureaucracies having more power than Congress in some cases?

A)Congress needed the approval of both the Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health and the surgeon general before requiring cigarette manufacturers to print health warnings.
B)The Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health worked in tandem with the surgeon general to petition for cigarette manufacturers to print health warning, eventually forcing manufacturers to comply.
C)The Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health and the surgeon general used data indicating that cigarettes increased lung cancer to put pressure on Congress, which eventually forced manufacturers to print warnings.
D)Congress did not have the power to require cigarette manufacturers to print health warning on their label, but the Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health and the surgeon general did.

Question 51

How do countries like Finland and Singapore avoid corruption within their public administration when corruption seems to plague nearly all bureaucracies?

A)They have scaled back on the number of bureaucrats, allowing for fewer officials to commit heinous acts.
B)Both countries have a lower number of regulations compared to other countries around the world.
C)Their professional bureaucrats do not make public policy, they only carry out laws established by elected officials.
D)The cultures of these countries place a great emphasis on public service, allowing them to keep corruption out of their administration.

Question 52

Discuss the differences between Germany's bureaucrats and those of the U.S.and Britain.

A)German bureaucrats believe that the law is flexible, whereas those in the U.S. and Britain see it as a set system of codes.
B)German bureaucrats do not have a background in law, while those in the U.S. and Britain are often educated in law.
C)German bureaucrats have a background in law that allows them to see the law as a set system of codes, whereas those in the U.S. and Britain manage to see law in a similar way without the required background.
D)German bureaucrats believe the law is a set system of codes, while those in the U.S. and Britain see common law as more flexible.

Question 53

Explain the effects of having more regulations within a bureaucracy.

A)More bureaucrats emerge when more regulations are instilled, resulting in more corruption.
B)More regulations lead to more organization within bureaucracy, resulting in less corruption.
C)More regulations eliminate the need for as many bureaucrats, resulting in less corruption.
D)More corruption occurs when more regulations are instilled due to less bureaucrats being needed.

Question 54

The military is considered a bureaucratic system.

Question 55

In 1870 Britain established a merit civil service that focused on competitive exams over patronage to combat issues of nepotism and corruption within the bureaucracy.

Question 56

In the United States, cabinet members are elected officials.

Question 57

Explain how corruption still occurs within China, even though party members are supposed to combat such occurrences.

A)China's authoritarian government depends on the cadres, who engage in corruptive practices such as accepting bribes and fake "taxes," to run the country.
B)The Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection expels party members who do not agree with the cadres' corruptive practices, thereby eliminating the opposition.
C)China's Communist system prevents any of its officials from losing power.
D)Any corruption done by the cadres does not hurt the regime in anyway.

Question 58

The Five-Year Plans refers to Hitler's plans for rapid, centrally administered industrial growth in Germany during the Third Reich.

Question 59

Demonstrate how the majority of civil servants in the United States are employed by the local government.

A)Local government provides many government services including schools and police, resulting in a greater number of civil servants at the local level.
B)The majority of people are employed by local government because there are more of them in the nation than state or federal governments.
C)Local government creates jobs that are easier to obtain than state or federal.
D)Most people start out at the local government level before advancing to the state and federal levels.

Question 60

In a presidential system, a deadlock refers to the executive and legislative branches blocking each other.

Question 61

How does the United States bureaucratic system compare with more communist ones, like China and the Soviet Union?

Question 62

Interpret what Max Weber means when he claims that bureaucracy is unavoidable.

Question 63

The "deadlock of democracy" in the United States is analogous to __________ in the parliamentary system.

Question 64

How long can a prime minister remain in office compared to a president? Why are executive terms established for presidents but not prime ministers? How do fixed terms place a check on presidents? Are there any downfalls to the fixed term? Does either method seem more efficient?

Question 65

Parkinson's Law refers to the concept that work is completed ahead of schedule as to accomplish as much as possible in any given amount of time.

Question 66

Discuss the ways in which a president can find the middle ground between being hands-on and hands-off.

Question 67

Compare and contrast cabinet ministers with departmental secretaries.Provide examples in your discussion of their similarities and differences.How might cabinet ministers be better equipped for their role? What problems do department secretaries typically have?

Question 68

The __________ fiasco occurred under Reagan's presidency.

Question 69

Many Western European governments added __________ to their cabinets in the 1980s.

Question 70

What powers do prime ministers possess that could possibly benefit the United States president if he or she also had them?

Question 71

Financiers gutted the regulatory role of the __________, leading to its part in the 2008 financial crisis.

Question 72

Out of the __________ presidents who were impeached by the House, __________ was the only one to resign.

Question 73

Covariance compares how two or more items __________.

Question 74

How is Japan an example of a more extreme bureaucratic system? Are there any benefits to a bureaucratic system run like this? What are the consequences? If a bureaucratic system such as this fumbles, what can be done to repair the damages?

Question 75

When a minister disagrees with government policy, they are expected to resign and return to their seats in __________.

Question 76

How does the United States cabinet system sometimes resemble the European cabinet system?

Question 77

Due to their apolitical nature, British bureaucrats __________ the ministry's policies regardless of who has the most power.

Question 78

Describe what it means to be a bureaucracy.Would bureaucracy function without the career civil service? Explain.Given what we know, does Britain have a tighter bureaucracy than the United States? Why or why not? Indicate what this reveals about the United States?

Question 79

Hitler gained supporters with the rise of the Third Reich, which brought about the fall of the Weimar Republic in 1933, because the civil servant class loathed __________.

Question 80

Based on qualifications pertaining to their educational background and examinations, civil servants are __________ officials.