Deck 7: The Executive Branch

Question 1

What are the actual offices,tasks,and principles of organization that are employed to coordinate the work of personnel called?

A)polity
B)regime
C)delegacy
D)bureaucracy
E)republican government

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons the authors of the text give for having a bureaucracy?

A)Bureaucracies enhance efficiency.
B)Bureaucracies are the instruments of policy implementation.
C)Legislatures find it valuable to delegate.
D)Bureaucracies make the legislative process more deliberative.
E)Legislators prefer to avoid making detailed decisions.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What is a bureaucracy?

A)the place where bureaus are made
B)the loose network of presidential staffers and political consultants that sets the course of the nation
C)all the people who work for the government
D)the partnership between congressional committees,agencies,and organized interests
E)the complex structure of offices,tasks,rules,and principles of organization that are employed by all large-scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The application of rules and precedents to specific cases to settle disputes with regulated parties is:

A)oversight
B)rule making
C)administrative evil
D)administrative adjudication
E)civilian law

Question 5

A form of implementation in which bureaucrats try to discern and carry out the intention of their political superiors is known as:

A)undersight
B)adjudication
C)interpretation
D)representation
E)elucidation

Question 6

Once the rules for a federal public agency are approved,they:

A)supersede prior Supreme Court decisions
B)establish minimum standards for state-level regulation
C)are read aloud to the U.S.House and Senate
D)must be accepted by a referendum of affected industries and agencies
E)have the force of law

Question 7

Why do the authors of the text say bureaucracy makes government possible?

A)It makes for the efficient implementation of policy and allows a credible commitment to the long-term existence of a policy.
B)It takes the power to implement policy from the hands of corrupt politicians and places it in the hands of bureaucrats.
C)It increases the responsiveness of the government to the wishes of the people.
D)It removes politics from the policy-making process,putting apolitical bureaucrats in charge instead of politicians.
E)The workforce of government employees provides a powerful political force for expanding government spending.

Question 8

In the process of administrative adjudication,executive agencies act essentially like a(n):

A)legislature
B)court
C)police agency
D)interest group
E)therapist

Question 9

Which of the following is a constraint that government bureaucrats face to a greater degree than private (business)bureaucrats?

A)Government bureaucrats are often not allowed to keep a thorough paper trail.
B)Government bureaucrats are subject to much greater public scrutiny.
C)Government bureaucrats may not make Freedom of Information Act requests.
D)Government bureaucrats do not have to conform to the same strict standards for hiring and firing as private bureaucrats do.
E)Government bureaucrats must consider the effects of their decisions on company stock prices.

Question 10

Once the rules for a federal public agency are approved,where are they published?

A)National Record
B)Federal Register
C)Washington Post
D)Congressional Record
E)U.S.Regulatory Code

Question 11

The highest level of responsibility for specialized programs generally rests:

A)at the bureau level
B)at the cabinet level
C)with the judicial officer
D)with the general counsel
E)with the Supreme Court

Question 12

A quasi-legislative administrative process that produces regulations by government agencies is:

A)rule making
B)effectuation
C)adjudication
D)implementation
E)stare decisis

Question 13

In the United States,the head of a cabinet-level department is usually called a(n):

A)general
B)minister
C)secretary
D)chief adviser
E)ambassador

Question 14

The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security are both examples of the ________ level of bureaucracy.

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

Question 15

When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)specified that the congressional mandate to provide clean drinking water would be interpreted as meaning water could have no more than .01 microgram per liter of arsenic and still be considered safe for drinking,it exercised the power of:

A)rule making
B)bureaucratic oversight
C)discretionary effectuation
D)administrative adjudication
E)veto authority

Question 16

The primary task of bureaucracy is:

A)systems analysis
B)coordination
C)implementation
D)public relations
E)maximization

Question 17

As bureaucracies develop,these organizations often approximate the shape of a:

A)circle
B)square
C)pyramid
D)rectangle
E)pentagon

Question 18

What are the efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic routines called?

A)lex republica
B)effectuation
C)calcification
D)implementation
E)codification

Question 19

The U.S.Forest Service's ban on road building and development in national forests is an example of:

A)oversight
B)rule making
C)administrative evil
D)administrative adjudication
E)executive legislation

Question 20

What is the core of bureaucracy?

A)flexibility
B)division of labor
C)representative power
D)generalized functions
E)swift adaptation

Question 21

As long as the United States is not in a state of insurrection,which agency is tasked with conducting most of the nation's internal security?

A)National Security Service
B)Department of State
C)Agency for Internal Security
D)Department of Defense
E)Departments of Justice and Homeland Security

Question 22

The United States Post Office is an example of which type of bureaucratic structure?

A)cabinet department
B)independent agency
C)government corporation
D)independent regulatory commission
E)pyramid scheme

Question 23

In 1887,Congress established the ________ as the first independent regulatory agency.

A)Transportation Administration
B)Interstate Commerce Commission
C)Railroad Trust and Oversight Authority
D)Industry Safety and Accountability Board
E)National Institute for Standards and Technology

Question 24

What do the authors mean when they suggest clientele agencies provide "functional representation"?

A)Clientele agencies are held accountable by their clients if they fail to represent them properly
B)They learn the interests and needs of their clients,then advocate for them in Washington
C)Clientele agencies are composed of individuals that match the characteristics of their clients
D)Clientele agencies serve as trustees and do what they think is right for their clients,regardless of their expressed interests
E)Clients vote for members of the clientele agency to ensure they adequately represent their interests

Question 25

An agency with broad discretion to make rules and the expertise and time to promulgate them is called a(n):

A)cabinet department
B)independent agency
C)government corporation
D)nonprofit agency
E)independent regulatory commission

Question 26

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)is most accurately classified as a(n):

A)cabinet department
B)independent agency
C)government corporation
D)independent regulatory commission
E)government contractor

Question 27

The bureaucracy ensures political support among elected officials by locating military bases,contracts,facilities,and jobs in the various states and districts from which the legislators are elected according to the:

A)seeding theorem
B)fertilizer principle
C)distributive tendency
D)law of benefit dispersion
E)geographic decentralization

Question 28

Rules made by regulatory agencies and commissions are referred to as:

A)statutory law
B)civil ordinances
C)administrative legislation
D)bureaucratic adjudication
E)lex agencia

Question 29

Most clientele agencies locate a relatively large proportion of their total personnel in:

A)Washington,D.C.,to be close to the center of national governance
B)field offices dealing directly with those they serve
C)New York,to be near the nation's financial sector
D)the central states to support agricultural initiatives
E)overseas embassies to promote foreign trade

Question 30

Which two agencies take center stage among agencies for external national security?

A)the State Department and the FBI
B)the State Department and the Department of Defense
C)the Department of Defense and the FBI
D)the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security
E)the Department of State and the Department of International Affairs

Question 31

A department,bureau,or independent agency whose primary mission is to eliminate or restrict certain behaviors defined as negative (either in themselves or in their consequences)is called a(n):

A)independent commission
B)social agency
C)regulatory agency
D)agency for the maintenance of the union
E)prohibitive agency

Question 32

What is the most important revenue agency in the United States today?

A)Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
B)Department of the Treasury
C)Federal Reserve Bank
D)Division of Taxation
E)Federal Reserve

Question 33

A department or bureau of government whose mission is to promote,serve,or represent a particular interest is called a(n)________ agency.

A)welfare
B)revenue
C)clientele
D)regulatory
E)interest

Question 34

A governmental agency set up by Congress outside the departmental structure altogether is known as a(n):

A)cabinet department
B)independent agency
C)shell corporation
D)independent regulatory commission
E)rogue agency

Question 35

Which agencies influence the amount of money in the economy,who has money,who has credit,and incentives for saving and spending?

A)agencies of redistribution
B)agencies for the maintenance of the union
C)clientele agencies
D)regulatory agencies
E)Robin Hood agencies

Question 36

The primary task of the State Department is:

A)research
B)diplomacy
C)military planning
D)state and local relations
E)assassination

Question 37

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),which is not part of a cabinet department,is most accurately classified as a(n):

A)distinct bureau
B)multinational corporation
C)government corporation
D)independent regulatory commission
E)independent agency

Question 38

A type of government agency that is outside the departmental structure but operates more like a private business that charges for its services is called a(n):

A)cabinet department
B)independent agency
C)government corporation
D)independent regulatory commission
E)government contractor

Question 39

The primary political problem with the United States military is:

A)incompetence
B)pork-barrel politics
C)maintenance of civilian control
D)undue interference with the democratic process
E)declining marksmanship in the American population

Question 40

The Departments of Agriculture,Interior,Labor,and Commerce,each designed to serve or represent a particular set of interests,are most accurately classified together as:

A)welfare agencies
B)revenue agencies
C)clientele agencies
D)regulatory agencies
E)government corporations

Question 41

What is the largest federal welfare agency?

A)Department of Agriculture
B)Social Security Administration
C)Office of Medicare and Medicaid
D)Department of Health and Human Services
E)Department of Labor

Question 42

Policies having to do with banks,credit,and currency are generally referred to as:

A)fiscal
B)welfare
C)monetary
D)pecuniary
E)treasury

Question 43

Which of the following tasks is NOT a task of the Treasury Department?

A)managing the federal debt
B)printing currency
C)administering tax collection
D)regulating interest rates to influence the supply of money to banks
E)policing tax collection

Question 44

Which term defines the frequent phenomenon of bureaucratic implementation that produces policy more to the liking of the bureaucracy than originally legislated,but not so much as to trigger a political reaction from elected officials?

A)coalitional drift
B)agency freedom
C)administrative evil
D)administrative retargeting
E)bureaucratic drift

Question 45

Which choice is an example of a government department agency that is both an agency for the maintenance of the Union and a fiscal agency?

A)Treasury Department
B)Federal Reserve System
C)Congressional Budget Office
D)Securities and Exchange Commission
E)Bureau of the Budget

Question 46

Policies having to do with taxing and spending are generally referred to as:

A)fiscal
B)welfare
C)monetary
D)pecuniary
E)treasury

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT a plausible motivation for explaining the budget-maximizing behavior of bureaucrats?

A)the bureaucrats' desire to increase their own salaries
B)personal gratification,such as the prestige and respect that come from running a major enterprise
C)a desire for autonomy from changes in the partisan,political environment
D)obtaining a larger budget to serve the career interests of the bureaucrat
E)belief in the importance of the mission of the bureaucracy and wish to help people in their community

Question 48

By implementing the laws and policies passed by elected officials,bureaucrats can be seen as:

A)principals of Congress and the presidency
B)principals of the American people
C)simple "cogs in the machine" with little influence on policy
D)enablers of frequent sweeping change in public policy
E)agents of Congress and the presidency

Question 49

Which agency is responsible for adjusting the supply of money to the needs of banks in different regions and for the commerce and industry in each region?

A)Treasury Department
B)Federal Reserve System
C)Internal Revenue Service
D)Securities and Exchange Commission
E)Department of the Interior

Question 50

Which choice is an example of a powerful before-the-fact political weapon for controlling the bureaucracy?

A)sunset provision
B)procedural control
C)appointment process
D)appropriations process
E)congressional hearing

Question 51

In his classic treatment of bureaucrats,the economist William Niskanen proposed that,for purposes of modeling bureaucratic behavior,a bureau chief or department head should be thought of as a(n):

A)expert in public relations
B)expert in public accounting
C)minimizer of his or her budget
D)maximizer of his or her budget
E)expert in human relations

Question 52

The observation that "you must first enable the government to control the governed;and in the next place oblige it to control itself" was made by:

A)John Adams
B)James Madison
C)Benjamin Franklin
D)Alexander Hamilton
E)George Washington

Question 53

The Food Stamp program,which is only given to individuals who can demonstrate that they meet the needs-based criteria for the program,is an example of a program that is:

A)means-tested
B)needs-certified
C)indigence-verified
D)subsistence-confirmed
E)threshold-compliant

Question 54

Programs that require applicants to demonstrate that their total annual cash earnings fall below an officially defined poverty line before they are eligible to receive public assistance are considered to be:

A)means-tested
B)needs-certified
C)indigence-verified
D)subsistence-confirmed
E)poverty-confirmed

Question 55

A situation in which an entity chooses to rely on another entity to perform a task or service for it but risks not having the task done according to its wishes is sometimes called a(n):

A)principal-agent problem
B)deadbeat servant problem
C)master-slave dilemma
D)owner-contractor dilemma
E)rogue agency scenario

Question 56

Which federal agency has authority over the credit rates and lending activities of the nation's most important banks?

A)Treasury Department
B)Federal Reserve System
C)Internal Revenue Service
D)Securities and Exchange Commission
E)Department of the Interior

Question 57

The agency that administers the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)program is the:

A)Department of Agriculture
B)Social Security Administration
C)Department of Health and Human Services
D)Department of Housing and Urban Development
E)Department of the Interior

Question 58

Which choice is an example of a welfare agency?

A)Postal Service
B)Department of Welfare
C)Food and Drug Administration
D)Department of Health and Human Services
E)National Animal Welfare Office

Question 59

In 2013,President Obama nominated Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense to lead the Defense Department.There was substantial controversy in the Senate regarding some of Hagel's policy positions,and a number of senators attempted to block Hagel's confirmation,although he was eventually approved by a vote of 58-41.This attempt to block Hagel's confirmation is an example of which type of control to address the principal-agent problem?

A)a before-the-fact control mechanism
B)a procedural control
C)an after-the-fact control mechanism
D)a control against coalitional drift
E)oversight control

Question 60

Where is the administration of fiscal policy primarily performed?

A)in the Treasury Department
B)in the Federal Reserve System
C)in the Office of Management and Budget
D)in the Securities and Exchange Commission
E)in the Bureau of Appropriations

Question 61

In the U.S.House of Representatives,the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence reviews the performance of the Central Intelligence Agency in helping to prevent international terrorism.What is this review known as?

A)grandstanding
B)regulation
C)invigilation
D)superintendence
E)oversight

Question 62

Bureaucracies can make rules that have the full force of law,just like laws passed by Congress.

Question 63

All government agencies are part of cabinet departments.

Question 64

By definition,bureaucrats work exclusively in government.

Question 65

Congress often deliberately delegates to an administrative agency the responsibility of lawmaking.

Question 66

Bureaucracy helps solve the problem of credibly committing to the long-term existence of a policy.

Question 67

In contrast to their counterparts in private industry,public bureaucrats are required to maintain a far more thorough paper trail.

Question 68

The bureau level of the executive agency is higher in the federal hierarchy than a cabinet department.

Question 69

An agency that doesn't actively monitor the businesses it regulates but instead waits for private citizens or interest groups to raise questions about the actions of the businesses can be said to use:

A)fire-alarm oversight
B)police patrol oversight
C)random sampling
D)no oversight
E)last-minute oversight

Question 70

Due to the power of public unions,far more constraints are imposed on private employees than public bureaucrats.

Question 71

The Department of Justice was recently involved in a scandal for secretly obtaining the phone records of reporters from the Associated Press.Which of the following options is NOT available to Congress if they decide to investigate the scandal?

A)Members of the House Judiciary Committee may investigate as part of their normal oversight duties.
B)The House Judiciary Committee has the authority to fire employees of the Department of Justice who were involved in the scandal.
C)The House Judiciary Committee could decide to hold public hearings and call individuals from the Department of Justice to defend themselves publicly.
D)Congress may decide to punish the Department of Justice in future budget appropriations.
E)Individual members of Congress may choose to investigate potential wrongdoing,especially if the affected reporters are their constituents.

Question 72

The 1921 Budget and Accounting Act conferred agenda-setting powers over the budget to the president.This change in power over the budget helped create what is now known as:

A)bureaucratic drift
B)coalitional drift
C)congressional oversight
D)the managerial presidency
E)the distributive tendency

Question 73

Bureaucracies take advantage of the division of labor to perform their tasks with greater efficiency.

Question 74

Bureaucrats typically leave the task of settling disputes to the courts or to Congress.

Question 75

Which term defines congressional efforts to exercise control over the activities of bureaucratic agencies in the executive branch through hearings,investigations,and other techniques?

A)oversight
B)regulation
C)invigilation
D)superintendence
E)macro-management

Question 76

Which of the following policies has NOT contributed to what is known as the managerial presidency?

A)All communications and decisions related to executive policy decisions must pass through the White House.
B)The White House required an adequate staff of specialists in research,analysis,legislative and legal writing,and public affairs.
C)The White House downsized the federal bureaucracy by delegating implementation of programs to state and local governments.
D)The White House needed additional staff to follow through on presidential decisions.
E)The White House was given agenda-setting power of budgeting in the president's annual budget message to Congress.

Question 77

Which term defines downsizing the federal bureaucracy by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments?

A)devolution
B)outsourcing
C)agentic shift
D)capitalization
E)federalism

Question 78

What is the policy of reducing or eliminating regulatory restraints on the conduct of individuals or private institutions called?

A)deregulation
B)downsizing
C)privatizing
D)devolution
E)reorganizing

Question 79

Politicians delegate little power to bureaucrats.

Question 80

Which term defines a formerly public activity that is picked up under contract by a business outside of government?

A)rightsizing
B)downsizing
C)privatization
D)capitalization
E)profiteering