The American Democracy, 10th Edition (Patterson)

Chapter 13: The Federal Bureaucracy: Administering the Government

Chapter Quiz

1
The U.S. federal bureaucracy has about ________ employees.
A)1 million
B)1.5 million
C)2.5 million
D)4 million
E)6 million
2
Which cabinet department currently has the largest budget in the United States?
A)Education
B)State
C)Defense
D)Treasury
E)Health and Human Services
3
Which of the following is a regulatory agency?
A)Central Intelligence Agency
B)National Aeronautics and Space Administration
C)Securities and Exchange Commission
D)Environmental Protection Agency
E)Both the SEC and the EPA are regulatory agencies.
4
________ is the primary function of administrative agencies.
A)Policy implementation
B)Policy analysis
C)The delivery of services
D)Filing paperwork
E)None of these answers is correct.
5
How did President Andrew Jackson change the bureaucracy?
A)He increased the use of the merit system, such that nearly half of all federal administrative posts were filled through merit selection.
B)He only gave jobs to social elites.
C)He abused the patronage system, leading critics to call it the "spoils system."
D)He was the chief advocate of the patronage system.
E)He created the merit system.
6
________ created the merit, or civil service, system.
A)The Hatch Act
B)The Pendleton Act
C)The Morrill Act
D)The Progressive Act
E)The Merit Protection Act
7
Administrative law judges
A)are not officially empowered to administer oaths, seek evidence, or take testimony.
B)usually hold their hearings in courtrooms.
C)are generalists that maintain competency in the laws and regulations governing any major agency.
D)are subject to performance or salary review by agency heads.
E)typically work within the confines of a particular agency.
8
Which of the following bureaucracies is currently the smallest, per capita, in the United States?
A)Oklahoma state bureaucracy
B)Montana state bureaucracy
C)U.S. federal bureaucracy
D)Hawaiian state bureaucracy
E)Illinois state bureaucracy
9
A 2009 study of the SES found that
A)the program has actually managed to increase agency loyalty and agency point of view among its top administrators.
B)the program has been abused by Congress as a way to undermine presidential authority.
C)the program has been very successful at reducing agency capture.
D)most senior executives are assigned to work within their original agency.
E)SES members have been passed over for promotion at a much greater rate than non-SES participants.
10
The Department of ________ is the newest cabinet department in the federal government.
A)Homeland Security
B)Veterans Affairs
C)Education
D)Energy
E)Transportation
11
Which of the following statements is true?
A)Bureaucrats make public policy.
B)Bureaucrats implement the will of Congress.
C)Bureaucrats are held accountable by federal courts.
D)Bureaucrats engage in rulemaking.
E)All these answers are correct.
12
During which of the following time periods did the federal bureaucracy experience the biggest spurt in its growth?
A)1830s
B)1870s
C)1930s
D)1990s
E)All these answers are correct.
13
Which of the following is true of career bureaucrats?
A)They tend to place the interests of Congress ahead of their agency.
B)They tend to place the interests of the president ahead of their agency.
C)They tend to place the public interest ahead of their agency.
D)They tend to place the interests of their agency ahead of other interests.
E)None of these answers is correct.
14
The most substantial control that Congress exerts on the bureaucracy is through its power to
A)pass laws.
B)hire and fire federal judges.
C)approve an agency's appointees.
D)order audits of agency activities.
E)decide how much money will be appropriated for agency programs.
15
Which of the following statements is true about whistleblowing?
A)Many federal employees are reluctant to report instances of mismanagement because they fear it could harm their careers or reputations.
B)Whistleblowers are protected by federal law against retaliation.
C)Federal law provides whistleblowers with financial rewards in some cases.
D)Whistleblowing sometimes does not occur until an employee has left an agency or quit government service entirely.
E)All these answers are correct.
16
About ________ percent of managerial and professional positions in the federal bureaucracy are held by white males.
A)20
B)33
C)45
D)60
E)83
17
According to Charles Goodsell, the U.S. bureaucracy is
A)very inefficient.
B)the worst in the industrialized world.
C)very inefficient; it is the worst in the industrialized world.
D)among the best in the world.
E)None of these answers is correct.
18
Which of the following is NOT one of the principles on which bureaucracy is based?
A)hierarchical authority
B)job specialization
C)formalized rules
D)patronage
E)None of these answers is correct.
19
Independent agencies resemble the cabinet departments but typically have
A)a smaller staff.
B)a smaller budget.
C)a wider area of responsibility.
D)more autonomy from Congress.
E)a narrower area of responsibility.
20
All cabinet departments are headed by a secretary EXCEPT
A)the Department of Defense.
B)the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
C)the Department of Health and Human Services.
D)the Department of Justice.
E)the Department of Homeland Security.
Patterson Tenth Edition Large Cover
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