Poly Sci Ch 13

Front 1

Since 1982, the most significant growth in government employment has been at the ____level(s).
a. state
b. national
c. local
d. state and national
e. local and national

Back 1

C

Front 2

Today, the costs of maintaining the government at all levels account for about ____ percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
a. 3
b. 5
c. 11
d. 14
e. 40

Back 2

E

Front 3

Together, Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment compensation make-up ____ percent of the federal budget.
a. 13
b. 20
c. 37
d. 48
e. 54

Back 3

C

Front 4

Defense spending accounts for ____ percent of the federal budget.
a. 6
b. 10
c. 14
d. 20
e. 34

Back 4

D

Front 5

The fifteen executive departments, which are directly accountable to the ____, are the major service organizations of the federal government.
a. president
b. Office of Management and Budget
c. Government Accountability Office
d. vice president
e. Senate

Back 5

A

Front 6

6. The executive departments are
a. businesses owned by the government.
b. responsible for a specific type of policy. They create and implement rules that regulate private activity and protect the public interest in a particular sector of the economy.
c. federal bureaucratic organizations that have a single function.
d. stockholder-owned government-sponsored enterprises.
e. the major service organizations of the federal government.

Back 6

E

Front 7

The oldest executive departments are
a. Justice and Commerce.
b. Agriculture and Labor.
c. Interior and Transportation.
d. State and Treasury.
e. Energy and Veterans Affairs.

Back 7

D

Front 8

The principal duties of the ____ Department include negotiating treaties, developing foreign policy, and protecting citizens abroad.
a. Justice
b. Homeland Security
c. Defense
d. State
e. Veterans Affairs

Back 8

D

Front 9

The newest executive departments are
a. Transportation and Education.
b. Agriculture and Labor.
c. Interior and Energy.
d. Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.
e. Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services.

Back 9

D

Front 10

Each executive department was created by ____ as the perceived need for it arose.
a. the president
b. Congress
c. the Office of Administration
d. the Office of Management and Budget
e. the Government Accountability Office

Back 10

B

Front 11

The head of each executive department is known as the ____, except for the Department of Justice.
a. director
b. chief operating officer
c. minister
d. chairperson
e. secretary

Back 11

E

Front 12

The Justice Department is headed by the
a. Solicitor General of the United States.
b. Chief Justice of the United States.
c. Attorney General.
d. Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
e. Director of the Secret Service.

Back 12

C

Front 13

Each executive department head is appointed by the ____ and confirmed by
a. president; the comptroller general who heads the Government Accountability Office.
b. president; the Senate.
c. president; Congress.
d. vice president; the president pro tempore of the Senate.
e. White House chief of staff; the president.

Back 13

B

Front 14

The independent executive agencies are
a. businesses owned by the government.
b. responsible for a specific type of policy. They create and implement rules that regulate private activity and protect the public interest in a particular sector of the economy.
c. federal bureaucratic organizations that have a single function.
d. stockholder-owned government-sponsored enterprises.
e. the major service organizations of the federal government.

Back 14

C

Front 15

Which of the following statements is accurate?
a. Independent executive agencies are located within an executive (cabinet) department.
b. Today, there are only four independent executive agencies.
c. Sometimes, agencies are kept independent because of the sensitive nature of their functions.
d. Sometimes, agencies are kept independent so that they can be involved in partisan politics.
e. The head of an independent executive agency reports directly to Congress.

Back 15

C

Front 16

Independent regulatory agencies
a. are subagencies of independent executive agencies; they are charged with enforcing agency rules regarding the conduct of the bureaucrats who work for the independent executive agency.
b. create and implement rules that regulate private activity and protect the public interest in a particular sector of the economy.
c. create and enforce the rules by which congressional committees engage in oversight and regulate the federal courts.
d. engage primarily in commercial activities and produce revenues.
e. monitor the activities of iron triangles and issue networks.

Back 16

B

Front 17

A government corporation
a. is an agency of the government that is located within the Commerce Department.
b. is a private corporation that has gone bankrupt and is subject to the supervision of a federal judge.
c. is an agency of the government that is run as a business enterprise.
d. sells shares to private individuals on the open market.
e. is not allowed to lose money.

Back 17

C

Front 18

The Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are
a. executive departments.
b. independent executive agencies.
c. independent regulatory agencies.
d. government corporations.
e. stockholder-owned government-sponsored enterprises.

Back 18

B

Front 19

The ____ is an independent executive agency.
a. U.S. Postal Service
b. Internal Revenue Service
c. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
d. Securities and Exchange Commission
e. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)

Back 19

C

Front 20

The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) are examples of
a. executive departments.
b. independent regulatory agencies.
c. independent executive agencies.
d. stockholder-owned government-sponsored enterprises.
e. government corporations.

Back 20

D

Front 21

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a(n)
a. executive department.
b. government corporation.
c. independent executive agency.
d. independent regulatory agency.
e. stockholder-owned government-sponsored enterprise.

Back 21

D

Front 22

The ____ is a government corporation.
a. Internal Revenue Service
b. Environmental Protection Agency
c. National Labor Relations Board
d. U.S. Postal Service
e. Federal Aviation Administration

Back 22

D

Front 23

Federal bureaucrats holding top-level positions are appointed by the
a. cabinet secretaries.
b. Office of Personnel Management.
c. Merit Systems Protection Board.
d. Labor Department.
e. president.

Back 23

E

Front 24

The list of federal agency positions that are filled by appointments is published after each presidential election in the
a. Plum Book.
b. Federal Register.
c. Washington Directory.
d. “Patronage Pamphlet.”
e. “Guide to Government Gravy.”

Back 24

A

Front 25

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 established the principle of government employment on the basis of
a. patronage, and by seniority.
b. merit through open, competitive examinations.
c. service to a political party.
d. campaign contributions.
e. recommendations by members of Congress.

Back 25

B

Front 26

To create a federal administrative agency, Congress passes ____ legislation, which specifies the name, purpose, composition, and powers of the agency being created.
a. rulemaking
b. authorizing
c. enabling
d. establishing
e. operating

Back 26

C

Front 27

When adjudication takes place within a regulatory agency, a(n) ____ conducts the hearing and issues an order.
a. magistrate
b. district judge
c. prosecutor
d. administrative law judge
e. appellate judge

Back 27

D

Front 28

The process undertaken by an administrative agency when formally proposing, evaluating, and adopting a new regulation is called
a. legislating.
b. rulemaking.
c. oversight.
d. adjudication.
e. enabling.

Back 28

B

Front 29

A three-way alliance among legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interests is referred to as a(n)
a. iron triangle.
b. issue network.
c. lobbying loop.
d. steel trap.
e. silver circle.

Back 29

A

Front 30

The three corners of the iron triangle in a policy area are
a. the national, state, and local levels of government.
b. the media, the public, and the political parties.
c. Congress, the president, and the courts.
d. interest groups, congressional committees, and executive agencies.
e. the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the president.

Back 30

D

Front 31

Groups of individuals or organizations—which consist of legislative staff members, bureaucrats, scholars, interest group leaders, and other experts—that support particular policy positions on a given issue are referred to as
a. unholy alliances.
b. teams of rivals.
c. issue networks.
d. working groups.
e. policy partners.

Back 31

C

Front 32

A government employee who reports on gross governmental inefficiency, illegal action, or other wrongdoing is called a
a. government informant.
b. spy.
c. drumbeater.
d. whistleblower.
e. neutral incompetent.

Back 32

D

Front 33

According to a study conducted by the Government Accountability Office, ____ percent of the whistleblowers that turned to the Office of Special Counsel for protection during a recent three-year period reported they were no longer employed by the agencies on which they blew the whistle.
a. 9
b. 15
c. 22
d. 35
e. 41

Back 33

E

Front 34

President Obama’s contribution to the attempt to improve government effectiveness has been to create a(n) ____ who reports directly to the president and works with other economic officials in an attempt to increase efficiency and eliminate waste in government.
a. whistleblower
b. chief performance officer
c. director of waste management
d. secretary of bureaucracy
e. inspector general

Back 34

B

Front 35

One idea for reforming the government bureaucracy is ____, which means turning over certain types of government work to the private sector.
a. whistleblowing
b. creating issue networks
c. instituting pay-for-performance plans
d. e-government
e. privatization

Back 35

E

Front 36

The ____ requires federal agencies to disclose any information in agency files, with some exceptions, to any persons requesting it.
a. Privacy Act of 1974
b. USA Patriot Act of 2001
c. Government Performance and Results Act
d. Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994
e. Freedom of Information Act of 1966

Back 36

E

Front 37

“Sunshine laws” require
a. government notices and data to be posted online.
b. government agencies to outsource work to the private sector.
c. federal agencies to disclose any information in agency files, with some exceptions, to any persons requesting it.
d. government meetings to be open to the public.
e. government agencies to let citizens file forms and apply for services online.

Back 37

D