Chapter 11: The Federal Bureaucracy: Putting the Nation’s Laws into Effect

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. An organization designed to carry out specific tasks according to a prescribed set of rules and procedures is referred to as a(n) ______.

a. democracy

b. anarchy

c. bureaucracy

d. hierarchy

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The agency responsible for planning and operating the New Orleans levee and pump system was the ______.

a. American Red Cross

b. Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA)

c. Salvation Army

d. United States Army Corps of Engineers

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hurricane Katrina Tests the Federal Bureaucracy

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Unlike Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court, the federal bureaucracy differs in that it ______.

a. lacks the powers vested in the three branches of government

b. is more complicated and less effective

c. is not considered a part of American government

d. has a more direct impact on American lives

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Driving much of the bureaucracy’s direct involvement in American lives are the demands of ______.

a. the president

b. Congress

c. the people themselves

d. the federal judiciary

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Which of the following presidents led a major expansion of the federal bureaucracy during his tenure?

a. Ronald Reagan

b. Lyndon B. Johnson

c. George H. W. Bush

d. Bill Clinton

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. According to early research into bureaucracies, bureaucratic power rests upon ______.

a. individual bureaucrats

b. rational-legal authority

c. the laws of economics

d. the principles of management

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. An official employed within a government bureaucracy is called a(n) ______.

a. bureaucrat

b. autocrat

c. democrat

d. ethnocrat

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. The set of formal rules governing the behavior of bureaucrats and describing the way tasks should be carried out are commonly referred to as ______.

a. federal governmental regulations

b. bureaucratic operational guidelines

c. standard operating procedures

d. federal legislative agendas

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. According to Chester Barnard’s research at AT&T in the early 20th century, ______ and not just rules and regulations are central to understanding bureaucracy.

a. legislation

b. people

c. labor

d. planning

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. For Chester Barnard, the essence of a bureaucracy is that it involves ______ in pursuit of a joint objective.

a. clear division of labor

b. loosely organized operations

c. conscious coordination of activities

d. tightly bound rules and regulations

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. The challenge that arises when one actor tasks another to carry out their wishes in the presence of uncertainty and unequal information is called the ______ problem.

a. principal–agent

b. employer–employee

c. manager–worker

d. owner–manager

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. For Chester Barnard, ______ was central to the success of a bureaucracy and overcoming its challenges.

a. organization

b. leadership

c. power

d. labor

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. According to Barnard, the job of the leader was to ______.

a. effectively acquire and wield power over the labor force

b. administer authority over clients and workers alike

c. secure the cooperation of those within the organization

d. delegate authority to specialized workers and supervisors

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which of the following entities is responsible for making rules that govern housing construction, property taxes, schools, police stations, and water supplies?

a. the EPA

b. the executive branch

c. state and local bureaucracies

d. state legislators

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. For political scientist James Q. Wilson, ______ matter as much as individuals.

a. rules and procedures

b. incentives and salaries

c. punishments and rewards

d. organization and management

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. Of special concern in James Wilson’s analysis was the ability or inability to observe ______.

a. actions and consequences

b. inputs and processes

c. outputs and outcomes

d. costs and benefits

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. According to James Wilson, if outputs and outcomes are unknown by management, ______.

a. incentives are unclear

b. effective management is impossible

c. quality planning cannot be implemented

d. organizational structure cannot hold

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. In order to effectively manage a bureaucracy, both outputs and outcomes must be ______.

a. inherent

b. planned

c. visible

d. included

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

19. The German sociologist who was the first to expertly define what a bureaucracy was ______.

a. Thorsten Veblen

b. G. W. F. Hegel

c. Immanuel Kant

d. Max Weber

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. The sets of rules governing how bureaucrats behave are referred to as ______.

a. standard operating procedures

b. specialized guidelines

c. codes of conduct

d. constitutional guarantees

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

21. When voters elect their members of Congress and those representatives do not carry out their constituents’ wishes once they are in Congress, ______ is present.

a. bureaucratic lack of accountability

b. a free-rider problem

c. a principal-agent problem

d. a corrupt bargain

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Hard

22. Regarding bureaucratic accountability, when a person’s output is difficult to observe and it is difficult to measure the outcomes of a task, then ______.

a. it is difficult to ascertain the success or failure of a policy

b. a stalemate results

c. bureaucratic inertia has been reached

d. problems arise

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Hard

23. Since the United States was founded, its bureaucracy vastly expanded in size, to the point where today nearly ______ civilian employees work across the country.

a. 10 million

b. 3 million

c. 1 million

d. 500,000

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

24. President Andrew Jackson’s use of patronage to fill administrative positions is referred to as ______.

a. nepotism

b. the spoils system

c. rational choices

d. loyalty tests

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are examples of ______, because though they resemble cabinet departments, they are not, in part because they have a narrow mission.

a. independent regulatory agencies

b. government corporations

c. independent executive agencies

d. clientele agencies

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Hard

26. In the early years of its history, the American bureaucracy was ______ in comparison to what it turned into.

a. tiny

b. large

c. immeasurable

d. never considered

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

27. The secretaries of the different departments along with the vice president and the other heads of some major agencies that meet frequently are called the president’s ______.

a. advisors

b. commission

c. cabinet

d. staff

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. In settling on how executive branch officers were selected, the most contentious question facing the delegates was how these people would be ______.

a. selected

b. managed

c. paid

d. removed

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

29. Which of the following was a problem with placing the bureaucracy in the hands of the legislature?

a. delays

b. inadequate information

c. managerial pressure

d. ineffective organization

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

30. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention distrusted the administrative power of the Crown but also knew that legislative bodies could be inefficient and slow in carrying out administrative tasks, so they let the ______ nominate executive branch officials.

a. Supreme Court

b. states

c. president

d. cabinet

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. In the 1926 case of Myers v. United States, which of the following was the most important outcome?

a. Executive-branch officials were granted tenure, making it difficult to remove them.

b. Presidents retained the authority to remove officials in the executive branch.

c. Executive-branch secretaries were placed on year-to-year contracts.

d. Executive-branch secretaries were placed under the civil service administration.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

32. When bureaucrats compete to take duties and responsibilities away from one another’s departments or keep their opponent from doing so, they are participating in ______.

a. turf wars

b. executive privilege

c. hierarchal dissonance

d. interpersonal relations

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

33. Which executive agency became the primary target for bureaucratic reforms of President Andrew Jackson in 1829?

a. Attorney General’s Office

b. Postal Service

c. State Department

d. War Department

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

34. In his inaugural address in 1829, President Jackson railed against ______.

a. a highly unqualified bureaucratic system

b. the exertion of bureaucratic power over the people

c. an inability to exercise external control over the bureaucracy

d. the sense of ownership of important administrative positions

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

35. As a part of his reforms, Andrew Jackson employed political ______, filling administrative positions as rewards for support rather than solely based on merit.

a. merit

b. patronage

c. consideration

d. qualifications

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

36. Following a successful election, the opportunity to clean house of one’s opponents and install supporters in their place is referred to as the ______ system.

a. patronage

b. merit

c. spoils

d. insider

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

37. An initial consequence to the patronage system was to make the American bureaucracy ______.

a. more impartial, neutral, and driven by standard operating procedures and technical expertise

b. more independent from the legislature with regard to individual merit and qualifications

c. less dependent on the president with regard to who is chosen and the position they received

d. more partisan based, particularly with the appointment of members of the president’s party

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

38. Because individuals were changing with each new presidential administration, the need for ______ became important; otherwise little would get done.

a. standard operating procedures

b. constant supervision

c. merit-based employment

d. bureaucratic tenure

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

39. During post–Civil War expansion, large corporations and railroads outgrew the ability of individual states to control and regulate them. This led to an increased federal role through the creation of ______.

a. independent federal agencies

b. more executive-level departments

c. expansion of federal regulation to state and local levels

d. increased federal authority over day-to-day state and local operations

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

40. Organizations that exist outside the major cabinet departments and whose job is to monitor and regulate specific sectors of the economy are defined as ______.

a. public corporations

b. independent regulatory agencies

c. private bureaucracies

d. clientele agencies

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Easy

41. The public demand for a more active federal role and the creation of independent regulatory agencies after the Civil War was spurred by ______.

a. a rise in large corporations such as railroads that outgrew the regulatory authority of the states

b. the rising size of federal bureaucratic agencies that needed public oversight

c. an inflation in the scope and authority of state regulatory agencies over corporations

d. increased industrial capabilities in northern states and a growing agrarian society in the South

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

42. Organizations that act to serve and promote the interests of their clients are known as ______.

a. public corporations

b. independent regulatory agencies

c. private bureaucracies

d. clientele agencies

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

43. For political scientist Stephen Skowronek, the federal bureaucracy was more ______.

a. fragmented and decentralized than European counterparts

b. highly centralized in comparison to that in other Western nations

c. hierarchal in nature when compared to other democratic institutions

d. open and democratic than other bureaucratic systems around the world

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

44. Political scientist Theda Skocpol explained America’s lack of developing a comprehensive social welfare system in comparison to that of Europe by describing the ______ as hostile to large-scale government intervention and American ______ as defending the benefits of political patronage.

a. state and local bureaucracies; political institutions

b. federal legislature; executive leadership

c. federal courts; political parties

d. political parties; state and local agencies

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

45. Both the Skocpol and Skowronek studies highlight the question of American ______.

a. nationalism

b. leadership

c. interventionism

d. exceptionalism

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

46. Scholars of American political development have highlighted the importance of ______, in which a set of political choices at one time produces a set of outcomes that shapes the possibilities for future politics and public policies.

a. organizational interdependence

b. path dependence

c. agency independence

d. decision centralism

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

47. The period from 1890 to 1920 in which the role of the federal bureaucracy in the nation’s life expanded along with attempts to take politics out of the bureaucracy itself is described as the ______.

a. Progressive Era

b. Interdependent Era

c. Era of Good Feelings

d. Gilded Age

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

48. In 1913, the Department of Commerce and Labor was broken in two, with the Department of Commerce focusing on ______ and the Department of Labor focusing on ______.

a. market growth and operations; employer–employee problems and management effectiveness

b. economic growth; employee–employer relations and workplace conditions

c. increasing sales and production; ending or alleviating union actions against employers

d. measuring and improving GDP; assisting businesses with smoothing over labor problems

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

49. The Progressive Era witnessed ______.

a. expansion of the federal bureaucracy and attempts to limit it

b. decline in the federal bureaucracy and attempts to end it

c. expansion of the federal bureaucracy and attempts to reform it

d. contraction of the federal bureaucracy and attempts to confine it

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

50. The focus of reform under the Progressive Era targeted ______.

a. a corrupt, inefficient, and too-political bureaucracy

b. a concise, effective, and apolitical system of bureaucracy

c. an inefficient and disorganized system of polarized bureaucracy

d. a system highly influenced by political parties and lacking authority

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

51. The ______ created the first U.S. Civil Service Commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office within the civil service.

a. federal civil service

b. merit system

c. spoils system

d. Pendleton Act

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

52. In 1883, Congress passed the ______, commonly referred to as the ______, in order to create the first U.S. Civil Service Commission.

a. Government Service Regulation Act; Arthur Act

b. Merit System Act; Comstock Act

c. Civil Service Reform Act; Pendleton Act

d. Government Work Authorization Act; Work Authorization Act

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

53. The system of hiring and promotion based on the results of competitive tests, education, and other qualifications rather than politics and personal consideration was called the ______ system.

a. merit

b. civil service

c. spoils

d. front lobby

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

54. President Roosevelt’s efforts to combat the crisis of the ______, called the ______, resulted in an unprecedented expansion of the size of the bureaucracy in the federal government.

a. First World War; Secret Expansion

b. Great Recession; Great Society

c. Great Depression; New Deal

d. Second World War; Marshall Plan

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

55. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed into law the ______, which created the National Security Council as well as the Central Intelligence Agency.

a. Marshall Plan

b. National Security Act

c. National Civil Service Act

d. Foreign Intelligence Act

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

56. The CIA is an example of a(n) ______ in which agencies otherwise similar to cabinet departments exist outside the cabinet structure and usually have a narrower focus of mission.

a. private informational agency

b. autonomous congressional committee

c. independent executive agency

d. public governmental corporation

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

57. Postwar economic prosperity allowed the nation to ______.

a. expand its foreign powers without additional funding

b. fund a large growth in national bureaucracy in defense and social services

c. fund even greater expansions of the American military complex without public accountability

d. avoid the bureaucracy through direct funding of military operations

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

58. Healthcare, education, housing, transit, job training, and urban renewal were all targets of President Johnson’s ______ programs.

a. Great Society

b. Great Depression

c. Square Deal

d. New Deal

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

59. Following the election of Ronald Reagan, the federal bureaucracy began to ______.

a. expand in size

b. maintain its 1980s levels

c. decline (retrench) in size and scope

d. become independent of public services

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

60. Under Bill Clinton, the one area in which the federal bureaucracy began to see a significant reduction was ______ policy.

a. economic

b. educational

c. social

d. defense

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

61. As of 2016, there are ______ cabinet-level departments.

a. 10

b. 20

c. 15

d. 12

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Easy

62. When bureaucratic agencies engage in rulemaking, the rules must be ______.

a. vetted by the president

b. carried out by Congress

c. postponed until all three branches weigh in on them

d. published in the Federal Register

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Hard

63. Of the roughly 6,500 political appointees in the executive branch, about ______ require Senate confirmation.

a. 500

b. 1,500

c. 3,000

d. 10,000

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

64. The bureaucracy’s role in putting into action the laws that Congress has passed is known as ______.

a. implementation

b. rulemaking

c. advising

d. representation

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

65. When Congress allows bureaucrats to have some power to decide how a law is to be implemented and, at times, to interpret what a law actually means, Congress has opened up a space for ______.

a. political appointment

b. executive action

c. bureaucratic discretion

d. partisan representation

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

66. The process through which the federal bureaucracy fills in critical details of a law is called ______.

a. implementation

b. rulemaking

c. advising

d. representation

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

67. When the federal government settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws and presidential executive orders or in order to determine which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program, it is described as ______.

a. bureaucratic discretion

b. judicial review

c. executive action

d. bureaucratic adjudication

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

68. A civil service that truly reflects the diversity of American people is described as a ______.

a. representative bureaucracy

b. responsive executive

c. reflective administration

d. reactive hierarchy

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

69. One area in which federal employees are restricted from acting is in participation in the ______ process.

a. representative

b. political

c. implementation

d. regulatory

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

70. Besides the president (chief executive), at the top of the federal hierarchy of labor are ______.

a. civil service supervisors

b. privately hired managers

c. executive political appointees

d. senior executive service members

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

71. When the American people feel that the federal bureaucracy has failed, public outrage typically falls on whom?

a. state representatives

b. state governors

c. federal legislators

d. the president

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

72. The Water Well Corporation has just been chosen to build a new water works facility in the town of Sandy Beach. The Water Well Corporation would be an example of a ______.

a. government corporation

b. private contractor

c. public service provider

d. civil service provider

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Hard

73. Career civil servants are best described as a ______.

a. federal employee who ranks are clearly defined according to the General Service levels of government bureaucracy

b. state employee who has worked within their field for a minimum of 20 years

c. federal employee with higher level supervisory and administrative responsibilities that gets treated more like a vice president of a business

d. state employee that has recently retired after working for 30 years from the department of education

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

74. The Hatch Act of 1939 was designed to prevent ______.

a. funds from being spent on negative campaigning

b. federal funds from being used for political elections

c. pernicious political activities

d. voter fraud during federal and state elections

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

75. The Federal Register is designed to ______.

a. document votes from each member of Congress on bills that are presented on the floor

b. be a published document for recording bureaucratic agencies engagement in rulemaking

c. act as a voter registration record for each state

d. record each new bill that is passed during state legislative sessions

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Hard

76. Where does the term “red tape,” often associated with bureaucracy, originate from?

a. the narrow ribbons previously used in England and America to tie up packets of legal and government documents

b. the narrow red strips that were used to seal the doors of congressional sessions during the pre-Civil War era

c. the red carpet that was rolled out for legislators as they arrived to Capitol Hill during each congressional session

d. the red pen marks that would cover the pages of a bill under review in a joint committee

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

77. President George W. Bush came under intense scrutiny for his perceived mismanagement of ______.

a. Hurricane Andrew

b. the wildfires that plagues California

c. Hurricane Katrina

d. the flooding of the Ohio River

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Easy

78. Congress’ oversight ability assists with shaping what?

a. presidential behavior

b. bureaucratic behavior

c. state laws

d. federal laws

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Easy

79. The Government Accountability Office is responsible for ______.

a. acting as the liaison between the executive and judicial branches

b. acting as the liaison between the public and the executive branch

c. providing oversight for the judicial branch interpretation of federal laws

d. providing oversight for executive branch implementation for Congress

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

80. Although the main focus for many members of Congress was tax reform for the current legislative session, things have shifted towards discussions on healthcare reform instead. This is an example of ______.

a. bureaucratic drift

b. congressional deadlock

c. legislative capture

d. senatorial misappropriations

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Hard

81. The department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency have both been tasked with solving the water crisis in Flint, Mich. Both departments have been assigned the task due to budget cuts; this would be an example of ______.

a. bureaucratic teamwork

b. interagency rivalry

c. bureaucratic capture

d. interagency cooperation

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Hard

82. Why do federal agencies often report to more than one overseer?

a. Authority over the federal bureaucracy is divided between the different branches.

b. Many of the secretaries of the executive cabinets hold multiple positions within the government.

c. All federal agencies are required, by the Constitution, to keep all three federal branches informed of their work.

d. All federal agencies directly report to the vice president, as laid out by Article 3 of the Constitution.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

83. The president has been displeased with the way the secretary of Education has been running the department since being appointed last year. How can the president have the secretary removed from the position?

a. Ask Congress to vote the secretary out of that position.

b. Convince the vice president to remove the secretary.

c. The president can remove the secretary without assistance from another entity.

d. Wait until the appointment runs out, then appoint someone else.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Hard

84. The president feels as though the Department of Veterans Affairs has become too large to manage effectively and wants to split the responsibilities by creating a new agency to help share the load. How would the president accomplish this task?

a. The president has the ability to create the new agencies by himself.

b. Ask Congress to pass a bill creating the agency.

c. Ask each state to add a bill to their next election ballot to create the agency.

d. Ask the House to pass a bill creating the new agency so he can sign it into law before the Senate has a chance to strike the bill down.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Hard

85. The Government Accountability Office provided a negative critique of the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina stating nobody had been designated to lead the response despite warnings from which agency?

a. Environmental Protection Agency

b. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

c. National Hurricane Center

d. Federal Emergency Management Agency

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

86. How does judiciary control typically impact bureaucratic behavior?

a. negative impact

b. positive impact

c. fluctuating impact depending on which political party is in control of Congress

d. bureaucratic behavior is not controlled by the judiciary, but by the executive branch

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

87. When does the average American become the most informed of the inner workings of the federal bureaucracy?

a. during election season

b. during the start of each new presidential term

c. during and following a major crisis or catastrophe

d. following the end of a congressional session

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

88. Which of the following aims to transfer power over public policy back to the states and shrink the size of the federal government?

a. regulation

b. deregulation

c. devolution

d. evolution

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Easy

89. When a person argues that the personnel rules of the civil service and excessive red tape make it difficult to attract qualified candidates to federal agencies, they are essentially arguing in favor of ______.

a. regulation

b. deregulation

c. devolution

d. evolution

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

90. Recently, the public health department under federal regulations was shutdown and a new healthcare organization opened in its place. This new company is not run by the federal government, and many local residents fear that healthcare costs will drastically increase. This scenario is an example of ______.

a. privatization

b. devolution

c. red tape

d. interagency rivalry

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Hard

True/False

1. Political scientist James Q. Wilson thought when outcomes or outputs are difficult to observe, effective bureaucratic management is near impossible.

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Federal and local officials were presented with data that predicted the path and potential of Hurricane Katrina with remarkable certainty.

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Hurricane Katrina Tests the Federal Bureaucracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. More than 75% of the people who died in Hurricane Katrina were elderly.

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Hurricane Katrina Tests the Federal Bureaucracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. The patronage system is based on the results of competitive tests, education, and other qualifications to hire and promote public employees.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. The threat of firing an employee would be considered an incentive in Barnard’s people-centered model of bureaucracy.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. James Wilson’s model of bureaucracy focused on outputs and outcomes.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. The federal civil service system was promoted on the basis of the merit system, with hiring and promotion tied to the results of competitive tests, education, and other qualifications.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. The first Civil Service Commission was created under the Hatch Act.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. The CIA is an example of an independent executive agency.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. From 1947 to 2004, per-capita federal expenditures continued to rise.

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. The president is tasked with making sure the federal bureaucracy functions properly.

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. The president has the authority to establish and fund the cabinet departments.

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. The 15 cabinet departments are roughly equal in terms of size and budgets.

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. The primary administrative units of the federal bureaucracy are the three branches of government.

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. The U.S. military relies on private contractors to outsource tasks the military itself does not wish, for whatever reason, to carry out itself.

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Hard

16. Images of bureaucrats who mindlessly follow rules and operating procedures whether or not they actually get things done have historically been given the term “red tape.”

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. When bureaucrats in regulatory agencies undermine effective regulation in order to promote their own interests at the expense of the agency’s mission, it can be described as bureaucratic drift.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. By dividing authority over the federal bureaucracy among different branches, federal agencies and bureaus are often required to answer to more than one overseer.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Congress formally controls most of the federal bureaucracy.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. Devolution is aimed at transferring the duties of the federal bureaucracy to private businesses and organizations.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

Short Answer

1. The organizations and suborganizations within the executive branch that are tasked with putting the laws of the nation into effect are called the ______.

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Introduction

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The federal agency responsible for leading recovery efforts in time of a disaster is called the ______.

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Hurricane Katrina Tests the Federal Bureaucracy

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Each individual in Max Weber’s complex organizational machine is referred to as a ______.

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. The U.S. Post Office is charged with carrying the mail but must also make sufficient revenue through its services to pay for itself, like any other business. Because of this, it could best be described as a government ______.

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Shifting control over the provision of certain governmental functions from the federal bureaucracy to the private sector is known as ______.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Define bureaucracy and describe its defining characteristics.

Learning Objective: 11-1: Name the key characteristics of bureaucratic organization and the theories that try to explain why bureaucratic organization happens.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Introduction; Theories of Bureaucratic Organization Focus on Rules, People, and Tasks

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. How has the federal bureaucracy changed from the time of its creation until today?

Learning Objective: 11-2: Outline the historical development of the American federal bureaucracy.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Has Developed in Response to Demands and Crises

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Why did the Federal Emergency Management Agency take such a public beating during and following Hurricane Katrina? What does this tell us about the relationship between the federal bureaucracy and the American public?

Student answers will vary with this question.

Learning Objective: 11-3: Describe the structure of the federal bureaucracy, including executive branch agencies, cabinet departments, and regulatory bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: A Functioning Bureaucracy Depends Upon Effective Organization

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. Why do you think terms like “red tape” are often recalled whenever discussing the federal bureaucracy? Is this a fair assessment of how our federal bureaucracy works?

Students may use other examples, and responses will vary.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. What are some ways that the federal bureaucracy is controlled? What recommendations would you make for reform?

Student answers as to recommendations for reform will vary.

Learning Objective: 11-4: Describe the tools of bureaucratic control, oversight, and reform.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Bureaucracy Is Constrained by Oversight and Reform

Difficulty Level: Hard