American Government Final Exam
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- 1.Bureaucracy is the name given to
- A.
A large organization, structured hierarchically, that carries out specific functions.
- B.
Any organization that has major problems when attempting to accomplish its goals.
- C.
A group of people who work to enforce policies in a way that prevents quick results.
- D.
Any large branch of a government that has power to interpret laws.
- E.
Government organizations, but not corporate or university ones.
- 2.One of the important differences between public bureaucracies and private corporations is that government bureaucracies
- A.
Are not organized to make a profit, while private corporations are.
- B.
Have a single set of leaders, while private corporations do not.
- C.
Are much larger than private corporations.
- D.
Are not intended to serve the citizenry, as private corporations are.
- E.
Present an opportunity for career advancement, while private corporations do not.
- 3.The number of federal government employees has
- A.
Increased significantly in the last several decades.
- B.
Remained relatively stable for the last several decades.
- C.
Decreased substantially in the last ten years.
- D.
Grown to exceed the number of local government employees.
- E.
Grown to exceed the number of state government employees.
- 4.Today, government spending accounts for about _____ of the U.S. gross domestic product.
- A.
10%
- B.
20%
- C.
30%
- D.
40%
- E.
50%
- 5.The cabinet departments are
- A.
Less significant than independent agencies.
- B.
Privatized bureaucracies.
- C.
Government corporations.
- D.
The fifteen major departments of the executive branch.
- E.
Independent agencies.
- 6.The cabinet departments, in terms of organization, are
- A.
Directly accountable to the president.
- B.
Independent of direct control by the president.
- C.
Responsible for the actions of independent agencies.
- D.
Part of the legislative branch.
- E.
Responsible for monitoring the president.
- 7.Independent executive agencies are
- A.
The most recent cabinet departments.
- B.
Responsible for regulating major aspects of the economy.
- C.
Not part of cabinet departments but report directly to the president.
- D.
Responsible directly to Congress.
- E.
Staffed entirely by political appointees.
- 8._____ were set up because Congress felt it was unable to handle the complexities and technicalities required to carry out specific laws in the public interest.
- A.
Cabinet departments
- B.
Independent executive agencies
- C.
Independent regulatory agencies
- D.
Government corporations
- E.
Courts of limited jurisdiction
- 9._____ is when an industry that is being regulated gains control over the agency that is supposed to regulate it.
- A.
Cooption
- B.
Capture
- C.
Complacency
- D.
Collusion
- E.
Pork
- 10.Government corporations and private corporations are different in all of the following ways except
- A.
Government corporations do not have to make a profit.
- B.
Private corporations must pay taxes.
- C.
Private corporations have stockholders.
- D.
You cannot invest in a government corporation.
- E.
Government corporations do not perform a particular economic function.
- 11.Some people argued that the government should _____ banks, or take them over completely, in order to prevent them from becoming so-called "zombie banks."
- A.
Shrink
- B.
Insure
- C.
Capitalize
- D.
Aggrandize
- E.
Nationalize
- 12.The spoils system is
- A.
The major problem of the federal bureaucracy today.
- B.
The most efficient way of structuring large organizations.
- C.
A new theory for employee selection and retention.
- D.
The awarding of government jobs to political supporters and friends.
- E.
A means of ensuring the best and the brightest will hold positions in government.
- 13.The selection and promotion of government employees on the basis of examinations is a result of the
- A.
Administrative agency.
- B.
Independent regulatory agency.
- C.
Merit system.
- D.
Patronage system.
- E.
Spoils system.
- 14.The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
- A.
Created the Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board.
- B.
Created the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Labor.
- C.
Created the Civil Service Commission.
- D.
Created the Office of Management and Budget(OMB).
- E.
Abolished the Labor Department and the Civil Service Commission.
- 15.The "Government in the Sunshine Act" required that
- A.
All federal agencies that are run by committees conduct their business regularly in public session.
- B.
All federal agencies will terminate after five years unless Congress grants the agency an extension.
- C.
All federal agencies hold at least half of their public meetings outside of Washington, D.C.
- D.
At least 40 percent of upper level positions within an agency be filled by females or ethnic minorities.
- E.
All federal agency meetings on personnel problems or court proceedings be held in public session.
- 16.The concept of privatization refers to
- A.
Federal loan guarantees for small businesses.
- B.
The replacement of government services with services provided by private firms.
- C.
The hiring practices of the Civil Service.
- D.
The replacement of federal government services with state or local government services.
- E.
Reducing the number of levels in the federal hierarchy.
- 17.A whistleblower is a person who
- A.
Does not accomplish his or her tasks by the end of a day.
- B.
Brings to public attention gross governmental inefficiency or illegal action.
- C.
Is hired in excess of the true labor requirements of an agency.
- D.
Is a person who serves in the position of an ombudsman.
- E.
Leaks the contents of a presidential speech to the press before it is given.
- 18.A statute enacted by Congress that authorizes the creation of an administrative agency is
- A.
An appropriations authorization.
- B.
Enabling legislation.
- C.
An executive order.
- D.
Statutory authorization.
- E.
The Civil Service Act of 1978.
- 19.A major power that Congress has over the federal bureaucaracy is the
- A.
Authority to select high-level bureaucrats.
- B.
Authority to authorize or appropriate funds for particular agencies.
- C.
Authority to fire bureaucrats for not executing policy passed by Congress.
- D.
Power to find agency actions unconstitutional.
- E.
Power to appoint agency heads.
- 20.All of the following ar among the ten categories the government is exempted from having to rulease under the Freedom of Information Act, except
- A.
Classified material.
- B.
Confidential material on trade secrets.
- C.
Internal personnel rules.
- D.
Personal medical files.
- E.
Marriage records.
- 21.Alexis de Tocqueville, an observer of nineteenth-century American society, indicated that Americans rely on courts
- A.
To resolve political questions.
- B.
Very rarely when compared to Europe.
- C.
Only if there is no other alternative.
- D.
To resolve economic questions, but not political ones.
- E.
To provide a form of entertainment.
- 22.A court rule bearing on subsequent legal decisions in similar cases is
- A.
A precedent.
- B.
Criminal law.
- C.
A judicial maxim.
- D.
Common law.
- E.
Statutory law.
- 23.Sources of American law include all of the following except
- A.
The U.S. Constitution.
- B.
State constitutions.
- C.
Statutes.
- D.
Administrative regulations.
- E.
The Charter of the United Nations.
- 24.The federal court derives its power from
- A.
Article III of the Constitution.
- B.
Congressional legislation.
- C.
Article IV of the Constitution.
- D.
The 5th Amendment.
- E.
Executive order.
- 25.A question that has to do with the U.S. Constitution, acts of Congress, or treaties is known as a _____ question.
- A.
Justiciable
- B.
Political
- C.
Federal
- D.
National
- E.
Legal
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