AP Government Mr. Messinger

EXAM: Bureaucracy

1. The Department of Homeland Security

became a cabinet position in the wake of 9/11

mainly to

a) hunt down and eradicate potential

terrorist threats, such as Al-Qaeda

b) coordinate cooperation and

communication between various

federal intelligence agencies

c) enforce the Patriot Act and promote

patriotism

d) train airport personnel to ensure

greater airline security

e) investigate why the 9/11 attacks had

been able to occur on American soil

2. Which of the following are cabinet

departments of the president?

I. Veterans’ Affairs

II. Agriculture

III. White House Counsel

IV. Transportation

a) I and IV only

b) I, II, and III

c) I, II, and IV

d) II, III, and IV

e) III and IV only

3. Which of the following is true of independent

regulatory commissions?

a) They exercise quasi-legislative,

quasi-judicial, and executive

functions.

b) They each form part of one of the 14

cabinet-level executive departments.

c) They regulate certain parts of the

federal bureaucracy.

d) They are directly responsible to the

President.

e) They were created by the executive

branch to help execute federal law.

4. Which of the following helps the president

sort out the competing agendas of the various

executive departments?

a) Chief of Staff

b) Council of Economic Advisors

c) National Security Council

d) Office of Management and Budget

e) Research Office of the White House

5. All of the following are ways that executive

agencies benefit from being part of an iron

triangle EXCEPT

a) support from client groups for the

agency’s budget

b) approval of the agency’s budget by

the relevant Congressional

committee of subcommittee

c) technical advice from the interest

groups

d) assistance from the Congressional

committee with complaints from

constituents

e) support when threatened with the

abolishment of reorganization by

Congress

6. The chief initiator of foreign policy is the

a) Senate Foreign Relations Committee

b) Secretary of State

c) Joint Chiefs of Staff

d) President

e) President in concert with the

Secretary of State and the National

Security Advisor

7. All of the following are examples of

government corporations EXCEPT

a) Amtrak

b) US Postal Service

c) Federal Deposit Insurance

d) National Science Foundation

e) Tennessee Valley Authority

8. In general, all of the following are

characteristics of the federal bureaucracy

EXCEPT

a) division of labor

b) merit-based hiring

c) nonpartisan workforce

d) standard operating procedures

e) steadily increasing growth in the

number of employees

9. Which of the following governmental

agencies is not a cabinet-level department?

a) Homeland Security

b) Housing and Urban Development

c) U.S. Postal Service

d) Defense

e) Education

10. The major concern voiced about

independent regulatory agencies is that

a) they are too independent of the

president, who appoints commission

members, and congress

b) the regulations written by these

independent agencies tend to stifle

competition

c) the federal government is too quick

to set up agencies to deal with ailing

industries

d) commission members are often

chosen from the industries they are to

regulate

e) commission members can only be

dismissed for just cause

11. Which of the following statements best

describes the federal civilian work force?

a) Political factors play no role in

making civil service appointments.

b) Employees must pass competitive

examinations for promotion.

c) Half of the employees in the

Executive Branch are appointed by

the president.

d) Federal employees face no

limitations on their participation in

the political process.

e) Once hired, a federal employee can

never lose his/her job.

12. The growth of the federal bureaucracy can

be attributed to all of the following

EXCEPT:

a) the need to regulate business

b) responsibility of the government for

the welfare of the people

c) administrators who push for larger

budgets and stuff

d) Supreme Court decisions on federal-

state relations

e) the creation of new agencies to give

policy issues a high profile

13. A common criticism of the federal

bureaucracy is that

a) too many civil servants are political

appointees

b) there are no controls over federal

agencies

c) the public is unaware of how federal

agencies make decisions

d) overlapping jurisdiction contribute to

wasteful spending

e) it is constantly growing in

responsibilities and labor force

14. With regard to the federal bureaucracy,

recent presidents have tried to

a) reduce the size of the work force and

reorganize the structure

b) increase spending for all federal

agencies

c) get Congress to approve additional

staffing levels for executive

departments

d) eliminate the Department of Labor

e) limit congressional oversight of

independent regulatory agencies

15. An advantage that bureaucrats in federal

government have over the president in the

policymaking process is that bureaucrats

a) control the budgetary process

b) have an independence from the

president that is guaranteed by the

Constitution

c) find it easier to gather public support

than does the president

d) usually have a continuity of service

in the executive branch that the

president lacks

e) usually have better access to the

media than does the president

16. All of the following significantly influence

the Department of Defense’s annual budget

EXCEPT

a) the desires of the chairman of the

Senate Armed Services Committee

b) the budget recommendations of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff

c) the rate of increase of the size of the

armed forces

d) the number of bases being closed

e) the budget request made by the

minority party in the House of

Representatives

17. The chair people of the standing committees

of Congress are chosen

a) by the voters

b) according to a strict seniority system

c) by the President

d) by the leaders of both political

parties

e) by the leaders of the majority party

18. In theory, the modern bureaucratic structure

includes all of the following, EXCEPT,

a) a hierarchical authority structure

b) a ‘spoils’ system

c) extensive rules

d) standard operating practices

e) a division of labor

19. In recent years, many politicians have come

to see bureaucracies as agencies

a) that aim to make realistic

recommendations that may result in

lower budgets than the year before

b) whose main objective is to seek

profits

c) whose major goal is to cut back on

their powers

d) who strive to maximize their budgets

and power

e) who work more closely with the

judiciary

20. All of the following are examples of

independent regulatory agencies, EXCEPT

a) the Interstate Commerce

Commission

b) the Federal Communications

Commission

c) The Federal Reserve Board

d) The Securities and Exchange

Commission

e) The Central Intelligence Agency

21. When a president tries to control a

bureaucratic agency, all of the following

methods are available to him EXCEPT

a) appointing the right people to head

the agency

b) reducing the agencies budget

c) issuing executive orders

d) recommending a reduction of the

agency’s annual budget

e) using his office to influence agency

direction

22. A President attempting to influence

Congress to pass a legislative program

might employ all of the following

strategies EXCEPT

a) using the media to draw attention

to the legislative program

b) assigned legislative liaisons in the

Executive Office of the President

to lobby legislators

c) denying campaign reelection

funds to legislators who oppose

the President’s policy stand

d) exploiting a partisan majority for

the President’s party in both the

House and Senate

e) reminding legislators of high

popularity ratings for the

President in public opinion polls

23. Which of the following statements about

Congress is true?

a) Members of Congress only

occasionally are interested in and

pay attention to constituents.

b) The legislative process is

frequently lengthy, decentralized,

and characterized by compromise

and bargaining.

c) Lobbyists and political action

committees (PACs) successfully

induce most members of

Congress to trade their votes for

campaign contributions.

d) The growth in the size of

Congress as an organization is the

principal cause of growth in the

federal budget deficit.

e) Debate in both houses is

structured by elaborate rules

enacted by leaders of the majority

party.

24. Which of the following committees of

the House of Representatives sets the

conditions for debate and amendment of

most legislation?

a) Ways and Means

b) Appropriations

c) Judiciary

d) Rules

e) Government Operations

25. In which of the following scenarios

would a presidential veto most likely be

upheld?

a) The President has the support of

the Supreme Court.

b) The President is in a second term,

removed from partisan politics.

c) The proposed legislation enjoys

widespread bipartisan support.

d) The proposed legislation was

originally adopted by a large

majority in both houses of

Congress.

e) Two-thirds of the representatives

and senators are members of the

same party as the President.

26. In recent presidential administrations,

the principal staff for the President has

been made up of members of the

a) White House Office

b) cabinet

c) Congress

d) national committee of the

President’s party

e) civil service

27. Which of the following is NOT a

presidential role authorized by the

Constitution?

a) To be commander in chief of the

armed forces

b) To lead the political party of the

President

c) To negotiate treaties with foreign

nations

d) To be chief executive

e) To present the State of the Union

address

28. Senate confirmation is required for

which of the following presidential

appointments?

I. Secretary of State

II. White House chief of

staff

III. Director of the FBI

IV. Attorney General

a) I only

b) II and III only

c) II and IV only

d) I, III, and IV only

e) I, II, III, and IV

29. Which of the following is true under the

systems of checks and balances?

a) The Supreme Court can overrule

the President’s policy proposals.

b) The Senate must ratify treaties

negotiated by the President before

they become law.

c) A bill becomes law when the

House and the Senate pass it, and

the Supreme Court declares it

constitutional.

d) The Supreme Court can remove

members of the Congress, and

Congress can impeach the

President.

e) The House of Representatives

appoints justices to the Supreme

Court and the Senate approves the

appointments.

30. The President can do which of the

following without seeking the consent

of either the House or Senate?

a) Ratify a treaty

b) Appoint ambassadors

c) Appoint district court judges

d) deploy troops

e) declare war

31. Most of the power in Congress is found

in the

a) committees

b) specialized caucuses

c) state delegations

d) party leaders

e) caucuses

32. Responsibility for reconciling the House

and Senate versions of a bill falls to a

a) conference committee

b) standing committee

c) select committee

d) oversight committee

e) joint committee

33. Most of the delegates to the Republican

and Democratic national conventions at

the present time are chosen by

a) precinct caucuses

b) regional caucuses

c) state party conventions

d) local party caucuses

e) presidential primaries

34. Which of the following factors is the

most important for predicting the

outcome of congressional elections?

a) The amount of money spent by

the candidate

b) The size of the voter turnout

c) The success of the parties’

presidential candidate within the

particular congressional district

d) Whether or not the candidate is

an incumbent

e) Whether or not there are some hot

button issues during the campaign

35. Which of the following statements is

true of most bills introduced in the

House of Representative and Senate?

a) Most bills are passed by

committees but die from lack of

support in the respective chamber.

b) Almost every bill in Congress

dies from lack of support in the

House Rules Committee.

c) Most bills are passed by one

chamber of Congress but die from

lack of support in the opposite

chamber.

d) Most bills are withdrawn by the

bill’s sponsor before even being

considered.

e) Most bill are referred to

appropriate committees but are

never sent to the full Congress

and simply die in committee.

36. Which of the following determines the

number of delegates to a national party

convention and the rules under which

they are chosen?

a) State party conventions

b) The national committee of the

particular party

c) State legislatures

d) State party leadership

e) Local party caucuses

37. Which of the following statements is

NOT true about the United States

Senate?

a) There is no rules committee to

limit debate in the Senate.

b) The vice president presides over

the Senate and only votes in the

event of a tie.

c) Until the 17th Amendment,

senators were elected by state

legislatures.

d) The membership of the Senate

has always been made up of more

common individuals rather than

the rich elite.

e) It shares the ability to declare war

with the House of

Representatives.

38. The term critical election can best be

described as a

a) term used for elections where

serious economic differences

exist between the candidates.

b) term used to describe elections

when the nation is in a state of

war.

c) term used for elections where

party realignment takes place.

d) term for an election where

Supreme Court vacancies are

anticipated.

e) term for any election where one

party has won the previous three

elections and this election is

critical to the minority party.

39. Which of the following statements is

NOT true concerning the White House

staff?

a) The press secretary is a member

of the White House staff.

b) The national security advisor is a

member of the White House staff.

c) The president relies on the White

House staff for information,

policy options, and analysis.

d) The White House staff size and

responsibilities grew enormously

in the latter half of the 1900s.

e) Appointments to the White House

staff are confirmed by the Senate.

40. The War Powers Resolution, which

requires the president to consult with

Congress whenever possible prior to

using military forces, was passed as a

reaction to what historic actions?

a) The sinking of the Lusitania

b) The bombing of Pearl Harbor

c) American fighting in Vietnam

and Cambodia

d) The Korean War

e) Operation Desert Storm

41. Which of the following statements

concerning the position of the vice

president is NOT true?

a) In case of presidential disability,

he assumes the position of

president.

b) He presides over the Senate

c) Since 1980, the role and activities

of the vice president have been

increased informally by

presidents.

d) His Constitutional duties include

serving as chairman of the Joint

Chiefs of Staff.

e) He only votes in the Senate to

break tie votes.

42. The party member in Congress most

responsible for making certain that party

members are present for a vote and that

they vote the way the party wishes is the

a) President pro tempore

b) Chairman of the Caucus

c) Minority Leader

d) Party Whip

e) Speaker of the House

43. If by December 30th the president does

not sign a bill that was sent to him by

Congress on December 24th, he has

probably

a) used his pocket veto.

b) vetoed it.

c) let it become law without his

signature

d) tabled it.

e) amended it.

44. Why has the two-party system in the U.S.

most likely persisted for so long?

a) Because a minor party is unlikely to

gather enough public support to elect

its presidential candidate

b) Because a two-party system

discourages patronage and reduces

voter interest in joining a minor party

c) Because of the large number of

divisive issues that have persisted in

the United States since its founding

d) Because a two-party system requires

each party to be as narrowly based as

possible, leaving little room for

minor parties

e) Because the two-party system forces

third parties to subject themselves to

media scrutiny

45. Which of the following is a provision of

federal election laws?

a) A small fee must be paid by persons

voting in federal elections

b) On-site registrations to vote must be

permitted on the day of any federal

election

c) Electoral districts must be

apportioned to equalize the numbers

of Democratic and Republican voters

wherever a historic imbalance exists

d) Citizens must be automatically

registered to vote on their eighteenth

birthday

e) In areas with significant populations

of linguistic minorities, voting

materials must be made available in

the preferred languages of the

population

46. In the Constitution as originally ratified in

1788, the provisions regarding which of the

following most closely approximate

popular, majoritarian democracy?

a) Election of members of the Senate

b) Election of the President

c) Election of members of the House of

Representatives

d) Ratification of treaties

e) Confirmation of presidential

appointments

47. The importance of Shays’ Rebellion to the

development of the United States

Constitution was that it

a) indicated that a strong,

constitutionally designed national

government was needed to protect

property and maintain order

b) revealed the necessity of both adding

the Bill of Rights to the Constitution

and creating a new system of checks

and balances

c) demonstrated the intensity of

antiratification sentiment within the

thirteen states

d) convinced the delegates attending the

Constitutional Convention to accept

the Connecticut Plan

e) reinforced the idea that slavery

should be outlawed in the new

Constitution

48. A corporate lobbyist would be LEAST

likely to have an informal discussion about

a pending policy matter with which of the

following?

a) A member of the House in whose

district the corporation has a plant

b) A member of the White House staff

concerned with the issue

c) A member of the staff of the Senate

committee handling a matter of

concern to the corporation

d) A federal judge in whose court a case

important to the corporation is being

heard

e) A journalist for a major newspaper

concerned with the issue

49. A major function of local chapters of

national membership organizations (special

interest groups) is to

a) pursue political objectives at the

national level

b) represent individual clients to the

national organization

c) lobby politicians to oppose other

groups

d) lobby politicians to enact specific

laws

e) lure members and raise money from

them

50. The franking privilege refers to the

a) Federal Reserve Board’s control over

interest rates

b) practice of permitting senators to

preview lists of judicial nominees

c) practice whereby legislators with the

most seniority select the committees

on which they want to serve

d) right of the chair to control the

schedule of his or her congressional

committee

e) right of members of Congress to send

mail to their constituents at the

government’s expense