Chapter 15 The Federal Bureaucracy
Test Bank
Each bureaucratic agency is created initially by
A) constitutional provision.
B) the president.
C) the bureaucracy itself.
D) Congress.
E) order of a federal court. - ANSWERD
Which of the following statements about bureaucracies is FALSE?
A) Bureaucratic power extends to every corner of American economic and social life.
B) Bureaucracies are scarcely hinted at in the Constitution.
C) Nothing better illustrates the complexity of modern government than its massive
bureaucracies.
D) Each bureaucratic agency is created by the president.
E) How to manage and control bureaucracies is a central problem of democratic
government. - ANSWERD
Which of the following is TRUE about the federal bureaucracy?
A) Most federal bureaucrats work in Washington, D.C.
B) The state and local governments have far more employees than the federal
bureaucracy. C) The size of the federal bureaucracy has grown dramatically over the
past twenty years. D) Most Americans are dissatisfied with their encounters with
bureaucrats.
E) all of the above - ANSWERB
Studies have found that most Americans
A) dislike bureaucrats.
B) are indifferent about bureaucracies and bureaucrats.
C) are satisfied with the help received from bureaucrats.
D) actually like bureaucracies.
E) want the government bureaucracy dismantled. - ANSWERC
Which of the following statements about the size of bureaucracies is FALSE?
A) State and local public employees far outnumber civilian federal government
employees.
B) As a percentage of Americaʹs total work force, federal government employment has
been growing.
C) Almost all the growth in the number of public employees has occurred in state and
local governments.
,D) Federal government employment amounts to about three percent of all civilian jobs.
E) None of the above; all of the above statements are TRUE. - ANSWERB
As a percentage of the total work force, federal government employment is
A) rapidly becoming greater than employment in the private sector.
B) greater than state and local government employment.
C) rising.
D) declining.
E) stabilizing. - ANSWERD
The classic conception of a bureaucracy was advanced by ________, who argued that
the bureaucracy was a ʺrationalʺ way for a modern society to conduct its business.
A) Max Weber
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) John Locke
D) Charles L. Schultze
E) James Madison - ANSWERA
In addition to a hierarchical authority structure, Max Weber argued that a bureaucracy
involves all of the following EXCEPT
A) extensive rules.
B) an incentive system.
C) task specialization.
D) the merit principle.
E) hierarchical authority structure. - ANSWERB
The Weberian theory of bureaucracies views them in the most positive light as
A) acquisitive.
B) inefficient.
C) monopolistic.
D) hierarchical.
E) democratic. - ANSWERD
The Weberian model depicts a bureaucracy as
A) fundamentally dangerous to a democratic society.
B) inefficient, primarily concerned with maximizing its budget, and largely responsible
for the growth of modern government.
C) wasteful, bloated, over-staffed, over-paid and arrogant.
D) a well-organized machine with plenty of working but hierarchical parts.
E) ambling and groping, affected by chance, and largely operating by a loosely run style
of trial and error. - ANSWERD
The Weberian model views bureaucracies as
A) promoting good monopolies.
B) loosely organized and loosely run.
C) largely self-serving.
, D) efficient and necessary.
E) hindering democracy. - ANSWERD
Which of the following would NOT be considered part of the Weberian model of
bureaucracy?
A) task specialization
B) decentralized authority structure
C) extensive rules
D) impersonality
E) A and D only - ANSWERB
Which of the following statements about bureaucracies is FALSE?
A) Bureaucracies are simply a way of organizing people to perform work.
B) The vast majority of tasks carried out by governments are noncontroversial.
C) Bureaucracies receive very little credit when they function well.
D) Government bureaucracies have been shown to be less efficient and effective than
private bureaucracies.
E) Bureaucracies are prevalent in all levels of government. - ANSWERD
The ________ employs about one-fourth of all federal civilian workers, more than any
other department or agency.
A) Department of Education
B) Department of Health and Human Services
C) Department of Defense
D) Department of Justice
E) Department of Labor - ANSWERC
There are roughly ________ civilian and military federal government employees
A) 800,000
B) 3,000,000
C) 2,100,000
D) 4,000,000
E) 500,000 - ANSWERD
As a whole, the permanent bureaucracy is
A) nearly all white, male, and well-paid.
B) overwhelmingly African American, female, and not so well-paid.
C) more broadly representative of the American people than legislators, judges, or
presidential appointees.
D) better paid than are similar jobs in the private sector.
E) a reflection of participatory politics, since most government workers are hired through
the patronage system. - ANSWERC
As a whole, the permanent federal bureaucracy is
A) less diverse in terms of the type of jobs than the private sector.
B) dominated by white males.
Test Bank
Each bureaucratic agency is created initially by
A) constitutional provision.
B) the president.
C) the bureaucracy itself.
D) Congress.
E) order of a federal court. - ANSWERD
Which of the following statements about bureaucracies is FALSE?
A) Bureaucratic power extends to every corner of American economic and social life.
B) Bureaucracies are scarcely hinted at in the Constitution.
C) Nothing better illustrates the complexity of modern government than its massive
bureaucracies.
D) Each bureaucratic agency is created by the president.
E) How to manage and control bureaucracies is a central problem of democratic
government. - ANSWERD
Which of the following is TRUE about the federal bureaucracy?
A) Most federal bureaucrats work in Washington, D.C.
B) The state and local governments have far more employees than the federal
bureaucracy. C) The size of the federal bureaucracy has grown dramatically over the
past twenty years. D) Most Americans are dissatisfied with their encounters with
bureaucrats.
E) all of the above - ANSWERB
Studies have found that most Americans
A) dislike bureaucrats.
B) are indifferent about bureaucracies and bureaucrats.
C) are satisfied with the help received from bureaucrats.
D) actually like bureaucracies.
E) want the government bureaucracy dismantled. - ANSWERC
Which of the following statements about the size of bureaucracies is FALSE?
A) State and local public employees far outnumber civilian federal government
employees.
B) As a percentage of Americaʹs total work force, federal government employment has
been growing.
C) Almost all the growth in the number of public employees has occurred in state and
local governments.
,D) Federal government employment amounts to about three percent of all civilian jobs.
E) None of the above; all of the above statements are TRUE. - ANSWERB
As a percentage of the total work force, federal government employment is
A) rapidly becoming greater than employment in the private sector.
B) greater than state and local government employment.
C) rising.
D) declining.
E) stabilizing. - ANSWERD
The classic conception of a bureaucracy was advanced by ________, who argued that
the bureaucracy was a ʺrationalʺ way for a modern society to conduct its business.
A) Max Weber
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) John Locke
D) Charles L. Schultze
E) James Madison - ANSWERA
In addition to a hierarchical authority structure, Max Weber argued that a bureaucracy
involves all of the following EXCEPT
A) extensive rules.
B) an incentive system.
C) task specialization.
D) the merit principle.
E) hierarchical authority structure. - ANSWERB
The Weberian theory of bureaucracies views them in the most positive light as
A) acquisitive.
B) inefficient.
C) monopolistic.
D) hierarchical.
E) democratic. - ANSWERD
The Weberian model depicts a bureaucracy as
A) fundamentally dangerous to a democratic society.
B) inefficient, primarily concerned with maximizing its budget, and largely responsible
for the growth of modern government.
C) wasteful, bloated, over-staffed, over-paid and arrogant.
D) a well-organized machine with plenty of working but hierarchical parts.
E) ambling and groping, affected by chance, and largely operating by a loosely run style
of trial and error. - ANSWERD
The Weberian model views bureaucracies as
A) promoting good monopolies.
B) loosely organized and loosely run.
C) largely self-serving.
, D) efficient and necessary.
E) hindering democracy. - ANSWERD
Which of the following would NOT be considered part of the Weberian model of
bureaucracy?
A) task specialization
B) decentralized authority structure
C) extensive rules
D) impersonality
E) A and D only - ANSWERB
Which of the following statements about bureaucracies is FALSE?
A) Bureaucracies are simply a way of organizing people to perform work.
B) The vast majority of tasks carried out by governments are noncontroversial.
C) Bureaucracies receive very little credit when they function well.
D) Government bureaucracies have been shown to be less efficient and effective than
private bureaucracies.
E) Bureaucracies are prevalent in all levels of government. - ANSWERD
The ________ employs about one-fourth of all federal civilian workers, more than any
other department or agency.
A) Department of Education
B) Department of Health and Human Services
C) Department of Defense
D) Department of Justice
E) Department of Labor - ANSWERC
There are roughly ________ civilian and military federal government employees
A) 800,000
B) 3,000,000
C) 2,100,000
D) 4,000,000
E) 500,000 - ANSWERD
As a whole, the permanent bureaucracy is
A) nearly all white, male, and well-paid.
B) overwhelmingly African American, female, and not so well-paid.
C) more broadly representative of the American people than legislators, judges, or
presidential appointees.
D) better paid than are similar jobs in the private sector.
E) a reflection of participatory politics, since most government workers are hired through
the patronage system. - ANSWERC
As a whole, the permanent federal bureaucracy is
A) less diverse in terms of the type of jobs than the private sector.
B) dominated by white males.
