Bureaucracy Test

Which of the following is most likely an effect of the trend in the line graph?

A decrease in congressional oversight as a mechanism to control the bureaucracy

Which of the following is true of the relationship between Congress and executive agencies?

Because the agencies have bureaucratic expertise, Congress delegates "rule-making authority" to them

Which of the following best explains why cabinet secretaries might not aggressively pursue the president's policy agenda?

Cabinet secretaries may develop strong loyalty to their departments.

Which of the following possible actions illustrates a way Congress interacts with the bureaucracy to address the problem shown in the infographic?

Congress could have members of the Department of Transportation testify before a committee to discuss the issue and potential solutions.

Which of the following explains how Congress would most likely respond if it were concerned about the slight increase in spending over time, as indicated by the bar chart?

Congress could vote to reduce spending on the Department of Homeland Security in the next year's budget.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates delegated discretionary authority?

Congress giving the Environmental Protection Agency the power to establish national pollution standards

Congress is most likely to exert oversight of the executive bureaucracy in which of the following ways?

Controlling an executive agency's annual budget

Which of the following is an example of congressional oversight?

Holding hearings for review of an executive agency's activities

Which of the following statements best relates to the information shown in the infographic?

Like most businesses, the federal government has to seek out well-qualified and diverse job candidates.

Congress has exerted the greats influence on the operation of a federal agency by doing which of the following?

Reviewing the annual budget appropriations for the agency

Which of the following explains how the bureaucracy can address a problem shown in the infographic

The Department of Transportation can write stronger regulations on freight volume.

Which of the following is likely to occur as a result of new legislation regarding automobile safety?

The Department of Transportation will be given discretionary authority to create auto regulations.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the process of bureaucratic rule making?

The Department of Veterans Affairs rewrites its regulations regarding compensation and pensions into plain language that is easier for beneficiaries to understand.

Cabinet departments differ from independent regulatory agencies in which of the following ways?

The President can dismiss cabinet officers, but not commissioners of independent regulatory agencies.

All of the following help to explain the President's difficulty in controlling cabinet level agencies except

The President can only fire appointees before they have been confirmed by the Senate

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a formal check on the power of the bureaucracy?

The secretary of defense being called to testify before a congressional committee

Which of the following is true of independent regulatory agencies?

They tend to be freer from presidential control than are cabinet departments.

A fundamental source of power for the federal bureaucracy lies in its

ability to set specific guidelines after receiving a general mandate from Congress

Rules and regulations created by an agency such as the Federal Communications Commission are called

administrative law

One of the formal tools used by Congress for oversight of the bureaucracy is...

authorization of spending

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service will spend money appropriated by Congress to maintain wildlife refuges. This action is an example of

bureaucratic implementation of law

Congressional oversight refers to the power of Congress to

exercise some control over executive agencies

The role Congress plays in ensuring that executive branch agencies are carrying out their legislated responsibilities is known as

legislative oversight

Cabinet members often do not have a dominant influence on presidential decision-making because

presidential goals often conflict with the institutional goals of individual cabinet-level agencies

In general, independent regulatory commissions are created primarily for the purpose of

regulating certain industries to protect the public interest

A policy that sets emission standards for automobiles is an example of

regulatory policy

When independent regulatory agencies make rules, enforce those rules, and adjudicate disputes arising under those rules, they risk violating the constitutional concept of

separation of powers

An advantage that bureaucrats in federal government have over the President in the policymaking process is that bureaucrats

usually have a continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks