U.S. Government Practice Test: The Federal Bureaucracy
- The Federal Bureaucracy
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
These 10 questions cover the agencies that carry out federal laws and how Congress and the President control them. Sort agencies by type: departments, independent regulatory commissions and government corporations work differently.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
The heads of which units of the federal bureaucracy usually make up the President's Cabinet?
Correct answer: C
Each executive department, such as State, Treasury and Defense, is led by a secretary (or the Attorney General for Justice), and these leaders form the core of the Cabinet.
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Question 2
Which agency regulates interstate radio, television, wire, satellite and cable communications?
Correct answer: A
The FCC is an independent regulatory commission that licenses broadcasters and oversees communications. The FTC deals with competition and consumer protection, not broadcasting licenses.
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Question 3
The U.S. Postal Service charges customers for its services and is run much like a business, but it is owned by the federal government. It is an example of
Correct answer: B
Government corporations, such as the Postal Service and Amtrak, provide services that could be sold by private firms. The Postal Service stopped being a Cabinet department in 1971.
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Question 4
The Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883, passed after President James Garfield was killed by a disappointed office seeker,
Correct answer: D
The Pendleton Act created the Civil Service Commission and replaced part of the spoils system with merit hiring. Over time it was extended to most federal jobs.
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Question 5
The Hatch Act limits which activity of most federal civil service employees?
Correct answer: B
The Hatch Act keeps federal workers from using their positions for partisan politics, such as campaigning on the job. They may still vote and hold private political opinions.
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Question 6
The practice of giving government jobs to loyal party supporters, closely linked with President Andrew Jackson, is called
Correct answer: C
The name comes from the saying "to the victor belong the spoils." Logrolling means lawmakers trading votes to pass each other's bills.
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Question 7
In politics, an "iron triangle" is a close relationship among which three groups?
Correct answer: A
In an iron triangle, a committee funds an agency, the agency serves an interest group, and the group supports the committee members. Critics say these ties can shut out the wider public.
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Question 8
Congress passes a law telling an agency to set safe limits for a pollutant but leaves the exact limits to the agency. What is this an example of?
Correct answer: D
Congress often writes broad goals and lets agencies with experts fill in the details through regulations. The resulting rules have the force of law if they stay within the authority Congress gave.
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Question 9
Where are proposed and final regulations of federal agencies officially published so the public can read and comment on them?
Correct answer: B
The Federal Register is the daily publication for agency rules and notices. The Congressional Record covers debates in Congress, and the United States Reports contain Supreme Court opinions.
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Question 10
Which of these is a way Congress oversees federal agencies?
Correct answer: D
Congress checks the bureaucracy through investigations, oversight hearings and the power of the purse. Agency heads are appointed by the President, often with Senate confirmation.
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