1. Devolution describes a process through which

a. Congress gives up some of its power to the executive branch

b.the federal government is downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments.

c.state and local governments are downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to the federal government.

d.the United States delegates some of its power to the United Nations.e.the federal government is downsized by completely cutting wasteful programs.

Answer: .the federal government is downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments.

2. Which of the following was a way in which President Obama attempted to uphold his campaign promise to reduce government secrecy?

a.making sure that every bill that was passed by Congress during his first term was put up on the WhiteHouse website to be viewed by the public for at least five days before holding a vote

b. invoking the state secrets privilege to prevent lawsuits related to warrantless wiretapping and torture from going to trial

c. issuing an executive order designed to promote more rapid declassification of secret documents

d. repealing the USA PATRIOT Act

e. releasing a report by the Health and Human Services Department that indicated the health care reform law would actually increase the cost of health care and impose higher costs on consumers, even though this would make it harder for Congress to pass the bill

Answer: issuing an executive order designed to promote more rapid declassification of secret documents

3. Making permanent cuts in existing agencies is often difficult because

a.most agencies have a supportive constituency that will fight to reinstate any cuts that are made.

b. the Constitution prevents cuts to federal agencies lasting longer than five years.

c. every permanent cut to a federal agency must be reviewed by the Supreme Court before it can be put into effect.

d. federal law requires that the government cut every agency equally.

e. the vast majority of agencies have been given permanent “budgetary immunity” from the president that protects them from cuts.

Answer: most agencies have a supportive constituency that will fight to reinstate any cuts that are made.

4. 50.The politics of the IRS is interesting because

a .it is the one government agency that does not have to obey court orders.

b.the IRS is the most popular agency in all of government, and this popularity leads almostall Americans to comply with the agency’s rules.

c .Congress, the president, and the Treasury Department have little to no influence over thetaxation decisions made by the IRS.

d. influence over tax decisions regarding exemptions is spread broadly throughout the 50states and is not concentrated in any one area or among any one group.

e.contrary to popular perceptions, key tax decisions regarding exemptions are made byCongress, the president, and the Treasury Department rather than by the IRS itself

Answer: contrary to popular perceptions, key tax decisions regarding exemptions are made byCongress, the president, and the Treasury Department rather than by the IRS itself

5. What was the chief bureaucratic flaw identified by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States?

a.The CIA director lacked adequate access to the president.

b.There was a lack of communication between the domestic and foreign security agencies.

c.The Federal Aviation Administration was not properly monitoring all inbound airplanes on

September 11, 2001.

d.Diplomacy with the Taliban and other sponsors of terrorism had broken down in the mid-

1990s.

e.The government did not act swiftly enough after the attack in order to prevent further

casualties.

Answer: There was a lack of communication between the domestic and foreign security agencies.

6. The Obama administration’s campaign to make government more transparent

a. was jeopardized by Edward Snowden’s leak of sensitive national security documents in 2013.

b. resulted in the termination of the National Security Agency’s global surveillance

operations.

c. resulted in the passage of the Freedom of Information Act.

d. resulted in the repeal of the USA Patriot Act.

e. resulted in the closing of the base at Guantanamo Bay

Answer: was jeopardized by Edward Snowden’s leak of sensitive national security documents in 2013

7. The National Park Service is ________.

a.part of the Department of the Interior

b. part of the Department of Agriculture

d. an independent agency

e. a government corporation

c. part of the Department of Energy

Answer: part of the Department of the Interior

8. Which of the following statements about the Federal Reserve System (the Fed) is correct?

a. The Fed was established by George Washington and Alexander Hamilton in 1793.

b. Congress created the Fed in 1913.

c. The Fed was established in 1933, during the famous “Hundred Days” of the New Deal.

d. Richard Nixon established the Fed in 1969 as an attempt to gain more White House control over monetary policy.

e. The Fed was established by Herbert Hoover as a weak attempt at warding off the Great Depression.

Answer: Congress created the Fed in 1913.

9.Ronald Reagan’s inability to dismantle the Department of Education reflects the power of ________.

a. the merit system

b. iron triangles

c. the Federal Register

d. devolution

e. the mass media

Answer: iron triangles

10. What would be the most likely outcome if federal governmental officials were to cease all economic regulation?

a. The marketplace would work more efficiently and quickly.

b. The marketplace would favor the more numerous workers rather than corporate interests.

c. The marketplace would fall into chaos.

d. The marketplace would globalize more quickly.

e. The marketplace would stabilize

Answer: The marketplace would fall into chaos.

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