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POS 101 R. R. Pope

Citizens & Governance Spring 2000

3rd EXAM ANSWERS

1. Which of the following, is the least reasonable statement about bureaucracy? Bureaucracy is

  1. always going to be guilty of a degree of inefficiency.
  2. going to tend to grow even if the actual work load doesn't grow.
  3. _X_impossible to adequately control and therefore needs to be eliminated wherever possible.
  4. essential to modern society.

2. Among the reasons for the inefficiency of bureaucracy is/are

  1. the need for "standard operating procedures" which inevitably will not always be appropriate for the problem at hand
  2. the tendency of bureaucrats to "satisfyce."
  3. the tendency of the best people to get frustrated and leave the organization, so that when promotions are made they go to people who aren't always capable of doing the best possible job.
  4. _X_ All of the above.

3. Why do many officials regularly request more staff to be added to their agencies?

  1. More staff makes it easier to control an agency.
  2. More people must be hired to keep up with inflation.
  3. Adding more people compensates for the declining efficiency of older workers.
  4. _X_ Agency size and growth are part of one's prestige within government.
  5. None of the above.

4. According to Shively, which of the following, if any, is not true of bureaucracy?

  1. Bureaucrats are too numerous and individually too unimportant to be kept entirely under effective political control, even though collectively they have a major impact on policy.
  2. Despite bureaucracy's many problems, including its limited flexibility, in general, government administration compares favorably with the efficiency of private enterprise.
  3. Bureaucracy is particularly good at accurately implementing decisions made by political leaders and at minimizing arbitrary behavior.
  4. _X_According to Shively, all of the above are true.

5. The Peter Principle claims that

  1. _X_bureaucrats tend to rise to the level of their incompetence.
  2. bureaucrats try to hire rivals.
  3. bureaucrats make work for each other.
  4. bureaucracy is highly inefficient.
  5. all of the above

6. At least in part, Parkinson's Law states:

  1. The supervisor will have less work in the long run.
  2. _X_ The supervisor will attempt to hire subordinates and not a rival.
  3. In bureaucracies one rises to the level of one's incompetence.
  4. All of the above.

7. According to the Pope Proposal, one way to at least partially deal with some of the problems created by bureaucracy is:

  1. Publicize shortcomings.
  2. Make it easier to demote or fire people doing a poor job.
  3. _X_Help young creative people to learn to deal with "bureaucratic red tape" more effectively.
  4. All of the above.

8. Which of the following, if any, does not qualify as an interest group?

  1. A well organized chess club that tries to persuade local government to support it
  2. A labor organization
  3. Students Against Drunk Driving
  4. The American Medical Association
  5. _X_According to the class discussion all of the above qualify as interest groups.

9. Which of the following would most informed people probably agree is the most exaggerated statement about interest groups?

  1. In general they play a worthwhile role in our democratic system.
  2. They are capable of distorting the democratic process in that they can facilitate the exercise of political influence by unrepresentative minorities.
  3. _X_ They almost always have excessive influence on political decision making and therefore should be severely restricted.

10. Which of the following, if any, is the most reasonable to argue?

  1. Interest groups should be severely restricted in order to protect democracy.
  2. _X_Groups capable of providing counter balancing views should be encouraged.
  3. The media should be encouraged to strongly criticize all interest group efforts to influence government and public opinion.
  4. All of the above are equally reasonable to argue.

11. Which of the following is the least exaggerated statement of a legitimate problem associated with the existence of interest groups?

  1. They make it easier for people with radical opinions to make themselves heard.
  2. _X_Groups with a great deal of money can have more influence than they deserve.
  3. So called "public interest groups" always interfere with free enterprise.
  4. Because the general public does not normally pay close attention to specific issues, special interest groups, such as the oil industry or the National Rifle Association, can be counted on to always benefit themselves-and never the general public.

12. According to Shively, which of the following, if any, is not true of interest groups?

  1. Interest groups are probably the main vehicle in most states for representing public opinion and bringing it to bear in an organized (and therefore effective) way on the governmental authorities.
  2. Not all interests are equally well organized.
  3. Some groups command a disproportionate voice in the interest group system because they have special advantages.
  4. Most interest groups are not organized democratically; their leaders are not closely responsive to the members' wishes.
  5. _X_According to Shively, all of the above are true.

13. Interest group politics is best described as

  1. an undesirable means for pursuing narrow interests.
  2. a corrupt form of pressure politics.
  3. _X_a legitimate means for settling conflicting claims in society.
  4. a method for avoiding party politics.

14. Which of the following characteristics is not typical of political interest groups?

  1. A collection of individuals.
  2. Shared attitudes.
  3. _X_Putting forward candidates for public office.
  4. Making claims or demands on others in society.

15. Gerrymander refers to the drawing of election district boundaries in a way that

  1. guarantees that one group will win all the seats available in the next election.
  2. the courts will approve.
  3. _X_unfairly benefits one group over another.
  4. will win the approval of the majority of the voters in the community.
  5. None of the above.

16. "Responsible electorate" refers to
  1. those people who pay enough attention to political issues to be able to vote intelligently.
  2. opinion leaders only.
  3. a theory that supports our founding fathers' assumption that only a limited number of people are well enough informed and have enough of a stake in society to be able to vote "responsibly."
  4. _X_None of the above

17. It can be reasonably argued that

  1. a free press goes hand-in-hand with a democratic--and by implication, a reasonably effective--form of government.
  2. TV doesn't have the time--or at least tends not to take the time--to put campaign charges and counter charges into perspective.
  3. some of the media, especially television, have gotten caught up in the size of the audience, the profits to be made, catering to short attention spans, and seeking the sensational; consequently, they seem to have forgotten something basic--that the media is here to serve the public, to bring them the information they need to make informed judgments.
  4. _X_All of the above can be considered reasonable statements.

18. Even fair competitive elections cannot reasonably be expected to do which of the following ?

  1. Generate public support for the system.
  2. Decide the basic approach society takes, e.g., socialism vs. capitalism.
  3. Decide specific issues, such whether or not to build a new school.
  4. _X_Select the best possible decision makers for the society in almost every case.

19. Among the problems with even basically democratic elections is/are:

  1. The public doesn't always know enough to make a good decision.
  2. Large amounts of money can be spent during the political campaign in ways that can mislead the voters.
  3. So called "negative campaigning" and other efforts to "win at any cost" can obscure the discussion of the important issues.
  4. It can be difficult to persuade well qualified people to run for public office-because of all the costs involved, including the loss of privacy.
  5. _X_ All of the above can be considered problems with even democratic elections.

20. In a democracy the media can reasonable be expected to do all but which of the following?

  1. _X_Keep the public fully and accurately informed on all the major political, social, and economic issues facing the society.
  2. Act as a critic of those holding power.
  3. Act as a check on the abuse of power by elected officials, bureaucrats, and interest groups.
  4. Raise issues that need to be discussed.

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