POLI 1090, Final Exam, Parks,
Auburn Exam Questions with
Correct Answers
Federal Bureaucracy - Answer-the organizations and sub-organizations within the
executive branch that are tasked with putting the laws of the nation into effect
standard operating procedures - Answer-the sets of rules governing the behavior of
bureaucrats
principal-agent problem - Answer-The challenge that arises when one actor, the
principal, tasks another, the agent, to carry out the principal's wishes in the presence of
uncertainty and unequal information
incentives - Answer-those inducements that the leaders of a bureaucracy can offer to
their employees
turf wars - Answer-when bureaucrats compete to take duties and responsibilities away
one another's departments or keep their opponent from doing so
political patronage - Answer-filling administrative positions as a reward for support,
rather than solely on merit
spoils system - Answer-following a successful election, the opportunity to clean house
of one's opponents and install supporters in their place
clientele agencies - Answer-organizations that act to serve and promote the interests of
their clients
path dependence - Answer-the way in which a set of political outcomes shapes future
possibilities for political action
The Pendleton Act of 1883 - Answer-requiring competitive examinations (merit system)
for positions in federal government; provided model for state and local governments
Hatch Act of 1939 - Answer-was signed into law in 1939 to keep federal employees
from engaging in political activities while they're on the job.
Three Main Tenets of the Pendleton Act of 1883 - Answer-1. Merit Based - Competitive
Exams
2, Relative Security of Tenure
,3. Politically Neutral
independent executive agency - Answer-an agency similar to a cabinet department but
existing outside the cabinet structure and usually having a narrower focus of mission.
merit system - Answer-an agency similar to a cabinet department but existing outside
the cabinet structure and usually having a narrower focus of mission
implementation - Answer-the bureaucracy's role in putting into action the laws that
Congress has passed.
bureaucratic discretion - Answer-the power to decide how a law is implemented and, at
times, what Congress actually meant when it passed a given law
street-level bureaucrats - Answer-may conclude that they need to "bend the rules" to do
their jobs as they see them
Senior Executive Service (SES) - Answer-federal employees with higher level
supervisory and administrative responsibilities who are paid and treated more like vice
presidents of businesses than political figures
Bureaucratic discretion - Answer-the power to decide how a law is implemented and, at
times, what Congress actually meant when it passed a given law
rulemaking - Answer-the process through which the federal bureaucracy fills in critical
details of a law
bureaucratic adjudication - Answer-when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes
between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws and presidential
executive orders or determine which individuals or groups are covered under a
regulation or program
federal judiciary - Answer-The branch of the federal government that interprets and
applies the laws of the nation
United States Supreme Court - Answer-The highest level of the federal judiciary,
established in the Constitution, and acting as the highest court in the nation
Appellate Jurisdiction - Answer-The authority of a court to hear and review decisions
made by lower courts in that system
Original Jurisdiction - Answer-the authority of a court to act as the first court to hear a
case, which includes the finding of facts in the case
Marbury v. Madison - Answer-Leads to the Establishment of Judicial Review
, Judicial Review - Answer-the authority of the highest court in a political system to
determine if a law is or is not in conflict with a government's highest law, which in the
United States is the Constitution.
Constitutional Interpretation - Answer-he process of applying the Constitution in
assessing whether or not a law, part of a law, or an action by a governmental official is
or is not in conflict with the Constitution.
Adversarial System - Answer-two opposing sides present their case
Plaintiff - Answer-person(s) who brings a case
Defendant - Answer-person(s) against whom a case is brought
Criminal Law - Answer-category of law covering actions determined to harm the
community itself
Plea Bargaining - Answer-A legal process in which the plaintiff and defendant agree to
an outcome prior to the handing out of a verdict.
Civil Law - Answer-A category of law covering cases involving private rights and
relationships between individuals and groups
Federal District Courts - Answer-the lowest level of the federal judiciary; these courts
usually possess original jurisdiction in cases that originate at the federal level.
Federal Court of Appeals - Answer-the middle level of the federal judiciary; these courts
review and hear appeals from the federal district courts.
Federal District Court - Answer-The lowest level of the federal judiciary, which usually
possesses original jurisdiction in cases that originate at the federal level.
Oral Arguments - Answer-Presentations made by plaintiffs and defendants before the
Supreme Court.
Briefs - Answer-Legal documents presented by plaintiffs, defendants, and, at times,
other interested parties outlining their arguments.
Standing - Answer-The legal ability to bring a case in court.
Writ of Certiorari - Answer-The process through which most cases reach the Supreme
Court, after four Justices concur that the body should hear the case.
Solicitor General - Answer-A presidential appointee who represents the federal
government in court
Auburn Exam Questions with
Correct Answers
Federal Bureaucracy - Answer-the organizations and sub-organizations within the
executive branch that are tasked with putting the laws of the nation into effect
standard operating procedures - Answer-the sets of rules governing the behavior of
bureaucrats
principal-agent problem - Answer-The challenge that arises when one actor, the
principal, tasks another, the agent, to carry out the principal's wishes in the presence of
uncertainty and unequal information
incentives - Answer-those inducements that the leaders of a bureaucracy can offer to
their employees
turf wars - Answer-when bureaucrats compete to take duties and responsibilities away
one another's departments or keep their opponent from doing so
political patronage - Answer-filling administrative positions as a reward for support,
rather than solely on merit
spoils system - Answer-following a successful election, the opportunity to clean house
of one's opponents and install supporters in their place
clientele agencies - Answer-organizations that act to serve and promote the interests of
their clients
path dependence - Answer-the way in which a set of political outcomes shapes future
possibilities for political action
The Pendleton Act of 1883 - Answer-requiring competitive examinations (merit system)
for positions in federal government; provided model for state and local governments
Hatch Act of 1939 - Answer-was signed into law in 1939 to keep federal employees
from engaging in political activities while they're on the job.
Three Main Tenets of the Pendleton Act of 1883 - Answer-1. Merit Based - Competitive
Exams
2, Relative Security of Tenure
,3. Politically Neutral
independent executive agency - Answer-an agency similar to a cabinet department but
existing outside the cabinet structure and usually having a narrower focus of mission.
merit system - Answer-an agency similar to a cabinet department but existing outside
the cabinet structure and usually having a narrower focus of mission
implementation - Answer-the bureaucracy's role in putting into action the laws that
Congress has passed.
bureaucratic discretion - Answer-the power to decide how a law is implemented and, at
times, what Congress actually meant when it passed a given law
street-level bureaucrats - Answer-may conclude that they need to "bend the rules" to do
their jobs as they see them
Senior Executive Service (SES) - Answer-federal employees with higher level
supervisory and administrative responsibilities who are paid and treated more like vice
presidents of businesses than political figures
Bureaucratic discretion - Answer-the power to decide how a law is implemented and, at
times, what Congress actually meant when it passed a given law
rulemaking - Answer-the process through which the federal bureaucracy fills in critical
details of a law
bureaucratic adjudication - Answer-when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes
between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws and presidential
executive orders or determine which individuals or groups are covered under a
regulation or program
federal judiciary - Answer-The branch of the federal government that interprets and
applies the laws of the nation
United States Supreme Court - Answer-The highest level of the federal judiciary,
established in the Constitution, and acting as the highest court in the nation
Appellate Jurisdiction - Answer-The authority of a court to hear and review decisions
made by lower courts in that system
Original Jurisdiction - Answer-the authority of a court to act as the first court to hear a
case, which includes the finding of facts in the case
Marbury v. Madison - Answer-Leads to the Establishment of Judicial Review
, Judicial Review - Answer-the authority of the highest court in a political system to
determine if a law is or is not in conflict with a government's highest law, which in the
United States is the Constitution.
Constitutional Interpretation - Answer-he process of applying the Constitution in
assessing whether or not a law, part of a law, or an action by a governmental official is
or is not in conflict with the Constitution.
Adversarial System - Answer-two opposing sides present their case
Plaintiff - Answer-person(s) who brings a case
Defendant - Answer-person(s) against whom a case is brought
Criminal Law - Answer-category of law covering actions determined to harm the
community itself
Plea Bargaining - Answer-A legal process in which the plaintiff and defendant agree to
an outcome prior to the handing out of a verdict.
Civil Law - Answer-A category of law covering cases involving private rights and
relationships between individuals and groups
Federal District Courts - Answer-the lowest level of the federal judiciary; these courts
usually possess original jurisdiction in cases that originate at the federal level.
Federal Court of Appeals - Answer-the middle level of the federal judiciary; these courts
review and hear appeals from the federal district courts.
Federal District Court - Answer-The lowest level of the federal judiciary, which usually
possesses original jurisdiction in cases that originate at the federal level.
Oral Arguments - Answer-Presentations made by plaintiffs and defendants before the
Supreme Court.
Briefs - Answer-Legal documents presented by plaintiffs, defendants, and, at times,
other interested parties outlining their arguments.
Standing - Answer-The legal ability to bring a case in court.
Writ of Certiorari - Answer-The process through which most cases reach the Supreme
Court, after four Justices concur that the body should hear the case.
Solicitor General - Answer-A presidential appointee who represents the federal
government in court
