BGS, BSGS Bachelor of General Studies BSGS Public Administration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which budgeting approach requires agencies to justify every expenditure from zero each fiscal year rather than using the prior year's budget as a baseline?
- Incremental budgeting
- Zero-based budgeting (Correct answer)
- Performance-based budgeting
- Line-item budgeting
Correct answer: Zero-based budgeting
Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) requires every program to justify its full funding each cycle, starting from a 'zero base' with no automatic carryover.
Question 2: The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 addressed which major problem in U.S. federal administration?
- Racial segregation in federal agencies
- The spoils system of politically motivated hiring (Correct answer)
- Corruption in military procurement
- Lack of congressional oversight
Correct answer: The spoils system of politically motivated hiring
The Pendleton Act replaced patronage-based (spoils system) hiring with merit-based competitive exams, establishing the modern civil service.
Question 3: In public administration, 'street-level bureaucrats' are best described as:
- Senior executives who set agency policy
- Front-line workers who interact directly with citizens (Correct answer)
- Budget analysts who review agency spending
- Inspectors general who investigate fraud
Correct answer: Front-line workers who interact directly with citizens
Michael Lipsky coined the term to describe workers like police officers and social workers whose day-to-day decisions effectively shape policy implementation.
Question 4: Which concept describes the tendency of government agencies to prioritize their own survival and growth over their original public mission?
- Administrative discretion
- Bureaucratic drift
- Agency capture
- Mission creep (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Mission creep
Mission creep occurs when an organization gradually expands its activities beyond its original mandate, often prioritizing institutional survival.
Question 5: The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) primarily serves which function in democratic governance?
- Protecting classified national security documents
- Ensuring public access to government records (Correct answer)
- Regulating lobbying activities
- Setting standards for inter-agency communication
Correct answer: Ensuring public access to government records
FOIA (1966) grants citizens the right to request access to federal agency records, promoting government transparency and accountability.
Question 6: When a federal agency issues a rule that has the force of law without going through the full notice-and-comment process, this is typically called a:
- Final rule
- Interim final rule (Correct answer)
- Policy directive
- Executive memorandum
Correct answer: Interim final rule
An interim final rule takes effect immediately upon publication but still allows for public comment afterward, bypassing the usual pre-publication notice period.
Question 7: Which management principle holds that no single employee should report to more than one direct supervisor?
- Span of control
- Unity of command (Correct answer)
- Division of labor
- Scalar chain
Correct answer: Unity of command
Unity of command, a classical management principle, holds that each subordinate should have only one direct supervisor to avoid conflicting orders.
BGS, BSGS Bachelor of General Studies BSGS Public Administration 2
Which budgeting approach requires agencies to justify every expenditure from zero each fiscal year rather than using the prior year's budget as a baseline?