MPA Master of Public Administration MCQ 2

Question 1

Which budget format links government expenditures directly to measurable program outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Performance-based budget

Answer

Performance-based budgeting ties appropriations to specific outputs or outcomes rather than input categories.

Question 2

The 'street-level bureaucracy' concept, developed by Michael Lipsky, argues that policy is ultimately shaped by:

Accepted Answer

Frontline public workers

Answer

Lipsky argued that frontline workers (teachers, police, social workers) exercise discretion that effectively makes policy during implementation.

Question 3

In the U.S. federal system, which doctrine holds that federal law supersedes conflicting state law?

Accepted Answer

Preemption

Answer

The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution establishes federal preemption, making valid federal law the supreme law of the land.

Question 4

Which theory of organizational motivation emphasizes hygiene factors (salary, working conditions) as separate from true motivators (achievement, recognition)?

Accepted Answer

Herzberg's two-factor theory

Answer

Herzberg distinguished hygiene factors that prevent dissatisfaction from motivators that drive job satisfaction and performance.

Question 5

A government agency uses cost-benefit analysis to evaluate a new highway project. Which cost category is MOST likely to be underestimated?

Accepted Answer

Environmental externalities

Answer

Environmental externalities like pollution, habitat loss, and noise impacts are often difficult to quantify and are systematically underestimated in public project analyses.

MPA - Master of Public Administration Practice Test

MPA - Master of Public Administration Practice Test

MPA Master of Public Administration MCQ 2